Dog Flu Is Back, Too

The veterinarians were not alarmed when a few dogs started coughing at the shelter. There were a lot of sick dogs at the shelter.

The coughs lingered, and the few hacking dogs turned into many. 86 percent of the shelter's dogs were sick by the end of November.

The chief executive of Operation Kindness, which is based in Carrollton, just north of Dallas, said that it was so fast-acted.

The dogs had contracted a highly contagious strain of canine flu, known as H3N2, which has caused a number of recent outbreaks in the South. Dog day care facilities have closed and shelters have suspended adoptions as a result of warnings from the veterinarians about the virus on social media.

Most dogs that contract the virus don't become seriously ill, so it doesn't pose a risk to humans at the moment. The disease can be fatal in a small percentage of dogs.

The recent rash of cases could be caused by recent changes in Americans' behaviors, according to some vets. Shelters that were emptied out during the Pandemic are full again, and the resurgence of travel and reopening of offices means that more dogs are spending time together in day cares, where the virus can easily gain a foothold.

During the first two years of Covid, there was a quiet period. People and their pets were together. We didn't see a lot of contagious viruses.

If the virus has been reported in the area, experts recommend that dog owners keep an eye out for symptoms, which may include coughing, fever and loss of appetite. Dog owners who have their dogs in social settings may want to consider a canine vaccine.

Edward Dubovi was part of the team that identified the first strain of canine flu. It is a risk if you go to a dog park and there are many dogs running around. You might want to get a vaccine if that is part of your daily routine.

There are two types of dog flu. H3N8 was first found in Florida among greyhounds in 2004.

H3N2 was the cause of the most recent outbreak. In 2007, it was first detected in dogs in South Korea.

It ripped through animal shelters and veterinary clinics in Chicago in 2015. Flu is not subtle in the shelter setting because it comes in like a wave. Dr. Newbury was part of the team that responded to the Chicago outbreak and has been working with Operation Kindness.

The Midwest was the site of the first outbreak of the virus before it faded out.

Research shows that H3N2 has been reintroduced to the US many times. The Healthy Dog Importation Act was introduced in Congress last year and will impose more safeguards.

In group settings, canine flu can spread quickly and can jump from state to state.

There is a tendency to move animals from one part of the country to another. The dogs get moved along with the viruses.

More than 1,300 cases of the virus were reported in Los Angeles over the course of a year last year.

It appeared in Alabama this summer. According to Dr. Alverson, it exploded. The day cares were closing.

Several severely ill dogs were euthanized by the Humane Society before the outbreak ended. She said that the virus is back after a brief break.

Cases have been reported in other states as well.

There are other respiratory infections making their way around. According to veterinary facilities and doggy day cares in Charlotte, N.C., there has been a surge of coughing, sniffling dogs this fall. Kim Lovingood-Owens said that it got really bad by mid-October. The building was sanitized after we closed for a week.

Some dogs have tested positive for flu while others have contracted different respiratory pathogens.

Charlotte Animal Referral & Emergency has seen a lot of dogs with respiratory infections in the last few weeks. Dr. Kelly Lang said that the facility was running out of room to place animals. This is the first thing I have dealt with like this.

The peak of the outbreak has passed, with no canine deaths, although some dogs are still in treatment. Adoptions at the shelter resumed last weekend with 21 dogs finding new homes.

Some dogs got adopted, it was nice to see that.