Elizabeth Rozanski, DVM, a
specialist in emergency and critical care at the Cummings School, has this advice for owners
worried about canine influenza: “Don’t panic. The flu in people and
dogs has high morbidity - many get sick - but it has very, very low mortality.”As of
this writing, outbreaks of the virus, which began in horses and crossed to
racing Greyhounds and other dogs, have been identified in a half dozen states,
including Florida, New York and Washington.
Few deaths from complications, such as pneumonia,have been reported.However, owners
should limit their dog’s exposure the same as they would with any other
infectious disease, Dr. Rozanski said. “Avoid high volume boarding kennels and pet store puppies. Very old, very
young dogs and immunosuppressed dogs - from chemotherapy, diabetes or
prednisone - are at risk. Dog parks should be fine. They tend to cater to dog lovers who take good
care of their dogs.”
The signs are coughing, sneezing,
nasal discharge and loss of appetite.
Treatment consists of supportive care. Assessing the public health impact, Dr. Rubin
Donis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a briefing that
horses have had equine
influenza virus for more than 40
years. “In all these years, we have never been able to document a single case of human
infection with this virus.”
Said Dr. Rozanski:“The informed
owner will recognize this is a minor crisis unlikely, except in rare
circumstances, to cause problems.”
Updated information appears
regularly
at http://www.diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/news.asp
No comments:
Post a Comment