By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesHastings Racecourse cancelled racing last Saturday because of an outbreak of equine influenza in horses at the track. A recent CBC news report indicates that things started a week and a half earlier, with 150 horses affected when the race cancellations were announced. That’s a pretty impressive outbreak. There’s no information about the response, beyond cancelling… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsThe first true confirmed canine influenza virus (CIV) was the H3N8 canine flu that evloved from H3N8 equine flu. That’s the virus that spread to and amongst dogs in various parts of North America. The general consensus has been that only this strain should be called CIV, since it’s been the only true dog-adapted influenza virus… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in HorsesI’m at the International Conference on Equine Infectious Diseases in Lexington, Kentucky at the moment, and will try to write about some of the highlights. One interesting discussion yesterday was about canine and equine influenza. It’s well established that canine flu (A/H3N8) originated in horses and subsequently became established in dogs. Canine flu virus is… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsIt’s amazing how one little email comment can make a mess of my week. Here’s the story: I sent an email to a colleague that works for an agency in Ontario. At the bottom of the email, I gave an FYI about an Ontario dog that was found to have antibodies against canine flu, but… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsAs canine influenza continues it’s rather gradual, patchwork movement across North America, an outbreak at a greyhound racetrack southeast of Houston highlights some of the concerns about this virus. Canine influenza has been active in the Houston region for some time, causing sporadic infections as well as outbreaks in pet dogs in the community and… Continue Reading
By LexBlog Admin on Posted in DogsCanine influenza continues its rather puzzling spread through the US. After emerging years ago, it has spread sporadically, causing some large regional outbreaks but sparing many areas, and it has moved about in a pattern that’s pretty unusual for a highly contagious virus. There have been various reports of canine influenza activity in the New… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsInfectious diseases are continuous challenges for animal shelters. Unfortunately, outbreaks are not uncommon. Sometimes they’re the result bad luck and the inherent risks involved in bringing together lots of animals of questionable health status from different sources. However, if you compound these risks with things like inadequate facilities, overcrowding, poor training of personnel, poor adherence… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsAn outbreak of canine influenza is occurring in San Antonio, TX, as this virus continues its strange and unpredictable movement through the North American dog population. In an article published on a local San Antonio news website, Dr. Michele Wright, a San Antonio veterinarian, reports 20 confirmed and 70 suspected cases over the past month.… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsAn important concept when dealing with infectious diseases is consideration of the risk that an animal has been, or will be, exposed to a particular microorganism. Some diseases vary greatly geographically, and something that’s very important in one region may be rare or non-existent in another. Good veterinarians are aware of disease trends in their… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsAfter the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, there were numerous efforts to rescue animals left homeless or ownerless. As part of this, some animals were shipped far away, including large numbers to the Northeastern US and Canada. It was a time-consuming and expensive endeavour by very well-meaning people, but was accompanied by much controversy. Beyond… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsThe pandemic H1N1 influenza virus continues to circulate, although the hype has certainly died down. During the original 2009 pandemic, there were a few reports of infection of domestic animals, particularly ferrets and cats. This wasn’t particularly surprising since we know these species are susceptible to human influenza viruses, and with so many people infected… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsWe’ve known for a while that cats and ferrets are susceptible to many human influenza viruses, something that was again demonstrated last year through sporadic (and often fatal) reports of H1N1 influenza in both species. Since H1N1 is still in circulation in the human population, there’s still a risk of exposure of cats and ferrets,… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsRecently, I wrote about a potential outbreak of respiratory disease in dogs in Ottawa, Ontario. That "outbreak" seems to have died down (as is common, since outbreaks typically burn out over a period of time). However, I had a call today about a similar situation that might be occurring in the Whitby (Ontario) area. A… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsIn 2007, there was a massive equine influenza outbreak in Australia. A large number of horses were infected in this country that was previously equine influenza-free, and there was tremendous economic disruption caused by containment measures. It turns out horses weren’t the only animals infected. A report in the April edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsWhen the novel H1N1 influenza pandemic infected large numbers of people, it was not particularly surprising that the occasional infection was noted in pets, considering over 50% of North American households have pets, and the close nature of contact that many people have with their pets. While the few cases that occurred were highly publicized, in… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Dogs,Other diseasesH1N1 influenza was diagnosed in two dogs in China, bringing increased calls to pay attention to other animal species when it comes to this disease. I’m more surprised by this than finding H1N1 in a cat or ferret. Dogs are susceptible to influenza and have their own circulating influenza strain (H3N8, originally from horses) but… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsPerhaps not too surprisingly, more cats have been diagnosed with H1N1. Following the first reported case in Iowa, two more cases have been reported: one in Utah and one in Oregon. The Utah case apparently had typical flu-like disease. The cat from Oregon died of severe respiratory disease. This doesn’t really change anything. We know… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Other diseasesThe topic of the potential for feral (stray) animals, particularly cats, to be sources of human influenza infection came up today. For feral animals to be a public health problem, the following sequence has to happen: Feral animals need to be exposed to H1N1 This is pretty unlikely. Influenza is spread through close contact, mainly… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsI’ve spent a lot of time talking to the press this week about H1N1 and pets. One question that has come up repeatedly involves concern about the potential for this virus to mutate because of its presence in pets. This largely relates to the general knowledge that pigs are potentially important "mixing vessels" for influenza… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,Dogs,Other diseasesOne of the common questions accompanying the onslaught of calls I’ve taken today is "How do you diagnose influenza in pets?" Clinical signs, such as sneezing, coughing, fever and lethargy, are not useful for diagnosis. Influenza can produce highly variable disease, ranging from almost none to very severe – so you can’t look at an… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in CatsH1N1 influenza has been confirmed in a cat in Iowa. The cat had "influenza-like illness" and was tested, with H1N1 being confirmed today. Two of three people in the house were also sick, but they became ill before the cat, and were presumably the source of infection for the cat. There’s no evidence that the… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Other animalsA second ferret in the US has been diagnosed with H1N1 influenza. The latest case involves a fatal infection in a ferret from Nebraska that was presumably infected by its owner. Three other ferrets in the household were also sick, and it’s fair to assume that they had H1N1as well. It’s important to keep things in… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Birds,Cats,Dogs,Other animalsThe recent discovery of H1N1 influenza in a pet ferret has led to another round of concern about the potential impact of H1N1 on pets and pets as a source of human infection. Finding H1N1 in a ferret is not particularly surprising, considering ferrets are susceptible to various (including human) influenza viruses. We shouldn’t dismiss… Continue Reading
By Maureen Anderson on Posted in Birds,Other animals,Other diseasesJust when all those turkeys that managed to survive Thanksgiving weekend thought their troubles were over, there’s new issue: H1N1 influenza (formerly known as swine flu) has been found in an Ontario turkey flock. The H1N1 virus was first reported in birds in Chile in late August. This is not a reason to panic. No… Continue Reading
