HUAT AH! PAP DOGS will get new flu H3N8!

[pap_doggy]

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s1222356.shtml?cat=504
click above for video

New flu targeting dogs

Posted at: 10/29/2009 8:17 PM | Updated at: 10/30/2009 9:51 AM
By: Stuart Dyson, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com
It's a flu bug that's even more contagious than the H1N1 virus you've been hearing about. However, this virus won't target you. It's targeting your dog. It's finally found its way to Albuquerque.

Forget about the H1N1 virus for a minute, and turn your attention to H3N8 instead. That's the name of the virus that's giving dogs the flu in many parts of the country. Albuquerque veterinarians say some cases of canine flu are starting to turn up here.

Chimichanga the charming Chihuahua doesn't have canine flu, but the vet is conducting a Chihuahua check anyway, because this is serious business.

Veterinarian Sharon Nash said, "Because it's a fairly new virus, and many dogs have not been exposed to the virus before, almost 100% of the dogs that are exposed are gonna get the virus. Not all dogs are gonna show signs of the virus."

The signs are a lot like the kinds of signs humans get, starting with a real runny nose and a cough.

"Early on in the disease it presents pretty much like kennel cough— a hacking cough— but then we also see having a fever, not wanting to eat, actually not feeling well," said vet Lizzie Bruce.

The danger is the dog might develop pneumonia—and that's never good. Anywhere from 2 to 8 percent of the cases are turning fatal.

Dogs at risk are dogs that socialize — like at the dog park. Not just with other dogs, but with people, who can pass the disease from dog to dog without catching it themselves.

Chimichanga the charming Chihuahua says see your vet when symptoms show.

Chimi also says there's a vaccine for this. Veterinarians have it, but if your dogs pretty much stay at home in the yard and don't socialize, they're low-risk and probably don't need it.

 

[pap_doggy]

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/091103/79/1u8mt.html


狗流感H3N8 病毒恐變異傳人
原視 更新日期:"2009/11/03 17:16"

人類的新流感病毒叫做H1N1，但您曉得狗狗的流感病毒叫做H3N8嗎？戲稱狗三八流感的病毒雖然不會人畜共通，但狗跟狗之間接觸的話還是會感染，同時死亡率在百分之一到五，而且專家警告不排除狗流感病毒發生變異，危害人類。

來！舔一口！來！親一口！飼主和狗狗之間親密的互動讓人羨慕，但病毒也在其中開始傳布！在全球新流感全面拉警報、死亡病例不斷累計攀升之際，美國西部加州上個月也爆發狗流感疫情，東部賓州還傳出兩起死亡病例，讓飼養狗狗當寵物的人大為緊張！

狗狗的流感病毒叫做H3N8病毒，主要感染呼吸道，在狗跟狗之間傳染，目前沒有出現人畜共通的病例，但病毒專家不派除會出現病變，讓人類也受害！為了防範愛犬染上也有致死性的狗三八病毒，目前跟新流感一樣，也有狗疫苗可以施打防範。

記得跟狗狗玩之前，要先把自己的手洗乾淨，蹓完狗或者有跟其他狗接觸之後，也要洗手保健康，讓自己和愛犬之間健康長久。

 

[pap_doggy]

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/state_news/102009_dog_flu

click above for video


"Dog flu" worries in Florida

Updated: Tuesday, 20 Oct 2009, 6:10 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 20 Oct 2009, 4:39 PM EDT

By TOM JOHNSON | FOX 35 News

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - First it was swine flu. Now you can add "dog flu" to the list of illnesses you need to think about. But "dog flu" does not affect people. Its real name is H3N8 or "CIV" (Canine Influenza Virus). CIV is a new illness that was first discovered about three years ago. Veterinarians say it is a mutated form of Equine Influenza ("Horse Flu").

CIV is thought to be mild in most cases with a mortality rate from 1-5%. It has already been identified in 30 different states including Florida. But the few cases here were in greyhounds found in kennels.

Vets warn it can be tough to identify because its symptoms mimic other canine illnesses like kennel cough. Altamonte Springs veterinarian Dr. Roger Hart says the symptoms can include: runny nose, weepy eyes, cough, bronchitis and even pneumonia.

Right now there is not a known outbreak in Central Florida. But Dr. Hart recommends people vaccinate their dogs in case the bug begins to spread.

"Will there be a huge outbreak of it at some point? That I don't know. But there definitely could be."

The shots cost anywhere from $10 - $25 depending on your veterinarian.

 

[pap_doggy]

http://www.newsleader.com/article/2...og+influenza+case+confirmed+in+Augusta+County

First dog influenza case confirmed in Augusta County

With the H1N1 influenza strain grabbing the headlines across the nation, it may be easy to overlook Bowser coughing in the corner.

But now, pet owners should be on the alert for flu symptoms in their canine companions.

A relatively new contagious respiratory disease of dogs, caused by a Type-A influenza virus identified as H3N8, has been discovered in a dog at the Cedar Crest animal clinic in Augusta County.

According to William Olkowski, a board-certified canine/feline specialist in Augusta County, this is the first case of the virus in the county. In the last 10 months there have been six other cases confirmed in Virginia — before that there had been none reported.

“The concern for dog owners, as well as veterinarians, is that this canine influenza viral infection can’t be easily differentiated from other more common respiratory ailments,” Olkowski said. Dogs come in coughing and sneezing, he said, and we can’t tell by looking at them if they have the virus. The symptoms are the same as a cold or the common kennel cough.

 

[TeeKee]

can someone post the PAP doggie pics?

 

[pap_doggy]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=116261&provider=rss

Vets on alert for dog flu


As the nation braces for what could be a rough flu season, dog owners wonder whether their households might get hit with a second threat: canine flu.

A much-publicized outbreak of dog flu in Northern Virginia earlier this year- the latest in scores of outbreak clusters from Miami to Denver in the past five years - has put the spotlight on the highly contagious disease, which doesn't infect humans.

Veterinarians up and down the Eastern Seaboard are fielding calls from concerned pet owners; clinics, groomers and boarding kennels are paying extra attention to sniffling dogs and preparing contingency plans in case a flu-infected animal enters their doors; and concern is sufficiently high that don't-panic statements are being issued.

Many vets are embarking on crash courses in the canine influenza virus (CIV) and studying up on the effectiveness of the first vaccine, conditionally licensed in May by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Developer Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health says it significantly reduces the duration and severity of symptoms and dramatically curbs the flu's spread. Cost: about $20 for each of the series of two shots, given two to four weeks apart.

The 22 practices in 10 states that make up Pet Partners animal hospital group met in a "roundtable discussion" last week to share the latest information about the vaccine, says chief medical director Thomas Butera - an approach that's underway at many vet clinics. And Cynda Crawford, a University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine infectious-disease specialist who was instrumental in identifying the virus in racing greyhounds in 2004, is hearing from veterinarians who seek advice.

Bottom line, Crawford says: Unless your dog is regularly in close contact with other dogs, especially if you live in what she calls a "hot zone" where there's an outbreak or where there have been multiple past outbreaks - the vaccination probably isn't necessary. Dogs with weakened health or those traveling to hot zones are special cases that require discussion with a veterinarian.

The vast majority of dogs that contract CIV recover in one to three weeks (though up to 5% die, usually of pneumonia that develops secondary to the flu - generally older dogs, puppies and dogs with already compromised immune systems). And some will develop severe versions of the normal coughing, fever, runny-nose, loss-of-appetite symptoms. Some will require what vets call "supportive" help to keep sufficiently hydrated and fevers in check and sometimes antibiotics to battle pneumonia.

The American Veterinary Medical Association is not recommending vaccinating all dogs. But dogs that receive the Bordetella vaccine, the association says, should be considered strong candidates for flu vaccination because they've been determined to be at risk for the much-less-serious kennel cough through regular contact with many dogs, and that puts them at higher risk for CIV.

Click Here for the CDC's info on the H3N8 virus.

 

[pap_doggy]

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/65650917.html

H3N8; The Canine Influenza

Buffalo, NY (WKBW) -- For parents of children, the worry is about H1N1 and protecting their kids from the virus. For dog owners, it's H3N8.
Multimedia

*
Watch The Video

Those with animals often think of them as children, and as owners, they seek to protect them from sickness.

H3N8 is a strain of Influenza that affects canines, and just like the virus that affects humans, it spreads in much the same way.

Watch the video clip to see the full story.

 

[pap_doggy]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roseanne-colletti/h3n8-dog-flu_b_321475.html

H3N8-Dog Flu


With all the swirl about H1N1, you may not have picked up on anything about H3N8.
No this is not another swine flu for humans but a horse flu for dogs. Apparently the equine flu, transmitted to some dogs, has mutated into a canine flu. It's a relatively new virus and your dog is unlikely to have developed any immunity to it.

What does this mean for you and your pet? Don't stress. Neither you nor your family members can get or give H3N8 to your dog. However, your dog can infect other dogs or be infected by them. "This is a highly contagious disease. Almost any dog exposed to the flu virus will get it," says veterinarian Dr. David Bessler, at NYC Veterinary Specialists in Manhattan.

How does your dog contract this flu? Just about any way you can imagine. "In fact, if you touch a dog with it and then touch another dog, you can pass the flu," says Dr. Bessler.
Kennels, daycare, dog runs are hotbeds of transmission. Pet owners with dogs who stay at home most of the time have less reason for concern.

"Vanilla and Cinnabon are very social," says Ada Nieves the owner of two Chihuahuas in Manhattan. "They play with other dogs, they model, they do photo shoots," says Nieves. Contact with other canines made her concerned enough to get the tiny two vaccinated.

2009-10-14-dogs2.JPG

What exactly does the H3N8 vaccine do? "It won't necessarily prevent a dog from coming down with the flu, but it will make symptoms less and shorten the "shedding" time,"says Dr. Bessler. "Shedding" means passing the illness from one dog to another. The inoculated dog is directly protected from a more severe form of the flu and other dogs are indirectly protected.

2009-10-14-DOGVACCINE2.JPG


Similar to the flu shot for humans, the canine version is not a one-time vaccination. The dog is given two inoculations two to four weeks apart and then another injection once a year. There are no known side effects and puppies as young as six weeks can receive the vaccine.

In most cases the canine flu manifests itself in ways familiar to humans. Your dog may have a runny nose and runny eyes, a loss of appetite, a persistent cough, even fever. Some of the symptoms are reminiscent of "kennel cough". However, in some cases your dog may show no outward signs but still be infected and capable of passing along the disease to other dogs. Some dogs may develop pneumonia and in a small number of cases the illness can prove fatal.

The canine influenza virus has been documented in at least 30 states and is expected to spread. Talk to your vet about whether you should vaccinate your pet. "I didn't get a flu shot for myself, but I was worried about Vanilla and Cinnabon," laughs Nieves. And that's the doggone truth.
(for more of my stories and to watch GossipGram go to nbcnewyork.com)

 

[COW flu]

WAF! If all the zodiac animals can take rotating turns then when will it be the turn for cow flu?

 

[yblzh]

Retribution Time Arrived?

 

[humloongson]

Time to cull PAP dogs. In bird flu occasions we killed millions of chicken. Now it is time to exterminate PAP dogs.