H3N8 Virus Affecting Nation's Dogs

OMAHA, Neb. - KETV.com

Another virus strain is spreading across the country, this one known as H3N8, and it's making life miserable for the dogs that catch it.

Jodi Hoatson feared her dog, Brody, caught the virus.

Hoatson knew something was wrong when Brody was up all night coughing.

The 7-year-old Sheltie mix had many signs of the dog flu.

"Once they told me he had upper-respiratory, my first question was, 'Does he have the canine influenza?'" Hoatson said.

Brody didn’t have it. He caught only a cold.

But veterinarians are on alert. The dog flu hasn't hit Omaha yet but it's showing up elsewhere.

"Canine influenza is a viral disease a lot like influenza in humans," said veterinarian Pete Bashara.

The virus is contagious between dogs. It makes them lethargic and makes them lose their appetite.

Bashara said the disease is usually mild, just like humans' flu virus. And also just like humans, it can be fatal; for dogs with underlying health conditions.

Multiple dog owners face a compacted route to avoid the virus. Once one dog begins showing symptoms, the infection period has already passed.

"By the time you see these patients, usually in five to seven days after they've been infected, they've already done most of their transmission of the disease. Now they're just battling it," Bashara said.

Treatment for dog flu is almost identical to humans' treatment: rest, fluids and proper nutrition.

After some prescribed medications, Brody is on the mend from his symptoms.

Bashara said it's rare for humans to pass the virus to dogs, and also for dogs to pass the virus to humans.

There has been one reported case of the H1N1 virus infection in a cat living in Iowa.

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