CANINE INFLUENZA VIRUS

There has been a great deal of media attention recently regarding the Canine Influenza Virus (CIV), and since many of our clients have expressed concern regarding the risk of infection for their dogs, we wanted to allay their fears and provide accurate and up-to-date information from veterinary sources.

While we are not advocating the need for vaccination at this time, we want our clients to know that we do have the CIV vaccine and will be happy to administer it if you would like to immunize your dog; the cost of the vaccine is $24.00.  As with most vaccines, it will require an initial dose and a booster in 3 weeks, after which it is given annually.  It is never safe to vaccinate an animal without a thorough examination, so if your dog has not been seen in the last two weeks, a physical exam will be required in order to receive the first vaccination.

General Information

CIV was first diagnosed in 2004 in a Florida facility housing racing greyhounds.  Since then outbreaks have been reported in 30 states; currently there have been no reported cases of CIV in our region.   These outbreaks have occurred where many dogs are housed together, such as shelters, breeding facilities and kennels.  According to Dr. Elizabeth Rozanski from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, “…it is still very much thought of as a regional disease, meaning that it’s only considered a problem where there are active outbreaks.”  That being said, the experts agree that CIV is still an emerging disease and can be difficult to diagnose, treat and track.

Symptoms

Canine influenza does not affect people, cats, or other animals, but it is highly contagious among dogs -once infected, a dog can spread (“shed”) the virus for 7-10 days after the onset of clinical signs.  Again, this is the reason that the outbreaks have occurred in shelters and other areas with many dogs confined to a single space.

Virtually 100% of dogs exposed to the virus will become infected, although only about 80% will show signs of the disease.  Clinical signs can resemble those in other tracheobronchitis infections including low grade fever, cough, lethargy, and purulent nasal discharge.  Some dogs may develop high fever and pneumonia.  The case fatality rate is between 1% and 5%.

Vaccination

In May the USDA granted a conditional license to the makers of the CIV vaccine, and the current research has shown that it is effective at reducing the severity of symptoms once a dog has been infected.  Just as importantly, it has also been found to reduce the duration of viral “shedding,” thus decreasing the length of time a dog is considered contagious. 

Our Role

The strongest recommendation being made in the veterinary professional community is that practitioners be aware of what is going on in their area, to assess the risk to their patients and to maintain contact with local boarding kennels, shelters and other animal hospitals.  We want to assure our clients that we are doing this, and as your pets’ health advocate we will immediately inform you of any information regarding potential outbreaks in this area.

RED ROCK RATTLESNAKE VACCINE

Per our clients’ request Angel Veterinary Center now stocks the Red Rock Rattlesnake Vaccine.  As with CIV, the vaccine does not prevent a reaction if your pet is bit by a rattlesnake, but it can reduce the severity of symptoms.   We recommend that you go to the company’s website for more information and an excellent Q&A section: http://www.redrockbiologics.com/.

The cost for this vaccine is $25.95 and requires an initial dose followed by a three week booster.  An exam will be required for the first vaccine if we have not seen your pet in the last two weeks.