Dog flu cases reported in Missouri

A potentially deadly virus could be putting some Mid-Missouri pets at risk.

Canine influenza cases, or dog flu cases, have recently been reported in the St. Louis area.

Just like the flu in humans, the dog flu is contagious and can travel quickly.

A vaccine for a new strain of the virus was developed in late 2015. That vaccine will be available in parts of Mid-Missouri starting next week, according to Dr. Kevin Shull with Horton Animal Hospital-Northeast in Columbia.

“This is a pretty new vaccine,” Shull said. “A couple of drug companies just came out with it in November or December of 2015, so it’s brand new.”

The first outbreak of the dog flu in the U.S. was in 2004, Shull said.

But last spring, researchers at Cornell University found a new strain of the virus called H3N2 was responsible for sickening more than 1,000 dogs in parts of the Midwest.

“A few months back there was an outbreak in Chicago,” Shull said. “And just recently, there’s been an outbreak in St. Louis.”

About 80 percent of dogs exposed to the canine flu will catch the virus, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The symptoms are very similar to Kennel Cough, Shull said.

“Your dog is going to develop a little bit of a cough, Shull said. “Sometimes they can have a little bit of a discharge from the eyes or the nose. Occasionally you’ll get, you can get a small fever with that.”

In rare severe cases, it could even lead to death, according to the AVMA.

“Severe cases can progress pretty quickly,” Shull said. “And so in those cases, those are the ones you definitely want to get examined right away.”

Shull said it is important to vaccinate your pet, especially if it is going to be around other unfamiliar dogs.

“If your dog is going to be boarded anywhere, or traveling anywhere around other dogs, or going to any kind of dog training classes or anything similar to that, dog parks, you know it’s a good idea just to vaccinate before doing that,” Shull said.

Shull said there have been no confirmed cases of the dog flu at the clinic where he works. ABC 17 News also talked to a few other veterinarians in Columbia who said the same thing, but said it is very difficult to differentiate between the flu and other illnesses.