Canine Influenza: Now Affecting Texas
A new strain of influenza was recently located in the Houston area.
This spring, a new strain of Influenza virus was identified in dogs in Chicago and parts of the Midwest. Very recently, the strain was identified in a dog located in the Houston area that came to Texas from Chicago.
This new strain was determined to be an H3N2, different from the canine Influenza strain H3N8, which has been circulating in North America since 2004. This new strain (H3N2) is essentially identical to Asian strains in wide circulation since 2006 within dog populations throughout southern China and South Korea. There is no evidence to date that either of these canine strains can be transmitted to humans.
Classical Influenza symptoms associated with both of the canine Influenza strains are high fever, loss of appetite, coughing, nasal discharge and lethargy. Some dogs may show no symptoms while others may exhibit more severe symptoms with this new strain. Most infected dogs display a mild form with the most common clinical sign being a persistent cough lasting 10-21 days despite treatment with antibiotics and cough suppressants.
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