canine influenza cases in that tent during a certain time of the day. If there is an adequate caseload and it is feasible to do so, dedicated staff can be used to work this “flu clinic” and then be sent home when the day’s cases are completed. If dedicated team members are not available, any staff member that works in the outdoors flu clinic should wear protective clothing as described previously and dispose of that clothing before entering the hospital. cats and dogs separated within their home. Again, this separation may offer questionable benefits, because peak shedding often occurs before or around the onset of clinical signs. However, limiting direct contact and the potential for fomite transmission between infected dogs and cats within the home may decrease the likelihood of transmission. Finally, although dog-to-ferret spread has not been documented in the United States, owners should also be warned that ferrets can be experimentally infected. (Iowa State University, 2022) Therefore, owners of influenza- positive dogs who also have ferrets in their home should keep their dog away from their pet ferrets. As you discuss the topic of isolation or quarantine with clients, be sure to help them identify potential threats to in-home separation of pets. Keeping pets in separate rooms can be helpful, but central air conditioning can cause air to circulate between rooms. Even if pets are kept at opposite ends of the home, food bowls, water bowls, toys, and even clients can serve as fomites that allow for disease transmission. Help clients identify barriers to effective quarantine within their homes, and devise circumstances to separate susceptible pets from canine influenza as effectively as possible. influenza viruses. (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2015) Protocols should be established for thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting cages, bowls, and other surfaces between uses. Without adequate cleaning measures, the virus may persist in the environment for approximately 48 hours and remain viable on hands and clothing for up to 24 hours. (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2015) Once detected, cases of canine influenza should also be reported to local veterinary medical associations and authorities, as appropriate. Only a small number of states mandate reporting of canine influenza cases, but local veterinary medical associations often maintain and distribute information about canine influenza cases even when there is no formal requirement to do so. (Iowa State University, 2022) Alerting your local or state veterinary association to canine influenza cases can help your entire veterinary community be more prepared when these cases arrive at your colleagues’ practices.
While these steps may seem time-consuming, they are preferable to allowing a canine influenza outbreak to affect your practice. In areas that are experiencing an active canine influenza outbreak, some veterinarians may elect to set up an outdoor treatment facility in their parking lot to keep canine influenza cases out of the clinics. These clinics frequently set up a tent in their parking lot, away from a door, and see all possible Mild cases: Isolation at home Dogs with suspected influenza who are sent home with their owners should be isolated from the healthy dog population for a minimum of two weeks. It is especially important that these dogs avoid boarding kennels, grooming, and doggie daycare, for a number of reasons. First, these dogs may be contagious for up to two weeks, especially if steroids were administered at any time during their treatment (as they sometimes are in cases of cough). Second, these dogs will be prone to secondary infection due to impaired mucociliary clearance, and therefore their exposure to potential pathogens should be limited. Therefore, a two-week isolation period protects the sick dog and other dogs in the community. Sick dogs should also be isolated from healthy dogs within the home. While this may offer questionable benefits, given that dogs often experience peak shedding before or during the initial onset of clinical signs, it may help reduce canine influenza transmission between housemates. Canine influenza H3N2 has been associated with outbreaks of respiratory disease in shelter cats, proving that this virus is capable of infecting cats. (Song, 2011) In experimental studies, canine influenza H3N8 has also been shown to be capable of causing clinical disease in cats. (Su, 2014) Therefore, clients should be instructed to keep their Severe cases: Isolation in a hospital setting Hospitalization of dogs with influenza requires a quarantine room with a separate air supply. Additionally, the staff members who provide care for infected dogs should avoid working with other dogs for the remainder of the day. (Crawford et al., 2010) Realistically, this level of care may not be possible for every veterinary hospital. Quarantining a pet with canine influenza, which can spread via aerosols, is very different than quarantining a puppy with parvovirus! Assess your availability to provide isolation care objectively. If you are unable to care for infectious disease patients without compromising other patients within your hospital, you may need to send patients to a veterinary referral hospital. Cleaning of the areas that have been utilized for dogs with canine influenza can be performed using any common disinfectant. Quaternary ammonium compounds (e.g., benzalkonium chloride—Lysol ™ ), aldehydes, phenols, and bleach solutions all show excellent efficacy at killing
PREVENTION
As of June 2024, there are currently vaccines available to protect dogs from canine influenza. Both vaccines protect dogs against the H3N2 an H3N8 strains of canine influenza. The NOBIVAC ® Canine Flu Bivalent vaccine is manufactured by Merck Animal Health. This vaccine is adjuvanted, and it contains inactivated virus. According to Merck Animal Health’s clinical studies, this vaccine reduces coughing and other clinical signs of infection in infected pets while also protecting against the development of lung lesions associated with canine influenza. (USDA, n.d.) This vaccine
Perhaps the biggest question on the minds of many veterinarians, and their clients, is this: How can I prevent my pets and my patients from developing canine influenza? Many clients are understandably concerned about this virus, and their level of concern increases when canine influenza becomes a hot topic on Internet message boards and in the media. Therefore, if there is an outbreak in your area (or in nearby areas), you can expect to receive frequent questions about vaccination strategies and other measures to prevent canine influenza infection.
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