Keep dogs home to contain flu outbreak, vets say

April 17--BLOOMINGTON -- If you're traveling to the Chicago area during the next couple of weeks, don't take your dogs.

That advice is from Bloomington-Normal veterinarians who don't want the Chicago-area canine influenza outbreak spreading to Central Illinois.

"So far, knock on wood, in our local area, there are no reported cases," said Dr. David Bortell with Bortell Animal Hospital, Bloomington.

"For the state of Illinois, the cases are still restricted to Chicago and its suburbs," said Dr. Jamie Schertz with Town & Country Animal Hospital, Normal.

Vets want to keep it that way. That's why they're recommending that anyone traveling to the Chicago area keep their dogs in Bloomington-Normal with family or friends or at a pet boarding facility.

"We can contain it (the outbreak) better if there's less travel between areas," Bortell said. Bortell also recommended that dogs aren't taken to Madison, Wis., where there have been a couple of confirmed canine influenza cases.

For dogs who must travel to the Chicago area and for dogs who travel to a variety of places because they are show or trialing dogs, vets recommend that the dogs first be vaccinated for flu.

The flu vaccine isn't a perfect match. The vaccine -- based on a previous outbreak -- is for the H3N8 strain. The current outbreak is a new strain, H3N2.

"We're hoping it will provide some protection," Schertz said.

"It's the best we can do at the moment," Bortell said.

In addition, people who must take their dogs are asked to keep them out of dog parks and pet stores, Schertz said.

"At this point, there is no reported transmission to humans," she said.

There has been one confirmed case of cat influenza related to the outbreak, Schertz said. Cat owners who are traveling are urged to keep their cats at home.

In a typical year, the Bloomington-Normal area has no reported cases of canine influenza. The outbreak is a concern because it's a new, infectious strain to which dogs have no immunity, meaning it's spread quickly and symptoms are severe, Bortell said.

More than 1,100 dogs in the Chicago area have been sickened with flu and six have died.

Owners of any dogs who are lethargic, have fever, cough, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge, vomiting and diarrhea should call their vet. Dogs with suspected flu are kept isolated from other dogs, vets said. Medicine is available to mitigate symptoms.

But vets don't recommend a flu vaccine as an annual injection for all dogs.

"The flu vaccine isn't a core vaccine," Schertz said. "It's given on an as-needed or exposure basis."

Follow Paul Swiech on Twitter: @pg_swiech

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