Three Twin Cities shelters shut down over suspected dog flu. What do you need to do to protect your pet?
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Dr. Eric Ruhland, owner of St. Paul Pet Hospital, has seen an uptick in calls to his clinics, following the news of suspected canine influenza outbreak infecting 200 dogs at three Twin Cities shelters and prompting a pause in adoptions.
UPDATE (April 10): Canine influenza confirmed in Twin Cities animal shelter outbreak
But he said while the headlines can be alarming, dog owners shouldn't panic. His advice is simple and similar to what Minnesotans have heard from physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I would ask everybody just to calm down a little bit. We don't have to rush to the vet clinics right now. Be mindful of common-sense things and keep your dogs isolated and keep them home if they're sick," he said.
What is canine influenza?
The canine flu is an upper respiratory virus with symptoms like coughing, sneezing and watery eyes, but those are also signs of other illnesses, too. Most dogs recover in a few weeks. In serious cases, canine influenza can progress to pneumonia.
"Because it spreads more rapidly in spaces where dogs can or are sharing the same airspace, a lot of dogs got infected really quickly," he said.
The percentage of cases that lead to death are very small, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Still, it can more severely impact older and immunocompromised dogs, Ruhland added, and he advises talking to your pet's veterinarian. If your pet acts differently or isn't sleeping or eating, that could be a sign of something more serious.
"If that cough persists for more than probably five to six days, that's when usually as a clinician, my Spidey senses are up that there's something else going on," he said.
It's considered a low risk to people and to date, there has never been a case of where it spread from dogs to people, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.
The Board on Thursday quarantined the three Animal Human Society shelters in Coon Rapids, Woodbury for six weeks based on the clinical signs that the dogs there likely had canine influenza.
If your dog has been coughing recently, Ruhland recommends a quarantine of four to five weeks.
How can you protect your pet?
If dogs have any symptoms of illness, they should not socialize with other dogs. But even if four-legged friends are healthy, Ruhland suggests laying low for a few weeks and isolating from other dogs as a precautionary measure.
He told WCCO it's a good idea to avoid boarding dogs or sending them to doggy daycares for the next few weeks if possible.
"It's just like what we all have gone through with COVID—you're not just protecting your own pet, you're protecting everybody else's in the community," he said. "The one dog on a block can suddenly create a firestorm throughout an entire neighborhood. And it's just a real quick, easy quarantine for a couple of weeks and we could squash this thing pretty quickly."
The board recommended that the shelters vaccinate all dogs in their care. There is a two-dose shot available, though Ruhland noted there are some backorders nationwide.
Pet owners should talk to their vets to see if their dogs should get the vaccine.
