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You heard
right: Cats in
Iowa
and
Oregon
have been confirmed with H1N1 virus Our phones have been
ringing with regard to the news that family cats in
Ames, Iowa
, and
Oregon
have been confirmed with the H1N1, or swine flu virus.
While the
stories are true and there is concern as far as which
species may break with the virus, it frankly does not
change the way we treat felines with respiratory virus
symptoms. However, it does bring sanitation issues to
the forefront, just as the human exposure to the H1N1
has caused us to have conscientious sanitation habits.
I'll summarize these recommendations at the end of the
column.
First,
let me address the common questions I've been answering
lately: 1. Do we have a vaccine against H1N1 for pets?
No. We have parinfluenza, canine influenza (a different
virus), and bordatella vaccines for dogs.
We also
rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and bordatella vaccines for
cats. However, there has been no H1N1 vaccine developed
for dogs or cats. The human vaccine is not recommended
for pet use.
2. Is
there a reliable test for H1N1 in pets? Unfortunately,
not a convenient test for practitioners. The case of the
Iowa
cat was only pinned down because of the special interest
by the
College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University
and their associated diagnostic testing center (
National Veterinary Services Laboratory
) based in
Ames
. Such testing is not economically or time practical for
the practicing veterinarian as it is a
government-requested test that must go through NVSL
channels.
3. How
does a veterinarian recognize a case of H1N1 or for that
matter, any other flu case in a dog or cat? Actually,
this is not too different from human flu symptoms.
Fever, lethargy, runny nose, lack of appetite, coughing
and possibly sneezing. In other words, the symptoms
resemble the respiratory viral infections in pets that
we've traditionally seen over the years.
4. So
what can you veterinarians do for a dog or a cat with
these symptoms? We use supportive care, including
fluids, antibiotics and I personally employ anti-pyretics
to initially reduce fever. Most pets respond well at
home, as long as they are eating, and as long as other
pets aren't potentially in line to get infected.
5. How
contagious do you think this swine flu is? As a
profession, we're not sure. However, we do know that
good sanitation begins with us as health care providers
for pets and that extends to within our facilities. The
AVMA came out with a statement for veterinarians this
past week, encouraging following stringent protocols for
keeping infectious diseases under control.
Any
contagious-appearing pets should be
isolated/quarantined, and all veterinary staff should
practice thorough disinfection and hygiene throughout
the day. Of course, thorough hand washing between
patients is a must. I'll keep readers posted on H1N1,
and note if and when other cases are reported. For the
record, three cases of ferrets being positive for H1N1
have been reported, once again from households where
human influenza had been active. Once again, we humbly
monitor, yet cannot predict when and where the H1N1
virus may show up next.
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