August 28, 2009

I ran in frantic circles around the living room. Mina and Meryl watched me with alarm.

"Bad news! Panic in the streets!" I howled. "Run for your lives! We're all going to die!"

Marianne reached out and snagged my collar as I flew past her. "WHOA!" she commanded. "What on earth are you going on about?"

I flung myself into her lap. "Dear Dog, I'm too young to die," I sobbed. "I haven't even gone to CCI College yet!"

Marianne gave me a little shake. "Stop that! What are you talking about?"

"I read on the Internet that the canine flu is reaching epidemic proportions and thousands and thousands of dogs are dying and black Labs are particularly susceptible and Colorado is the hardest-hit state and humans can catch it and die, too." I collapsed on the floor and moaned.

Marianne rolled her eyes. "Oh for goodness sakes, Ross. After working at 7News and Call 7 for a year you should know by now not to believe everything you read on the Internet." She helped me sit up. "Now think, what would a real news hound do?"

I took a deep breath and made myself calm down. "Maybe I over-reacted a little," I admitted. "I guess I could call Dr. Vicksman and ask him if any of that is true."

"Good dog," Marianne said. "Let me know what he says."

As usual, Dr. Vicksman was happy to answer my questions and allay my fears. As Marianne suspected, what I read on the Internet was a gross exaggeration and total distortion of the facts.

"OK, Ross, here's what you need to know," said Dr. Vicksman. "First of all, Canine Influenza (H3N8) is a novel canine virus first identified several years ago in groups of racing dogs in Florida. Although the virus has spread to 30 states, it is still not common in most pets. The Canine Influenza Virus (CIV) is a different virus than the avian or human flu and it has not infected any humans."

"Well that's good to know," I said. "I didn't want Marianne or John to catch it from me." I thought for a moment. "So which dogs are at risk for this?"

"It appears to be more of a problem in a few isolated areas of the country and in shelters and kennels where dogs are housed closely together. Although all dogs are at risk, most cases have been found associated with these situations," Dr. Vicksman replied. "Canine Influenza is deadly to about 5% of dog infected with the disease. In addition, when the flu is diagnosed in a shelter, they are likely to euthanize all dogs in order to stop the spread of the virus."

"STOP!" I interrupted. "That's awful! What if someone has to board their dog in a kennel or takes their dogs to doggie day care?"

"Well, people can avoid unnecessary contact with other dogs, especially if their dogs are old, very young or have compromised immune systems, " Dr. V replied. "Fortunately most dogs (including black Labs) are not at high risk of becoming sick, and places like kennels and doggie day care should be taking precautions to keep the facility clean, requiring vaccinations be up to date, and watching for symptoms of an infected dog."

"Like what?" I demanded. "How would Marianne know if I got canine flu?"

Dr. Vicksman said, "The primary symptoms in a dog are a cough and a high fever. If you have those symptoms you should come see me right away. But Ross, before you panic, it is important to know that there are many less severe diseases that show similar symptoms."

"OK, but what if I did get the flu? Then what?" I wondered. "Chicken soup? Ginger ale? A cold compress on my forehead and a mustard plaster on my chest?"

"You've been reading Victorian novels again, haven't you?" Dr. Vicksman teased. "Currently the treatments we have are supportive care and antibiotics. Even if a dog catches this flu virus, it is most likely that he will recover with good care from his veterinary hospital."

I sighed with relief. "So people shouldn't panic but should take their dogs to their vets if they have symptoms, right? And they can still go for walks and to the park and stuff?"

"Right," Dr. Vicksman agreed. "It is not necessary to keep dogs inside. Remember Ross, it is very unlikely you will be exposed to this disease. Tell your readers that normal precautions and the advice of their veterinarians will help prevent any exposure to this disease. And if you want even more information, tune in Saturday morning to 7News. I'll be discussing this further on the 7 a.m. show tomorrow."

I hung up and went to tell Mina and Meryl the good news.

Chow for now!

Ross

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