DOG GETS SWINE FLU: FIRST CASE OF H1N1 VIRUS JUMPING FROM OWNER TO DOG
December 24th, 2009 by Diane Herbst
A 13-year-old dog in Westchester County, New York is the first dog to get swine flu from a human, experts say.
On December 13th, the dog had been having breathing problems, and when his vet discovered his owner had had the swine flu, the doctor tested the pup for the H1N1 virus.
So far, there’s been no evidence that the virus can be transmitted from dogs to humans, according to an American Veterinary Medical Association spokesman.
Click here for more information from the American Veterinary Medical Association.
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December 24th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I live in Westchester County and am very concerned about this. In What part of the county did the dog and owner reside???
December 29th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for writing…It happened in Bedford Hills, NY. Here is the latest update from the AVMA website:
IDEXX Laboratories has confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in a dog in Bedford Hills, New York. A 13-year old dog became ill after its owner was ill with confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza. The dog was lethargic, coughing, not eating, and had a fever. Radiographs (x-rays) showed evidence of pneumonia. The dog was treated with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, nebulization and other supportive care, and was discharged from the hospital after 48 hours of care. It is currently recovering. Tests submitted to IDEXX Laboratories were negative for canine influenza (H3N8) but positive for 2009 H1N1 influenza. The results were confirmed by the Iowa State Laboratory.
Read press release: http://www.idexx.com/view/xhtml/en_us/smallanimal/2009/h1n1-alert.jsf?SSOTOKEN=0
and case notes:
http://www.idexx.com/view/xhtml/en_us/smallanimal/education/reference-library/case-studies/h1n1case-study.jsf