Frankie The Law Dog

Study of Dog Flu Will Focus on Helping Animal Shelters Limit Transmission of the Illness

The ASPCA has announced what it is calling a “groundbreaking study” of the canine influenza virus, an extremely contagious respiratory illness and one of the viral causes of so-called “kennel cough.”

Canine Influenza is a Newly Emerging Disease

Dog Flu is Easily Transmitted Among Dogs in Close Quarters

Dog flu, known as the H3N8 virus, originated in horses and migrated to dogs.  According to the ASPCA,  it has been spreading across the United States since about 2004.  The virus is easily transmitted between dogs in close contact with one another, and dogs housed in shelters are especially vulnerable.

Dr. Scott Weese of Ontario Veterinary College’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses notes that there is currently only a conditionally licensed vaccine available for canine influenza.  Further, there is no reliable test available to veterinarians for diagnosing the disease.

Goals of the ASPCA Canine Influenza Study

The ASPCA’s three-year study of dog flu will seek to accomplish the following goals:

• Examine the spread of canine flu among shelter dogs.
• Determine whether dogs can be tested for canine influenza prior to entering the main shelter population.
• Analyze how the virus changes or mutates over time.

The ultimate goal of the study is to aid in the development, improvement and use of vaccines to prevent the disease.

How is Canine Influenza Spread?

The disease is a highly contagious respiratory virus that is spread via respiratory secretions.  This means that it is usually transmitted in droplets created by coughing and sneezing.  According to the ASPCA, because this is a newly emerging disease, there is no natural or vaccine-induced immunity.  Thus, although dogs housed in close quarters with a lot of other dogs are the most vulnerable, all dogs are susceptible.

The study is funded by the Morris Animal Foundation and will be conducted by Dr. Miranda Spindel, ASPCA Director of Veterinary Outreach, and Dr. Gabriele Landolt of Colorado State University’s Department of Clinical Sciences.

Dog Trainers Say it is the Most Important Training Command

Teaching one’s dog to come when called may be a live-saving endeavor.  A dog that is running toward a busy highway or encountering some other hazard must be taught to respond immediately to the come command in order to avoid the danger.

What is the Best Way to Teach My Dog to Come When Called?

Dogs Respond Better to Praise and Kindness than to Punishment

Most dog trainers these days agree that the old style drill-sergeant method of dog training just does not work.  The authors of The Well-Mannered Dog note that dog trainers have come to recognize the obvious:

Dogs are intelligent, sensitive animals who don’t deserve physical punishment.  In fact, they respond a lot better to praise and kindness.

In fact, pack leaders in traditional packs do not rule predominantly by physical aggression.  Rather, dog pack leaders more often rule with mental control and discipline.  With those ideas in mind, here are a few things to avoid when trying to train a dog to respond to the come command:

• Even if you get frustrated, avoid yelling at the dog.  It is counter-productive and likely to just make the dog want to stay away from you as opposed to come to you.
• Do not chase the dog.  Depending upon the relationship you’ve already established with your dog, chasing her will be understood as either intimidation or as an invitation to play.  Intimidating the dog into coming when called fails to develop the trust necessary to get her to follow your lead.  And if the dog takes the chasing as an invitation to play, she will just keep running because, in her mind, it is so much fun.
• Don’t fail to be consistent in your word choice.  If you want your dog to come, and you are teaching him to come using that word as the command, do not expect him to come when you say “stop” or “get over here,” or “come on,” or merely shout his name.

Make Your Dog Want to Come When Called

Teaching Your Dog to Come When Called

In her excellent book The Loved Dog:  The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior, author Tamar Geller insists that games and positive reinforcement are the best dog training techniques.  She suggests the following approach to teaching one’s dog to come:

• Bend down in a posture that resembles the dog’s “play-bow” position.  “This kind of bow is wolf sign language that implies an invitation to play,” Geller states.
• Use the dog’s name in addition to the chosen command.  The dog needs to hear her name so she will know you are calling her instead of one of the other dogs in the dog park, for example.  Thus, “Come, Lucy” is better than just calling, “Come.”
• If you are having a lot of trouble getting your dog to come when called, Geller suggests feeding him out of your hands instead of a bowl for several days, and only when practicing the come command.  According to Geller, this will make it not a luxury but a necessity for the dog to come when called.
• Make a game out of practicing the come command.  According to Geller, a game of hide-and-seek can be a fun way to teach your dog to come when called.  Use special treats – what she calls “gold treats” – to reward your dog after he has spotted you and obeyed the come command.  “Dogs love a challenge, especially if they know the end result will be a pleasurable one,” says Geller.
• Reinforce good behavior with random rewards.  If your dog learns to associate the come command with something that does not give him pleasure, he may prove stubborn just when he most needs to obey.  For instance, if “Come, Frankie” always means that the fun is over and it is time to go inside, Frankie will not want to come when called.  Geller suggests calling the dog off several times during play time, then rewarding him with a treat and, most importantly, an invitation to continue playing.  “You’ll be teaching him the pattern that coming and checking in with you is a good thing.”

Pets Can Come Down With H1N1 Swine Flu

A cat in Iowa recently made headlines when it contracted swine flu.  The news also made pet owners, already apprehensive of contracting H1N1 themselves, fear that their pets may run a high risk of getting sick.  Worse, pet owners worry that they could spread the flu to their beloved pets.  It seems that two of the three people in the cat’s home had shown flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill.

The good news is that the Iowa cat that got sick with the H1N1 swine flu has recovered.  The bad news is that two ferrets that contracted the same ailment have died.

What Are the Chances My Pet Will Get Swine Flu?

Can My Pet Get H1N1 Swine Flu?

Fortunately, Canadian veterinarians say that the risk of one’s pet getting sick from swine flu is fairly low.  Dr. Scott Weese of Ontario Veterinary College’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses states, “Considering the large number of infected people and the presumably large number of exposed pets, the risk of transmission to pets appears to be extremely low.”   As CTV reports:

The main reason is that animals and pets have different respiratory systems. To get a little more technical about it, they have different receptors on their cells, and flu viruses that have adapted to spreading well between humans just don’t seem to infect the cells of other species very well.

And interestingly, there have been no reports of swine flu in dogs, rabbits or rodents.  The one pet species that appears to be most at risk of contracting H1N1 is the ferret, which has cell receptors similar to those of humans.  But as Dr. Weese notes, a low risk of infection does not mean no risk.  So animal owners should take the same basic precautions to prevent spreading infection to their pets as they do (or should do) with respect to other people, including:

• Frequent hand washing.
• Frequent use of alcohol-based sanitizers.
• Avoiding contact with one’s pets if one is sick or coughing.
• Seeking veterinary care if the pet gets sick.

“Dog Flu” is a Bigger Threat to Dogs Than Swine Flu

A bigger threat to dogs than the swine flu is the so-called “dog flu,” or canine influenza, that first appeared in horses and migrated to dogs.  Known as H3N8, the canine flu can sicken dogs but does not seem to infect humans.  According to Dr. Weese, most cases of canine flu are mild; however, as with flu in humans, canine influenza can cause serious or even fatal infections.  It seems to occur most often with increased exposure to other dogs, as in kennels, shelters and greyhound racetracks.

Some of the symptoms of canine influenza may include:

• Cough
• Fever
• Decreased appetite
• Decreased activity levels
• In severe cases, pneumonia

If any of these symptoms appear, one should seek veterinary care for the dog as soon as possible.

Vaccine for Canine Flu is Available

There is a vaccine available for canine influenza that can reduce the incidence and severity of the disease.  However, similar to the flu vaccines available to humans, it offers no guarantee the dog will not contract the ailment.  Furthermore, unless the dog is subject to a high-risk environment, such as a kennel, shelter or dog racetrack, a vaccination may not be necessary.  Whether or not to vaccinate one’s dog against the canine flu is a decision that should be made after consulting one’s veterinarian.

Helping Returning Military Personnel Reunite With Their Dogs and Cats

SPCA International has set up a program called Operation Baghdad Pups to help U.S. military personnel who have befriended stray animals in the war zones bring their best friends back home with them.

Operation Baghdad Pups Reunites Our Heros With Their Best Friends

Their motto is “no buddy gets left behind.”  The program “provides veterinary care and coordinates complicated logistics and transportation requirements in order to reunite these beloved pets with their service men and women back in the U.S.”

Supporting this wonderful effort is a great way to say “THANK YOU” to our veterans on Veterans Day.  These people have risked their lives at war, we should all be grateful for our service personnel who do the jobs they are called upon to do on our behalf.

Please visit the website and read some of the stories of dogs and cats who have made life in the war zones more bearable for our fighting men and women, and how Operation Baghdad Pups can help bring more of them home to give comfort and support to our returning troops.

The website has information about how one can donate to these laudable efforts.  There is also information about how one can request assistance in bringing a dog or cat home from the war.