Swine flu and your pets

The H1N1 virus causing “swine flu” is all the worry these days. Having recently fallen prey to this virus in our household, I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone – human or animal! Saying that, the good news is that we are all recovering now, and do not have to endure the line-ups and congestion to get our vaccine given our stimulated immunity from recovery. Having endured a mutation of influenza four years ago and this H1N1 influenza currently, the healthy immune system can endure these assailants without the scare the media has spun on this topic. My son was sure he was going to die based upon the reports on the news, and I had to assure him every five minutes that he wasn’t.

The human H1N1 virus emerged as a pathogen last year. It is a combination of antigenic shift from the North American swine influenza, the North American avian influenza, the human influenza, and the Asian-European swine influenza H1N1 virus with excellent variance to cause morbidity. Most cold and influenza viruses are not contagious between humans and animals. Pigs and humans happen to be the two closest related domestic species and share the same effects from the H1N1 viruses. In the pig, the H1N1 virus causes fever, lethargy, sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing and inappetance. The H1N1 virus is transferred in pigs through respiratory secretions, and thus can affect humans in the same way. However, only a very small number of people actually contract the exact replica of the H1N1 swine influenza virus that is endemic in pigs. Farmers pride themselves in biohazard control by cleaning and disinfecting boots, hands, clothes, tools, and equipment when entering and leaving their livestock facilities. Plus the state of the art cleaning and ventilation systems present in livestock housing facilities decrease the spread of disease. Farmers have to be diligent with vaccination and disease control as it is their economic lifeline when disease processes wipe out a herd or flock.

Through antigenic shift from pigs, birds and humans, the H1N1 influenza virus has evolved to the current pandemic. Human patterns of travel and enclosure with many different people (i.e. – work, schools, churches, airplanes, etc.) only amplify the ability of these viruses to spread. Humans do not do enough to protect ourselves from the spread of disease as well as we protect our animals.

The point of my discussion is this – the influenza virus that we as humans carry currently does not affect our beloved pets, nor do their viruses, for the most part, affect us. They have their own unique strains of influenza and colds. In dogs, their annual vaccination consists of a parainfluenza and a distemper booster, and if needed a vaccination against Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough). These are the main respiratory organisms of concern for the dog. In the cat, the whole of their annual vaccination protects against feline respiratory viruses. In horses, the influenza and rhinotracheitis vaccination is updated annually to protect against emerging equine respiratory diseases. By in large, our animals in North America are better protected than ourselves against emerging disease processes – to the point of quarantine if a disease rears its ugly head (i.e. – mad cow disease, Piroplasmosis in horses, foot and mouth, etc.).

Therefore, as I lay coughing and spewing my germs for all of humanity to endure, that gentle lick of concern, love and caring that I get from our four family dogs will not be of any harm to them or me.

November 2009
Michelle Chiunti, D.V.M.
Northumberland Veterinary Professional Corp
Colborne