Pets and The H1N1 Virus: Cats and Dogs Can Catch the Virus

About a month ago, a pet cat in Iowa was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus. The good news is that that cat has recovered. The surprising news is that the virus was transmitted to the cat through its human family members, some of which had had the virus. Since then a pet cat in Utah and another in Oregon were diagnosed with the virus after human family members had had the flu. Sadly, the Oregon cat died of pneumonia.

Until recently, veterinarians didn’t think that pets could get the H1N1 virus. But in early October, a pet ferret was diagnosed with H1N1, which it had caught from its owner, and the cat cases confirm that humans can pass the virus along to pet cats. There are no reports of cats or ferrets passing the virus to humans, or of dogs getting the virus.

While the news about the cat with H1N1 may be alarming, vets say there’s no need to panic. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), humans are much more likely to get the virus from an infected human rather than a pet. A few common-sense precautions will help to keep everyone in the household healthy, pets included.

Human family members who get the flu should follow the same safety procedures around their pets that they would use with other family members. The sick person should limit or avoid contact with other people and pets until he/she has recovered. All family members should wash their hands thoroughly and/or use hand-sanitizer before and after contact with the pet.

In addition, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then discard the tissue immediately. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose as the disease is most likely to enter our bodies through those portals.

The ferrets and cats that contracted the virus all showed signs of respiratory illness. Symptoms to watch for in pets include coughing, wheezing, lethargy, low appetite, fever and a runny nose. Though there haven’t been any cases of dogs with H1N1, dogs can get canine flu or kennel cough from other dogs. The symptoms of canine influenza are the same as those of H1N1.

To date there’s no vaccine for pets against H1N1. If you think your pet may be sick, contact your vet as soon as possible.

If you’d like more in-depth information about pets and the H1N1 virus, visit the AVMA’s website at http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus/new_flu_virus_faq.asp.

UPDATE: The first case of the H1N1 in dogs was reported by the China Daily News on November 30, 2009. Follow this link for more information:
http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/healthandcommunity/091130/txt/091130en05002.htm?

Flickr Photo Credit: Ben Heine

Lisa-Anne Manolius is the multi- talented owner/trainer of Oh Behave! in San Francisco. A graduate of the S.F. SPCA's Academy for Dog Trainers and U.C. Berkeley's Boalt School of Law, she's available for dog behavior consultations, private training sessions, and to teach a variety of group classes. She can be reached at lisaohbehave@gmail.com.

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