Flu and other conundrums:
If your name is, Tammy and you get the swine flu; does Tami-flu work better for you?
Where does all the paranoia about influenza come from? I have lived through the Asian flu, several other types and major serotypes over the years. Contrary to my youthful image, I am not old enough to have gained exposure to the swine flu of 1918. I dodged that virus by thirty-some years. I do understand the seriousness to people with compromised immune systems and the very young. The secondary effects will cause some people to succumb to the virus and its secondary deadly effects. I know this and it saddens me immensely. Watching a mother bury her baby is just not right. It does not fit in my understanding of perfect.
Horses have had their own influenza almost forever. There has been a vaccine against this type A2 strain for more than thirty years. The antigen drift has been very slow in the equine species. Recently in the year, 2004 there was a virus mutation that made equine influenza jump species to canines. The move to canines made it a nasty disorder in dogs. I attended a continuing education presentation at the Toledo Veterinary Medicine Association pertaining to Canine Influenza. The presentation showed lung pathology that resembled a lung pattern I have seen in swine. In swine, Mycoplasma Pneumonia affects market hogs and other pigs. There is usually lower lung lobe filling with fluid and demarcation of lung tissue red to dark red-black in color. It was diagnosed postmortem and did not have the pig's best interest in mind.
The USDA approved a canine flu virus vaccine on August 1, 2009. Intervet / Schering-Plough Animal Health developed the vaccine, which is made from killed virus and is intended to aid in controlling disease associated with infection with canine influenza virus "type A subtype H3N8". It seems everybody is on the HnumberNnumber shorthand code for a flu virus numbers now that there is a vaccine available. USDA and the manufacturer are recommending dogs out mixing with dogs from states other than Michigan get a series of vaccinations. Dogs attending shows, field trial events or good old coonhound three night events have a need vaccination. This killed virus vaccine is given three to four weeks apart. The immune system will not activate completely until three weeks AFTER the second dose. This means calling for an appointment Thursday will not help for a Saturday departure. There will not be any protection for the dog.
Canine influenza was first isolated in U.S. dogs during 2004. This was an outbreak of respiratory disease in racing Greyhounds in Florida. It has continues to spread and has been detected in dogs in 30 states and the District of Columbia. There is no evidence existing of transmission of the virus from dogs to people, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) controls the conditional license, and distribution in each state. This vaccine can be used only by veterinarians. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) explained that during the one-year conditional license period, the Committee on Veterinary Biologicals (CVB) will monitor the product's performance and will evaluate the vaccine and company's progress toward full licensure
This particular vaccine gives protection to about 95-97 percent of those vaccinated correctly. There is the usual response to vaccinations issues, soreness at the site of injection, slight increase in grumpy factor for a day or so. This is a provisional / conditional licensed vaccine. What it really means is the only way the vaccine could get to market is too effectively finish the clinical trial on the general dog population rather than in controlled lab dogs. Is the vaccine effective? It probably is effective. Are there any side effects of vaccination? Time will tell. It boils down to if you wish to protect your dog you need to understand the system. They are doing the best it can to offer a fast track vaccine. The product is administered by injection and is recommended for use in healthy dogs that are six weeks of age or older. While there is a high morbidity (most exposed will get the disease) the mortality is five to eight percent. It one hundred dogs get the disease one can expect five to eight dogs will die from it. Treating viral diseases with antibiotics only helps to prevent secondary bacterial infections under control. The advice of take it easy, drink lots of fluids and stay home is as pertinent for canine flu as well as human flu.
I do remember another conditional licensed vaccine. Norden manufactured this rabies vaccine. Norden was a long time veterinary biological supplier to veterinarians. I distinctly remember the paranoia over that mess. They were promoting the vaccine be given subcutaneously as apposed to intramuscularly. They neglected to mention Rabguard-TC only had a conditional license. This vaccine was first available in 1983. In 1987, the USDA withdrew the approval for subcutaneous administration of Rabguard-TC. If you are, doing the math that is four years of vaccine usage. There were about four thousand animals vaccinated during that time. I was taught to give rabies vaccine intramuscularly at that time I continued to administer it in that manner. We had to contact the people that owned animals given the vaccine. Talk about a monster job. This was back in the stone ages prior to having computerized records. People move, some animals died and some were due to come back in for the first upgrade to a three-year vaccine and some were due for their next three-year vaccine. Holy moley, we got it done. Since then there are several rabies vaccines with a subcutaneous administration route approved with a full-nonrestricted biological license available. Believe me you really want a rabies vaccine you can believe in.
Canine Influenza vaccination may be worth considering in the future for our canine buds.
For more information about a specific case, consult your veterinarian.
The outside of a pet is good for the inside of a human.