Mike’s Fish Tank – H1N1

I get a lot of trade magazines and updates from various sources since I am a pet shop. I recently received an interesting article on the H1N1 Virus in animals. There are only a few documented cases of H1N1 in pets but it’s possible that others have caught the virus and have not been tested.

The good news is HINI transmission is a one way street. Pet owners can not catch them from their pets, so there is no reason to panic and get rid of them.

So far, all pets infected with the H1N1 virus became infected from being around their ill owners according to info from the American Veterinary Medical Association. However experts say the odds of a pet contracting H1N1 are slight and transmission is easy to prevent.
Symptoms of HIN1 in pets include lethargy, lack of appetite, fever, runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and difficulty or changes in breathing.

However canine influenza which occurs just among dogs, causes similiar symptoms.

How serious is H1N1 in pets? Due to the small sample of infected pets, health officials aren’t sure. A cat in Iowa that caught the swine flu recovered but a similarly infected cat in Oregon died according to the AVMA.

Can pets be vaccinated for H1N1? As of now there was no licensed H1N1 vaccine for pets. The human vaccine should not be used on animals.

For more information, visit www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus. It’s a very informative web site.

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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