Dog flu strain new to U.S. responsible for Chicago area outbreak

Earlier this spring, hundreds of dogs in and around Chicago began showing signs of respiratory illness, which testing revealed to be caused by canine influenza. Further genetic testing revealed there was something unusual about this outbreak: It wasn’t the usual H3N8 strain of canine influenza that was making dogs sick; it was H3N2, a strain that had previously only been identified in Asia. To date, the virus has caused at least six deaths, and more than 1,000 illnesses, in the Chicago area and neighboring states. In this podcast, Cornell University veterinarian Dr. Amy Glaser talks about this newly introduced strain of dog flu and how pet owners can keep their dogs from becoming infected.