[BCNnet] Re: West Nile Virus and Animals

[Gmurphy6@aol.com]

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 Dog's death is first in nation tied to West Nile 
 
 By Sara Shipley 
 Of The Post-Dispatch 
 
 The nation's first death of a dog from the West Nile virus has been 
confirmed 
 in Illinois.
 
 Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said Tuesday 
 that they also found that the disease had killed two other types of animals: 
 a wolf and three squirrels brought in for testing.
 
 The deaths are the latest evidence that the mosquito-borne virus -- known to 
 kill humans, horses and birds -- is becoming more widespread.
 
 Epidemiologists previously thought that dogs could be infected with the 
 virus, but that the disease wouldn't kill them.
 
 "Up until this point, we didn't think there was much need for concern with 
 dogs," said Dr. John Andrews, a veterinarian and director of the 
university's 
 Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
 
 Still, there's no need to fret about every Fido and Rover. The dog that 
died, 
 an 8-year-old Irish setter-golden retriever mix from the Bloomington-Normal 
 area, already had a weakened immune system from another illness, Andrews 
said.
 
 "We still think dogs are quite resistant," he said. "This being the first 
 reported case in a dog suggests that there has been a large number infected, 
 and only this one has died."
 
 The federal Centers for Disease Control has registered at least 1,540 human 
 cases, including 71 deaths. Horses and birds, especially crows, blue jays 
and 
 hawks, are particularly sensitive to the disease.
 
 "We've said all along that all mammals are susceptible, because we give off 
 carbon dioxide, which is what attracts the mosquito to us," said Roberta 
 Renicker, a community health nurse in the Missouri Department of Health and 
 Senior Services' communicable disease control section.
 
 Missouri has not tested for or found the virus in mammals other than humans 
 and horses, she said.
 
 The CDC's Web site said Tuesday that disease from West Nile virus infection 
 in dogs had not been previously documented.
 
 The veterinary lab at the University of Illinois also confirmed that West 
 Nile virus killed three gray squirrels, two from Chicago and one from 
 Champaign. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources sent the dead 
animals 
 for testing after officials suspected an outbreak among the state's squirrel 
 population.
 
 "We've been getting reports for the last several weeks of unusual signs - 
 squirrels biting their paws, wobbling on their feet, walking in circles, 
 vocalizing, crying out as if in pain," Andrews said.
 
 A private zoo in Will County, southwest of Chicago, submitted a dead wolf 
for 
 testing. As with the dog, the owner wanted an autopsy to see why the animal 
 died, but didn't initially suspect West Nile, Andrews said.
 
 For both the dog and the wolf, researchers at the veterinary lab first 
 eliminated the possibility that the animals died of common canine diseases, 
 such as distemper or rabies. Researchers then detected the West Nile virus 
in 
 the animals' tissue.
 
 Blood serum tests are not available for living dogs, Andrews said, so the 
 only way to tell if West Nile is the culprit is by a postmortem exam.
 
 Andrews suggested that owners of very young or old dogs, or dogs with an 
 existing illness, may want to take extra precautions. He suggested keeping 
 such dogs inside during dawn and dusk hours when mosquitoes are most active, 
 or shrouding their outdoor pens with mosquito netting.
 
 Applying insect repellent to a dog isn't a good idea either, because the 
 animal could lick it off and get sick.
 
 "That's probably going to do more harm than West Nile will," he said.
 
 = = = =
 
 Pets and the West Nile virus
 
 * Dogs are still believed to be fairly resistant to illness from the virus. 
 No cat deaths from the virus have been reported.
 
 * Owners of young, old or sick dogs may want to keep their pets indoors 
 during dawn and dusk hours when mosquitoes are most active.
 
 * Do not apply insect repellent to dogs. It can poison them if they lick it.
 
 * There is no evidence that the West Nile virus can be transmitted from one 
 animal to another.
 
 * There is no vaccine or blood test for the West Nile virus in dogs or cats.
 
 Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of Illinois 
at 
 Urbana-Champaign
 
 Reporter Sara Shipley:
 
 E-mail: sshipley@post-dispatch.com
 
 Phone: 314-340-8215

Virginia Murphy
Belleville, Illinois
Gmurphy6@AOL.com