Prof. Scott Weese appeared on CTV’s Your Morning on Jan. 10 talking about Canada’s first cases of canine influenza. He also appeared in CTV News and CBC News reports on Jan 8.
Weese, an infectious disease specialist at the Ontario Veterinary College, is assisting in the investigation and response to H3N2 canine influenza found in two dogs in Essex County, Ontario. He said both dogs were imported from Asia in late December.
In interviews with CTV and CBC, Weese said that the infectious H3N2 canine flu has been in Asia for a while and moved into the U.S. a few years ago. He said while there’s public concern that an infected dog could also contract a human flu and that those strains could combine to create a new virus, that scenario is unlikely to occur.
He said dogs with canine flu get a fever and cough and appear run down. He said in most cases the flu runs its course, but older dogs may experience other health complications. Weese said that if dog owners suspect their dog has influenza, they should call a veterinarian right away.
Weese, a professor in the Department of Pathobiology, researches antimicrobial resistance, bacterial infections in animals and humans, and emerging infectious diseases and infection control in animals.