There has been an increase in reports of the H3N2 dog flu that affects canines, including in Washington state, Missouri, Illinois, Texas, and nearly two-dozen other states.
The strain was first identified in 2015, arriving in the U.S. from South Korea last spring and has caused outbreaks in dogs in 26 states. Vets say the deadly strain cannot be passed to humans, but it can be carried to pets. NPR reported that the virus was apparently brought through O'Hare International Airport by an infected dog in Korea.
“All of a sudden, he couldn’t breathe and he was coughing. It was so brutal,” dog owner Elizabeth Estes, who lives in Chicago, told NPR a few weeks ago. “The dog couldn’t breathe. I mean, could not breathe—just kept coughing and coughing and coughing and gasping for air.”
There have been recent confirmed cases in Missouri, including St. Louis and Kansas City, as well as in North Texas. On Feb. 17, the Union-Bulletin reported a case of H3N2 in central Washington state.
