West Nile Virus in dogs/cats

[austrianalps]

Due to the very sorry loss of shadowplay's Alex :rose: the moderators thought it might be a good idea to start a general WNV thread with info, links and discussion about the disease.

From what I remember working in the vet WNV was a lot more common in horses than house pets (probably due to the exposure). Also, WNV is a lot more common further south where the mosquito life cycle is not interrupted by the winter, like here. It is rare that dogs and cats get WNV. Testing is not very reliable and treatment is also not a standardized procedure. That said, there is few confirmed cases of it in dogs and cats-maybe due to the testing difficulty. A positive titer does not always mean an infection. Titer is a blood-test to test antibodies. In 5 years as a vet-assistant I never saw a WNV case. Ticks (lymes) and fleas are a lot more common.


The continued significance of WNV to animal and human health in this country will probably involve the virus becoming endemic with sporadic outbreaks. Public health agencies often provide timely information regarding outbreaks of human disease. It is possible that analysis for antibodies to WNV in canine and feline sera could provide valuable epidemiologic information on the spread and incidence of WNV. (source: http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/full/42/2/219)

Now I personally would not worry about my animals to much, BUT the above statement does indicate that if Alex had indeed WNV, then its around.

There is certain precautions people can take if they would like. The point is to cut down the mosquitos. The last link talks about that. There is a vaccine for horses, but not for dogs and cats. Don't use insect repellant on your pets, but talk to your vet about other products such as Advantix (this product repels mosquitos). I did not like it for my pets, but mine never get mosquito bites. Its a personal preference and what your pet needs.

One last thing: There are some inconsistencies about the infection hazard to humans. Some pages say that humans can not get it from dogs/cats/horses and others say that blood and saliva have shown to contain the virus and can transmit with bites and bodily-fluid-exchange. Personally, I would take every precaution necessary if I suspect my dog/cat/horse to have it. No point in getting infected.

Here is what the CDC has to say about WNV in dogs and cats:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/wnv_dogs_cats.htm

This is a very good (but long) all around reading about WNV in dogs/cats:
http://www.vetinfo.com/dwestnile.html

I hope all this made some sense and there is some useful information in it for you and your furry family. Let me know your thoughts and comments. Thanks.

[Tony]

The point is to cut down the mosquitos.Always a good idea. Maybe my imagination, but there do seem to be more around this year.

Apparently now they think it was mosquito-caused encephalitis. Are these related, or is this more or less dangerous? SP says he lost a dog to it last year also.

[austrianalps]

Apparently now they think it was mosquito-caused encephalitis. Are these related, or is this more or less dangerous?.

Look at this here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_encephalitis

Different viral encephalitis types and origins.


Viral:
Viral encephalitis can be due either to the direct effects of an acute infection, or as one of the sequelae of a latent infection.
Bacterial and other:
It can be caused by a bacterial infection such as bacterial meningitis spreading directly to the brain (primary encephalitis), or may be a complication of a current infectious disease syphilis (secondary encephalitis). Certain parasitic or protozoal infestations, such as toxoplasmosis, malaria, or primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, can also cause encephalitis in people with compromised immune systems. Lyme disease may also cause encephalitis. Bartonella henselae can also lead to this (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalitis)

Seems that lots of different things can cause encephalitis or meningitis/spinal-problems. (note- the lymes disease....)

Disclaimer: this is just a discussion and sharing of found information, please do not see this as medical advise-because it is NOT! If there is any kind of problem of question ask your veterinarian. Hopefully all this reading helps formulate questions though. Thanks

[shadowplay]

No, I was not the one who lost the previous dog. It was a neighbor, about a half mile away. What I'm finding confusing are two things, one WNV is not supposed to be so immediately fatal in dogs. Two, the more fatal sort of encephalitis in dogs is auto-immune, which in fact could be the case here. It's just weird that the same thing happened to another very large dog relatively nearby within the last couple of years.

[Tony]

I'll admit the prospect of having pets starting to drop dead in an afternoon all over the mountain had me a bit scared. So I'm glad to hear the other one was a few years back.

And I'm glad to hear it's not something humans have to worry about a whole lot. Well, not compared to e.g. driving in traffic.

Still, let's keep eyes peeled for those mosquito breeding sites.

[shadowplay]

Speaking of Lyme induced encephalitis, Alex had a positive Lyme test a couple of years back, but was successfully treated and had been Lyme negative for quite some time.

[beckythemom]

Still, let's keep eyes peeled for those mosquito breeding sites.

I was just reading a news article the other day about mosquito breeding grounds. When homes with swimming pools are foreclosed upon, often the upkeep on the pool stops. One company sells "mosquito fish" that can be released into swimming pools and other landlocked bodies of water that will help control the population of the insects.

The article is here: Pools Become Nasty Mosquito Havens In Foreclosure (http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2009/04/22/pools-become-nasty-mosquito-havens-in-foreclosure.html) and below are some interesting quotes from it.

Deep South cousins of the guppy, "mosquito fish" have long been a mosquito control tool for keeping abandoned pools from becoming mosquito farms.

About 50 people attended a session April 9 featuring entomologist Greg Thompson of the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control Board. He described how his agency found and treated thousands of abandoned swimming pools and ponds after Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and destroyed more than 100,000 homes in August 2005.

The pools can't just be drained. For one thing, a bottle cap can hold enough water for some species to lay eggs, and a gentle rain would leave more than that in a swimming pool. And an empty pool could rise out of the ground.

Jorge Arias, the head of the West Nile virus program in Fairfax County, Va., started out with addresses for the county's 11,000 backyard pools. He's checking to see which of those match addresses of the 2,000 or so houses in foreclosure, he said.

The fish will thrive as long as no one pours in bleach or chlorine — a problem New Orleans had to deal with by posting big red signs.

The fish are by no means a perfect solution everywhere. They're native to south Louisiana, but can become a big problem outside their home territory. Townsend's department in Phoenix only uses the fish where they can't get into waterways and compete with local species.

[WVGeo]

Even though both my cats are indoor kitties, I use Revolution on them every month. At one point a couple years ago their vet was treating 8 different house cats for heart worm. While the possibility of bug bites is less inside, they are still vulnerable.

[shadowplay]

More and more, GME is looking to have been the direct cause. And no one really knows what that is.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_granulomatous_meningoencephali.html



http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2006/Winter/gme.htm

b) Multifocal or disseminated GME - This is an acute, progressive condition (2-6 weeks). The most common sites affected are lower brain stem, cervical spinal cord and meninges. Up to 25% of the dogs are dead within a week (Wong and Sutton, 1002).