Coolridge Animal Hospital: We Have Compiled Some FAQ's with Regard to Companion Animals and the Possibility of Disease and Zoonosis

Many Americans are in fear of and concerned about Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) spreading to the United States. We have compiled some FAQ’s with regard to companion animals and the possibility of disease and zoonosis.

Here are highlights from both the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about EVD and transmission in our pets. Please visit the CDC or AVMA  websites for the most up to date information as this information as it can change quickly.

From the AVMA:

Q: What is the risk of exposure to the Ebola virus in the U.S.?

A: The relative risk of exposure to the Ebola virus in the U.S. is extremely low, as there have been only a small number of isolated human cases and no known animal cases.


Q: Is there a vaccine for Ebola?

A: Unfortunately, there are no approved vaccines, drugs, or products specifically for Ebola available for purchase online or in stores.


Q: Can dogs or other pets get the Ebola virus from humans, or transmit it to them?

A: Although EVD is a zoonotic disease, there has not been evidence of its transmission to humans from dogs. Indeed, it is not even known if dogs are capable of contracting and then transmitting the disease. A study analyzing the 2001-2002 Ebola virus outbreak in Gabon found antibodies against the virus in about 25% of dogs in the affected area, but no virus was found in them. Furthermore, none of the animals showed signs or died of the disease during the study period. The study only indicated that the animals had encountered the Ebola virus.


Q: What if a pet is in contact with an Ebola virus patient?

A: The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) calls for quarantine, not euthanasia, for dogs exposed to Ebola.

The CDC recommends that if a pet is in the home of an EVD patient, veterinarians, in collaboration with public health officials, should evaluate the pet’s risk of exposure (e.g. - close contact and exposure to blood or body fluids of an EVD patient.) Appropriate measures, such as closely monitoring the exposed pet while using necessary precautions, should be taken based on that evaluation.


Q: What about risks of Ebola from other animals?

A: The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) states there is no evidence domestic animals play an active role in the transmission of disease to humans. Researchers believe that in Africa the spread of Ebola is a result of handling bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food) and contact with infected bats. The human patient can then spread the infection through direct contact (not through air, water, or generally by food.)

From the CDC:

Q: Here in the United States, are our dogs and cats at risk of becoming sick with Ebola?

A: The risk of an Ebola outbreak affecting multiple people in the United States is very low. Therefore, the risk to pets is also very low, as they would have to come into contact with blood and body fluids of a person with Ebola. Even in areas in Africa where Ebola is present, there have been no reports of dogs and cats becoming sick with Ebola.


Q: Can I get Ebola from my dog or cat?

A: At this time, there have been no reports of dogs or cats becoming sick with Ebola or of being able to spread Ebola to people or animals.


Q: Can my pet’s body, fur, or paws spread Ebola to a person?

A: We do not yet know whether or not a pet’s body, paws, or fur can pick up and spread Ebola to people or other animals. It is important to keep people and animals away from blood or body fluids of a person with symptoms of Ebola infection.


Q: What if there is a pet in the home of an Ebola patient?

A: CDC recommends that public health officials, in collaboration with a veterinarian, evaluate the pet’s risk of exposure to the virus (close contact or exposure to blood or body fluids of an Ebola patient). Based on this evaluation as well as the specific situation, local and state human and animal health officials will determine how the pet should be handled.


Q: Can I get my dog or cat tested for Ebola?

A: There would not be any reason to test a dog or cat for Ebola if there was no exposure to a person infected with Ebola. Currently, routine testing for Ebola is not available for pets.


Q: What are the requirements for bringing pets or other animals into the United States from West Africa?

A: CDC regulations require that dogs and cats imported into the United States be healthy. Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies before arrival into the United States. Monkeys and African rodents are not allowed to be imported as pets under any circumstances.

Each state and U.S. Territory has its own rules for pet ownership and importation, and these rules may be different from federal regulations. Airlines may have additional requirements.

Q: Can monkeys spread Ebola?

A: Yes, monkeys are at risk for Ebola. Symptoms of Ebola infection in monkeys include fever, decreased appetite, and sudden death. Monkeys should not be allowed to have contact with anyone who may have Ebola. Healthy monkeys already living in the United States and without exposure to a person infected with Ebola are not at risk for spreading Ebola.


Q: Can bats spread Ebola?

A: Fruit bats in Africa are considered to be a natural reservoir for Ebola. Bats in North America are not known to carry Ebola and so CDC considers the risk of an Ebola outbreak from bats occurring in the United States to be very low. However, bats here are known to carry rabies and other diseases.


Q: Where can I find more information about Ebola and pet dogs and cats?

A: CDC is currently working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and many other partners to develop additional guidance for the U.S. pet population. Additional information and guidance will be posted on this website, as well as partner websites, as soon as it becomes available.


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What You Need to Know About the Mosquito-Borne Disease Ravaging the Caribbean

If you’re traveling to the Caribbean anytime soon, bring the DEET. Chikungunya, a virulent mosquito-borne illness with no known cure is sweeping the islands. The disease is similar to dengue and causes extreme muscle pain that can last months or even years; it has been fatal in rare cases.

Historically, chikungunya (pronounced chik-en-GUN-ya), which was first discovered in Tanzania in 1952, has been more prevalent in Africa and Asia. Saint Martin was the first location in the Western Hemisphere to report cases of the disease in December 2013. In recent months it has spread across the region, with over 10,000 cases on islands like Guadeloupe and Martinique. Even Tony Saint Bart’s hasn’t been spared. There have also been isolated cases as far away as Florida and Venezuela.

To read more on this story, click here: What You Need to Know About the Mosquito-Borne Disease Ravaging the Caribbean

Three Critical Problems With The Kennel Cough Vaccine (And What You Need to do About Them)

I’m willing to bet that …

When your dog’s daycare, training facility or kennel asks for a kennel cough vaccine, you vaccinate your dog … am I right?

And why wouldn’t you? You want to protect your dog (and other dogs) from illness and you trust your vet or daycare provider to have your dog’s best interests at heart, like any caring dog lover would.

But I’m here to tell you some things that will make you question whether the kennel cough vaccines your dog has been getting are actually in his best interests …

To read more on this story, click here: Three Critical Problems With The Kennel Cough Vaccine (And What You Need to do About Them)

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Bats Are the World's Worst Ebola Outbreak: Prime Suspects for Spreading the Deadly Virus to Humans

Bats are living up to their frightening reputation in the world's worst Ebola outbreak as prime suspects for spreading the deadly virus to humans, but scientists believe they may also shed valuable light on fighting infection.

Bats can carry more than 100 different viruses, including Ebola, rabies and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), without becoming sick themselves.

While that makes them a fearsome reservoir of disease, especially in the forests of Africa where they migrate vast distances, it also opens the intriguing possibility that scientists might learn their trick in keeping killers like Ebola at bay.

"If we can understand how they do it then that could lead to better ways to treat infections that are highly lethal in people and other mammals," said Olivier Restif, a researcher at the University of Cambridge in Britain.

Clues are starting to emerge following gene analysis, which suggest bats' capacity to evade Ebola could be linked with their other stand-out ability -- the power of flight.

Flying requires the bat metabolism to run at a very high rate, causing stress and potential cell damage, and experts think bats may have developed a mechanism to limit this damage by having parts of their immune system permanently switched on.

The threat to humans from bats comes en route to the dinner plate. Bushmeat -- from bats to antelopes, squirrels, porcupines and monkeys -- has long held pride of place on menus in West and Central Africa. The danger of contracting Ebola lies in exposure to infected blood in the killing and preparation of animals.

NATURAL HOSTS

Scientists studying Ebola since its discovery in 1976 in Democratic Republic of Congo, then Zaire, have long suspected fruit bats as being the natural hosts, though the link to humans is sometimes indirect as fruit dropped by infected bats can easily be picked up by other species, spreading the virus to animals such as monkeys.

This nexus of infection in wildlife leads to sporadic Ebola outbreaks following human contact with blood or other infected animal fluids.

This no doubt happened in the current outbreak, although the scale of the crisis now gripping Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, which has killed around 5,000 people, reflects subsequent public health failures.

"What is happening now is a public health disaster rather than a problem of wildlife management," said Marcus Rowcliffe at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs London Zoo.

Bats' role in spreading Ebola is probably a function both of their huge numbers, where they rank second only to rodents among mammals in the world, as well as their unusual immune system, according to Michelle Baker of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia's national science agency.

Baker, who is intrigued by bats' ability to live in "equilibrium" with viruses, published a paper with colleagues in the journal Nature last year looking at bat genomes. They found an unexpected concentration of genes for repairing DNA damage, hinting at a link between flying and immunity.

"(This) raises the interesting possibility that flight-induced adaptations have had inadvertent effects on bat immune function and possibly also life expectancy," they wrote.

UNDERSTANDING BATS

As well as tolerating viruses, bats are also amazingly long-lived. The tiny Brandt's bat, a resident of Europe and Asia, has been recorded living for more than 40 years, even though it is barely the size of a mouse. Bats also rarely get cancer.

"We are just at the beginning," Baker said in a telephone interview. "But if we can understand how bats are dealing with these viruses and if we can redirect the immune system of other species to react in the same way, then that could be a potential therapeutic approach."

It won't be easy. Turning on components of the immune system can bring its own health problems, but the idea -- which has yet to get beyond the basic research stage -- is to turn up certain elements to achieve a better balance.

One reason why Ebola is so deadly to people is that the virus attacks the immune system and when the system finally comes back it goes into over-drive, causing extra damage.

Ebola works in part by blocking interferon, an anti-virus molecule, which Baker has found to be "up-regulated", meaning it is found in higher levels, in bats.

VENISON, WITH WINGS

The bat immune system may or may not lead to new drugs one day. Still, experts argue there are plenty of other reasons to cherish bats, which also play a vital role in pollination and controlling insect pests.

They are also a traditional source of protein in West Africa, often served in a spicy stew, and restrictions on bushmeat consumption are now contributing to food shortages in parts of West Africa, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Hunting and butchering bats may be risky but cooking is thought to make them safe. The World Health Organization advises animals should be handled with "gloves and other appropriate protective clothing" and meat should be "thoroughly cooked".

"In the long run it would be sensible to see people moving away from hunting bats but in the short term they provide an important source of food," said Rowcliffe of ZSL.

"Essentially, wild meat is a good, healthy product. People in Britain eat venison and rabbit, and in many ways it's no different to that."

Ebola Virus: Australian Researchers Use Ferrets to Develop Vaccine for Deadly Disease

Australian researchers infecting ferrets to understand the deadly Ebola VIRUS at the CSIRO in Geelong said a vaccine would not come fast enough to stop the current outbreak.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 650 people have been killed in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since an outbreak began in February.

The doctor leading Sierra Leone's fight against Ebola died on Tuesday afternoon (local time) from the virus.

There is no cure for the disease, which causes vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external bleeding.

To read more on this story, click here: Ebola Virus: Australian Researchers Use Ferrets to Develop Vaccine for Deadly Disease

New York City's Rats Are Carrying Viruses No One's Seen Before

Everyone who's ever used a New York City subway knows that they're teeming with rats, and that said rats are, almost by definition, disgusting. But no one had quantified just how disgusting they are ... until now.

A team of scientists at Columbia University trapped 133 Norway rats — Rattus norvegicus — from five sites in midtown and lower Manhattan, and used DNA sequencing to catalogue the pathogens they carry.


To read more on this story, click here: New York City's Rats Are Carrying Viruses No One's Seen Before

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Ebola: The Wildlife Connection

Ebola, stemming from the depths of West Africa, spanning the oceans, now creeping into the U.S. What does Ebola have to do with wildlife? Everything. 75 percent of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are diseases of animal origin.

It is contracted through contact with infected wildlife, i.e. through handling of or ingesting of infected animals. Chimpanzees and bats are the animals most often cited as carriers, but they are not the only animals.

To read more on this story, click here: Ebola: The Wildlife Connection

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Ebola and Pets

A Spanish Ebola patient's dog was euthanized by the Spanish government due to fears that the dog could also be carrying the virus. Bentley, a dog owned by a Dallas, Texas nurse who contracted the virus, will not be euthanized, but kept in a safe location to await a reunion with its owner. The dog will be quarantined for 21 days, according to the Dallas Office of Emergency Management. A veterinarian will be checking Bentley daily.

With these cases in the news, pet owners may be wondering if there is a risk to their pets from the Ebola virus, or to themselves or the public from contact with their pets.

To read more on this story, click here: Ebola and Pets

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The Ebola Virus and Pets

DogTime recently reported on officials in Spain euthanizing a dog for being exposed to Ebola. This week in the U.S., a dog living with a Texas nurse who became infected with Ebola was placed in quarantine.

The nurse, Nina Pham, 26, was identified as the first person to contract the Ebola virus in the U.S. Pham, who was caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian Ebola victim who died of the disease, got infected through what’s been called a breach in protocol at her hospital while she cared for Duncan.

To read more on this story, click here: The Ebola Virus and Pets

Dallas Ebola Patient's Dog Will Not Be Euthanized

Dallas, Texas - The health worker who tested positive for Ebola has a dog, but the mayor of Dallas says unlike in a recent Spanish case, the dog will be kept safe for eventual reunion with its owner.

Mayor Mike Rawlings told USA Today that the dog remained in the health worker's apartment when she was hospitalized and will soon be shipped to a new location to await its owner's recovering.

There are no plans to euthanize the dog, he said.

"This was a new twist," Rawlings said. "The dog's very important to the patient and we want it to be safe."

There were no immediate details on the name or type of dog.

Brad Smith, of CG Environmental, will lead the effort to decontaminate the patient's East Dallas apartment. He said he has been alerted that the patient's dog is still inside and will work with members of the local SPCA branch and Dallas animal control officials to help remove it from the apartment.

"We'll assist with that," Smith said. "We have the [personal protection equipment] that needs to be worn."

In Spain, the Madrid regional government said last Wednesday that it had euthanized Excalibur, the pet of the Spanish worker being treated. It was sedated to avoid suffering and after death its corpse was "put into a sealed biosecurity device and transferred for incineration at an authorized disposal facility," according to a statement from the Madrid government, Associated Press reported.

Spanish officials said the dog was killed because it posed a risk of transmitting the disease to humans. There is no documented case of Ebola spreading to people from dogs. But at least one major study suggests dogs can get the disease without showing symptoms. Experts say they are uncertain of what risk that poses to humans.