The Animal Humane Society’s annual “Walk for Animals” will still take place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Saturday — minus man’s best friend.
That’s because the Minnesota Board of Animal Health is calling for COVID-like precautions for all Fidos and Rovers, including keeping six feet between dogs and avoiding areas and events with large concentrations of pooches, to prevent further spread of the highly-contagious canine influenza.
The canine flu, first detected at the humane society’s facilities in early April, has also been confirmed elsewhere in Hennepin and Carver counties “that do not appear to be directly related to the outbreak at AHS,” said Veronica Bartsch, a senior veterinarian with the Board of Animal Health, in an email.
Additional reports of suspected cases are swimming in from practicing veterinarians throughout the metro, Bartsch said, though many dog owners have chosen not to follow through with testing because of cost concerns.
The board’s new public guidance issued Wednesday has put a damper on — but not a halt to — the humane society’s largest annual fundraiser, a long-planned Saturday, May 6 walk that will begin at the Fairgrounds’ International Bazaar.
“While the walk is still moving forward, we’re asking participants not to bring their dogs this year,” reads a written notice from the Golden Valley-based nonprofit. “Once again, we’ve been faced with a difficult decision — but the safety of our community comes first.”
The Animal Humane Society was forced to temporarily shutter its adoption centers in Woodbury, Golden Valley and Coon Rapids on April 6 following an outbreak of the doggie flu, which is believed to have spread to some 200 of its pooches. While the canine flu is not usually fatal, the Board of Animal Health put the facilities on quarantine for at least six weeks to keep the virus from spreading to other dogs or animals.
In early April, the virus was traced back to an Oklahoma shelter where multiple dogs had been imported from.
“After about eight days is usually when we see dogs start to turn the corner of their symptoms,” said Brittany Baumann, a spokesperson for the humane society. “It’s very similar to how you experience the flu as a person. The majority of the dogs are starting to see improvements. The majority of dogs do recover from this, just like people.”
Nevertheless, the humane society has had to euthanize seven dogs to date because of the doggie flu, she said.
How dog owners can protect Fido
The Board of Animal Health’s new public guidance asks dog owners to avoid direct dog-to-dog contact outside of their household and to keep visibly ill dogs home and away from other animals. Keep six feet at places where dogs congregate. If your dog is sick, call your vet, wash your hands and change clothes before interacting with other animals.
Signs of doggie influenza include coughing, runny eyes or nose, hard swallowing or throat clearing, fever and lethargy. Symptoms can appear suddenly, according to the board, and a dog that appears healthy in the morning may show signs in the afternoon.
The board advised the humane society to vaccinate all the dogs in their care, though vaccinations are on back order and will take several weeks to arrive, Baumann said.
There are no known cases of dog flu having ever spread to humans, and even spread to cats is fairly rare, she noted.
As for the Walk for Animals, cats and other pets are still welcome, according to the humane society, and food, music, vendors and games will all proceed as planned. More information is online at WalkforAnimalsMN.org.
