Swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, may be decreasing among humans, states a recent Associated Press article, but the disease will likely turn up in more pets.
"I think we're probably going to be seeing more [pet] cases in the future," Dr. Kristy Pabilonia of the Colorado State University Department of Veterinary Medicine told the AP. "There is more focus on it so people are looking harder."
Thus far, pets that have tested positive for swine flu include house cats in Iowa, Utah and Pennsylvania, according to the AP. [UPDATE: As of Dec. 21, a dog in New York has been diagnosed with H1N1 influenza.]
With the exception of a 13 year-old cat in Iowa that died from the virus, all the other cats have already recovered, or are expected to recover, reports the AP. [UPDATE: As of Dec. 8, an 8 year-old female spayed cat in Oregon has died of swine flu; the cat's owner had been sick with swine flu. Read more about it at AVMA.org.]
Five ferrets in Nebraska and Oregon have tested positive for swine flu and one died, states the AP. Turkeys, pigs, and one cheetah at a California zoo were also found to be infected with the virus.
To date, no dogs or birds in the United States have tested positive for swine flu, states the AP. (Two dogs in Beijing, China have been diagnosed with swine flu.)
Diseases such as "ringworm, salmonella, plague and rabies" can be spread between animals and humans, reports the AP, and swine flu can now be added to that list, though there is "no evidence that humans can get the swine flu infection from pets," reports the AP.
How can you tell if your pet might have swine flu?
According to the AP, "symptoms in pets may include lethargy, decreased appetite, fever, runny nose and eyes, sneezing, coughing and changes in breathing patterns." Due to the limited number of cases involving pets, veterinarians have "limited information about the severity of the disease in house pets."
What can you do protect yourself and your pets?
"Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze and limit contact with others if you are ill," one doctor tells the AP. And make sure your pet's vaccinations are up to date.
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