INFLUENZA INSIGHTS

What Does Adequate Isolation Look Like?

Read more »

Have a CIV outbreak at your facility?

Click here: to download our disinfecting guidelines to help you return to normal.

Dogs’ lives have changed now. People are more mobile, and their dogs are traveling with them. If you’re visiting friends in another state, you might have brought the disease into that area, where it might not have been before. Handlers will also take that contamination risk home with them to their own pets, which could contaminate their neighbor’s dog through the fence. You’re talking about an entire neighborhood that could be infected in a matter of 2 days.

—Linda Lowney, kennel owner, Langhorne, PA

The best treatment approach to canine influenza is effective prevention.

An effective vaccine for canine influenza is available.

The Importance of Isolation

Because CIV is highly contagious, educating staff and dog owners about protocols for preventing its spread is a critical part of the overall management strategy.

  • Dogs with suspected CIV infection that enter the facility should be isolated immediately and evaluated in a separate room.
  • After evaluation, the floors, walls, and tables in the room used should be thoroughly disinfected. Particular attention should be given to doorknobs and other objects that were touched by humans who were in contact with the dog.4
  • Hospitalized dogs should be isolated for the protection of other dogs.
  • The air supply should be as separate as possible, ideally by a full wall and door; a designated area within a common air space may not be adequate to prevent transmission of the virus.8
  • At a minimum, gloves and a gown should be worn while handling dogs with CIV infection.
  • Staff should wash their hands with soap and water or disinfect them with an
    alcohol-based hand sanitizer after handling the animal.
  • Shoes should be disinfected with an appropriately maintained disinfectant footbath when exiting the isolation room.4

Dog owners should be counseled to keep their dogs at home until they have made a full recovery. They should also be taught to wash their hands, as well as food and water bowls, with soap frequently. Changing clothes and shoes before handling other dogs is also recommended.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has posted interim guidelines addressing some of these issues, click here to view.