CHICAGO — Frango, a tiny tan Chihuahua mix, lapped chicken noodle soup from a doggy bowl in between hacking coughs on a recent Thursday at PAWS animal shelter in Tinley Park, one of two south suburban shelters temporarily shut down as canine influenza virus continues to sicken dogs across the region.
“This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen here,” PAWS volunteer Aimee El-Zayaty said over the cacophony of barking, whining and coughing. “What’s scary is how fast the dogs get sick.”
Officials estimate that about 1,700 animals have contracted the highly contagious dog flu in Cook County alone, up from about 1,300 reported in mid-April, though the numbers are considered rough estimates. Six dogs have died from complications of the virus since the first cases were reported in January. Dog owners remain on high alert, and several canine events around Chicagoland have been canceled.
PAWS of Tinley Park closed until further notice, and staff members there said 40 of their 44 dogs were ill as of May 1. Recent outbreaks also have temporarily shut down the South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights, according to the agency’s website. Chicago Animal Care and Control on May 2 suspended adoptions, though the shelter is still sending dogs to other rescue agencies with strict instructions for care.
“We’re working to get the adoptions up and running again as soon as is safely possible,” said agency spokesman Brad Powers, who said 56 dogs there tested positive for the virus as of May 1 and all 238 are being monitored.
The Chicago-area epidemic is blamed in part on a viral strain new to the United States called H3N2, which is more common in South Korea, China and other Asian countries. Although dogs can get vaccinated for the most common type of canine flu, there’s no specific vaccine available here for this Asian strain.
Flu fears have delayed or canceled a slew of dog events across the area, including the Chicago White Sox’s annual Dog Day on May 18. Fans won’t be permitted to bring their dogs to U.S. Cellular Field, though canines will be celebrated digitally through pet photos displayed on the scoreboard, White Sox spokeswoman Sheena Quinn said.
“Above all, we want to make sure it’s a healthy environment for our four-legged friends,” Quinn said, noting that the team’s other dog event, Bark at the Park, is still scheduled for September.
Experts caution dog owners to restrict their pets from nose-to-nose contact with other dogs.
“I would tell dog owners to stay away from dog parks, stay away from boarders, stay away from groomers, stay away from doggy day cares,” said Dr. Donna Alexander, administrator of the Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control.
Dogs infected with influenza are normally contagious for about seven to 10 days but could transmit the disease before showing symptoms, according to Chicago Animal Care and Control. Most will show mild or moderate signs of respiratory illness including cough, nasal discharge and fever, and a small percentage can develop pneumonia.
“This is not contagious to humans, but humans can carry it on their clothing and body,” she said. “When they pet another dog, they can take it back to their own dog.”
Heidi Anderson, owner of the Dog Splash pet salon in Chicago, said the epidemic is hurting the grooming industry.
“Business has been really, really slow because of it,” Anderson said. “I’m hurting, even though I’ve never had a case of it, thank God.”
As for PAWS of Tinley Park, many of the dogs were lying lethargically in their cages on a recent afternoon. A mist from nebulizer treatments filled the shelter in an eerie fog, and every so often a volunteer would pound on a sickly pup’s chest, attempting to break up the mucus lining the lungs.
Cars popped in and out of the parking lot all afternoon as people donated paper towels, food and money. Volunteers fed the canine patients chicken soup, liver sausage and orange-flavored Pedialyte to guard against dehydration.
“For some reason some of the dogs who are not eating will eat chicken noodle soup,” Terri Buckley, shelter vice president, said as she checked the stitches of a newly spayed pit bull mix named Gabby.
“I see here how the animals are, how sick they get and how quickly they get sick,” she said. “So it’s really hard when we see people taking their dogs to dog parks or taking them on bike trails for walks, because it’s so highly contagious.”
