Articles

It may be called canine influenza, but Dr. Sandra Newbury, director of the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine has confirmed that the virus that sickened a large number of dogs in the Midwest throughout last year has now infected a group of cats in the region.

Newbury, in collaboration with Virology Section Head at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Kathy Toohey-Kurth, recently tested multiple cats at an animal shelter in Northwest Indiana and found them positive for the H3N2 canine influenza virus.

In March and April of 2015 a novel strain of canine influenza, H3N2, was identified during an outbreak of canine respiratory disease in Chicago, IL. Our University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program has partnered with many other agencies to uncover valuable information about managing and limiting the impact of this new virus.

The Shelter Medicine Intensive was created as a pilot by Dr. Sandra Newbury to provide additional hands-on training in shelter medicine to veterinary students and interns, residents