New Dog Flu Virus Found in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A new canine influenza virus that has sickened dogs across the Midwest has reached Minnesota.

The Board of Animal Health announced Wednesday that at least five Minnesota dogs were infected with the H3N2 virus. It says they were most likely exposed at the Lucky Dog Boarding and Training Center in Detroit Lakes. All five dogs fully recovered and no new cases have been seen at the facility since April 25th.

The dogs began showing signs of illness April 7th. They all developed coughs, some ran fevers and some had a cloudy nasal discharge.

Kennel owner Linda Wiedewitsch believes that the virus came from a dog from the greater Chicago area that visited her facility March 30th. The Chicago area has seen more than 1,000 cases and a handful of deaths.