Horse with flu symptoms
If your horse is sick with the flu, take biosafety precautions such as washing hands and clothes or equipment that came in contact with that horse, as soap will kill influenza viruses.
Influenza produces similar severe symptoms in animals, including fever, a dry hacking cough, nasal and eye discharge, swollen lymph nodes under the jaw, depression, lethargy, and loss of appetite.
Over the years, much medical research has targeted the various viruses involved in cases of influenza. According to this research, transmission of influenza viruses between different species definitely occurs. Humans, swine, dogs, cats, whales, seals, and sometimes other mammals such as mink have occasionally been infected by influenza viruses from birds.
This was long thought to happen only rarely, but since 1997 in southeast Asia there have been annual occurrences of humans contracting bird flu subtypes such as H5N1 or H7N9 and these cases are often lethal.
Almost all of these cases have been dead-end transmissions, meaning that each case appears to be a separate event with very little sign that they are capable of spreading from human to human.
Can bird flu viruses infect horses? The answer is most likely yes. A related question is whether influenza viruses can be transmitted from horses to other mammals. That answer is definitely yes.
About 15-20 years ago, H3N8 horse flu infected dogs in the USA and has persisted in dogs ever since. Can it jump from dogs back into horses?—maybe, although once the virus adapted to dogs, it became much less adapted to horses.
Equine influenza is caused by a type-A Orthomyxovirus. Two major strains are known to cause the disease. These viruses are from the same group of viruses that causes flu in humans. The disease has a nearly 100% infection rate in unvaccinated horses and has a relatively short incubation period of one to three days.
Because equine influenza is caused by a virus, no drugs have been developed to successfully treat the disease. In addition, many horses develop secondary infections from bacteria that can lead to pneumonia and other problems.
A horse with influenza should be isolated from other horses. Treatment is largely supportive, with good nutrition and proper care helping to create an effective immune response.
According to research, transmission of influenza viruses from one species to another can happen and sometimes does.
Advice to horse is owners is: If your horse is sick with the flu, take elementary biosafety precautions such as washing hands and clothes or equipment that came in contact with that horse, as soap will kill influenza viruses. And if you are sick with the flu, it is probably best not to cuddle your pets.