Canine Flu Reports in Texas Cities

There’s been recent news that Canine Flu is spreading around Texas. Cases have been reported in San Antonio, Houston, and Austin and it’s probably just a matter of time before it shows up in other places.  

Canine influenza in dogs is similar to flu in humans, except that it’s caused by the H3N8 virus. It is a respiratory infection that originated in horses as the equine influenza virus but was discovered to have moved into dogs in 2004 when a number of greyhounds were found to have contracted the H3N8 virus. It has since mutated into a dog specific strain and is contagious between dogs.

Symptoms of Dog Flu

Symptoms in dogs are similar to flu symptoms experienced by humans. According to Cynda Crawford, an assistant professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida, most dogs will

So Near, Yet So Far

When tv images showed the formation of a tropical storm in the Gulf, we all hoped it would bring us some rain.  But we can only watch with a longing eye as the system slowly drifts toward Louisiana, with only a sliver of east Texas to have any chance of getting even a little water from the sky.  

The Weather Channel today showed images of New Orleans bracing for flooding from Tropical Storm Lee.  This storm has very little in the way of winds, but will dump lots of rain in its path.  Rain that Texas needs so badly.

Why Do We Have Hurricane Parties?

                                             photo by NASA
The Texas Gulf coast gets its share of hurricanes but this time it’s the East coast that’s bracing for Irene.  And many areas that are not used to preparing for these storms are finding themselves packing up to leave or else stocking batteries and bottled water and perhaps anticipating a hurricane party.
 

Hurricane Irene is spinning just a few miles off the eastern shore. Weather reports warn that damaging winds, torrential rains, storm surge and tornadoes are expected all along the Eastern seaboard over the next day or so.