From left, Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano, Executive Director; Deanne Rathke, Director Emeritus; and Alexandra Leverton, President of the Board of Trustees. Photo courtesy of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historcial Association
The Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association, a nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve the history of the communities of Greenlawn and Centerport, has announced the selection of Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano as its new Executive Director.
Ms. Fortunato-Napolitano officially assumed the role on February 6. Deanne Rathke is retiring after having held the position for 20 years.
“We are very pleased to announce Claudia as the new Director,” reported Deanne. “Its time to pass the job along to the next generation.Claudia’s skill set will help bring about new members and programs to the organization.In addition she has a lifelong passion for local history having been born and raised in the Huntington area”
Claudia holds a BA in History, and a MA in Liberal Studies with a concentration in American History, both awarded by Manhattanville College. Previous positions include Executive Director of the Huntington Historical Society and Assistant Historian at the Town Of Huntington.
“I am honored to serve as the Executive Director and thrilled to serve the members of the community,’ remarked Ms. Fortunato-Napolitano. “Deanne is a wonderful role model, and as Director Emeritus she will be a valuable asset for furthering our research, expanding our public programs, educational workshops, and exhibits.”
The mission of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association is to research, collect, record and preserve artifacts, photographs, fine arts, and ephemera of Greenlawn & Centerport. In addition, they promote the preservation of historic structures and maintain a historic Suydam homestead and John Gardiner Farm to provide the public with an opportunity to learn about early life on Long Island.
Popular pet showcase features entertainment, education & shopping
The Long Island Pet Expo returns to Suffolk County Community College’s Suffolk Federal Credit Union Arena, 1001 Crooked Hill Road in Brentwood on March 4 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and March 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with fur flying entertainment, dog sporting competitions and educational programs designed for the whole family. The event will also feature many special attractions, pet adoptions and outstanding shopping for pet lovers and their pets and is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees over the weekend.
“The Long Island area is passionate about animals and pets of all kinds,” said show co-producer Karen Garetano of Family Pet Shows, which runs several similar events in the northeast.
The 100+ special exhibits always feature some of the hottest new products coming out often before they hit the retail shelves. Pets on leashes are always welcome, and several area rescue groups with adoptable pets will be on hand. Popular performers and presenters include Gail Mirabella and the Dynamo Dogs, Diana Frohman and her Beautiful Dancing Dogs, Schutzund Demonstration by Maximum KP Service, the Dog Lovers Days Lure Course, Rainforest Reptiles, TICA Championship Cat Shows, Rabbit Hopping, the Long Island Dog Derby and more.
About This Year’s Featured Performers/Presenters:
New for 2023: Gail Mirabella and The Dynamo Dogs Variety Act! You can teach your old dog new tricks – these veteran- performing dogs will knock the spectator’s socks off with their Trick Dog Show Routine, Frisbee Dog Acrobatics and dynamite performances. Gail and her canine friends will wow the crowd as they do all over the country.
Also New for 2023: The Long Island Dog Derby! Come down and enter your dog in the first ever Dog derby. Dogs of any breed, 25 pounds and under will race head to head to see who is the fastest on Long Island. Races will be held at 1 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Prizes will be awarded to the top three dogs on each day. There will be an entry fee per dog. Check the website for additional information or email [email protected]
Diana Frohman & Her Dancing Dogs: Diana Frohman and her beautiful golden retrievers will be dancing the weekend away with several performances on both days. “Dancing With Your Dogs” is one of the most popular returning features of the event. It’s a wonderful display of communication and relationship between dog and handler set to music. https://freestyledancingpro.com
Schutzhund Demonstration by Maximum K9 Service: Maximum K9 Service will be doing a Schutzhund demonstration which will include obedience, dumbbell retrieval, tracking, protection work and a detection demonstration. www.maximumk9service.com
Dog Lovers Days Lure Course: This popular event is back! Dogs will have a blast running through the lure course and testing out their agility while letting out some energy! Dogs love to zip through this course and it’s a blast to watch! www.dogloversdayslurecourse.com
Rainforest Reptile Show: an exciting, fascinating adventure through the rare and endangered reptile world! Many exotic reptiles will be at the show for kids and adults alike to learn about. www.rainforestreptileshows.com
Rabbit Hopping: Rabbit Hopping, it’s not the bunny hop you’re thinking of – but talented rabbits who love to jump! Allikatt’s Bunnies will present an agility demo of rabbits hopping all weekend – and there will be demonstrations and there is even a seminar so you can learn how to get involved in this sport with your own hare. www.rabbithopping.com
TICA Championship Cat Shows: for cat lovers who have never been to a cat show, this is a purrific way to see a wide variety of cat breeds up close. www.TICA.ORG
LI Dog Derby: Enter your dog in the Dog Derby. Dogs of any breed, 25 pounds or under will race head to head to see who is fht fastest on Long Island. There is an entry fee. additional information on the website
“We always have fun at these events, but we also are strong supporters of responsible pet ownership and humane values when it comes to all issues involving animals and pets,” said Garetano. “We partner with several community organizations, shelters, veterinarians and other animal lovers educate and inform when it comes to best practices for training, feeding and all aspects of pet care.”
Community and rescue organizations participating in the show include Almost Home Animal Rescue, Chippy’s Angels, Pawsitive Paws Rescue, Bark Animal Rescue, the LI Parrot Society and more to be announced before the event.
Adult admission at the door is $15, children ages 3-11 are $6, and those under three years old are always free. For additional information, call 631-423-0620 or visit www.familypetshows.com.
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Please note: Free parking and attendees are welcome to bring their well-behaved pets to the expo. There are some regulations and restrictions. Visit www.familypetshows.com for more information.
If you are interested in seeing some unique artwork, then stop by the Reboli Center for Art and History in Stony Brook during the month of March to see the “Burnt Offerings” by Connecticut artist John Houle.
“His work is absolutely amazing and to watch him create a piece of art through pyrography is an incredible experience,” said Lois Reboli, a founder and president of the Reboli Center, who saw his work and a demonstration at a show in Massachusetts.
Artist John Houle
Houle’s “Burnt Offerings” are created by woodburning or pyrography – a form of scrimshaw on wood and the details are crafted by etching or burning the wood with heat from a wood burning tool. According to the artist, “Pyrography is the art of burning or etching a design into wood, leather or in some cases, gourds. The time the burner is in contact with the wood determines how dark the piece will be. I use two burners. One has a constant temperature of around 900 degrees. The other has a rheostat that allows temperatures of up to 2000 degrees. I only use the hotter one about five percent of the time. Many woodburners have a variety of tips. I only use two.” He adds that a slip of the hand cannot be corrected.
As far as his technique, Houle said, “I treat all my works just as if I am drawing with a pencil … a very hot one! Some woodburners will trace a design and transfer it to the wood and then burn the lines as they appear on the wood. I never have, and would never trace. All my works are done freehand. I prefer to use birch wood, which is a light color and does not have large knots. During the pandemic, birch was hard to find so I started using bamboo, which is readily available. I then enhance my work with a wax of acrylic and then apply three coats of UV resistant polyurethane to protect it.”
Houle frames most of his artwork and makes his own frames out of pine although some pieces have been mounted on such exotic woods as cherry, spalted maple and black walnut.
By John Houle
Houle started as an oil painter. In fact, he won his first regional contest in second grade and continued to enter contests throughout college. At Central Connecticut College he studied under Jacques Rommel, specializing in oils. He amassed many regional awards. When John painted, he constantly would go back and rework something in the painting. He always wanted to improve his artwork. About 50 years ago he received a gift of a woodburner with a note saying, “See if you can paint over this…” and he never went back to oil painting.
After retiring as a trainer and developer of sales and service seminars, Houle now focuses on woodburning full time. He noted that one of his favorite things to do at shows is to start a piece from scratch in front of a group and over a period of time, complete it. He thinks it is important for people to understand his technique so he tries to do live demonstrations at his shows if electricity is available.
About being the Reboli Center’s March Artisan of the Month, John said, “I am very humbled, and appreciate the opportunity to show woodburning as fine art, especially in such a beautiful gallery. I love Joe Reboli’s work and it is wonderful to see how his memory is being honored at the Center.”
The Reboli Center, 64 Main Street, Stony Brook, and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 631-751-7707 or visit www.rebolicenter.org.
A Column Promoting a More Earth-friendly Lifestyle
By John L. Turner
Photo from John Turner
Most of us own an electric dryer to dry our clothes. In the summer you want the warm and damp air generated from dryers to be vented to the outside. But wouldn’t you want that warm, moisture- laden air to vent inside in the winter to help keep your home warm, perhaps resulting in less furnace activity?
Well, there’s a product available on-line or at local homeimprovement stores that does just that. Called a Dryer Heat Saver or Dryer Heat Diverter, it’s a rectangular box fitted into your dryer vent hose and held in places by O-rings. It has a baffle or shunt to direct the hot air where you want it — inthe summer to the outside but in the winter into your house. A screen prevents lint (which needs to be occasionallyremoved) from entering your house.
So why not take advantage of the energy your clothes dryer has produced to warm your home and in so doing, giving your furnace a little bit of a break?
A resident of Setauket, John Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.
Sleep may help the brain remove waste, such as those all-too-dangerous beta-amyloid plaques linked to Alzheimer's disease. METRO photo
A few extra ZZZs can help clear brain clutter
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
Cognitive loss, or mental decline, is a common concern as we age. So much so that a cottage industry of app-based games has sprouted to help keep our brains sharp.
What do we know about the brain, really, though? Startlingly little. We do know that certain drugs, head injuries and lifestyle choices have negative effects, along with numerous neurological, infectious, and rheumatologic disorders and diseases.
Some, like dementia, Parkinson’s, and strokes, are recognized for some of their effects on the brain. However, others – lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psychiatric mood disorders, diabetes and heart disease – also can have long-term effects on our brains.
These disorders generally have three signs and symptoms in common: they cause either altered mental status, physical weakness, or mood changes — or a combination of these.
Of course, addressing the underlying medical disorder is critical. Fortunately, several studies also suggest that we may be able to help our brains function more efficiently and effectively with rather simple lifestyle changes: sleep, exercise and possibly omega-3s.
How does brain clutter affect us?
Are 20-somethings sharper and more quick-witted than those over 60?
German researchers put this stereotype to the test and found that educated older people tend to have a larger mental database of words and phrases to pull from since they have been around longer and have more experience (1). When this is factored into the equation, the difference in terms of age-related cognitive decline becomes negligible.
This study involved data mining and creating simulations. It showed that mental slowing may be at least partially related to the amount of clutter or data that we accumulate over the years. The more you know, the harder it becomes to come up with a simple answer to something.
What if we could reboot our brains, just like we do a computer or smartphone? This may be possible through sleep, exercise and omega-3s.
Why does sleep help?
Why should we dedicate a large chunk of our lives to sleep? Researchers have identified a couple of specific values we receive from sleep: one involves clearing the mind, and another involves productivity.
For the former, a study done in mice shows that sleep may help the brain remove waste, such as those all-too-dangerous beta-amyloid plaques (2). When we have excessive plaque buildup in the brain, it may be a sign of Alzheimer’s. When mice were sleeping, the interstitial space (the space between brain gyri, or structures) increased by as much as 60 percent.
This allowed the lymphatic system, with its cerebrospinal fluid, to clear out plaques, toxins and other waste that had developed during waking hours. With the enlargement of the interstitial space during sleep, waste removal was quicker and more thorough, because cerebrospinal fluid could reach much farther into the spaces. A similar effect was seen when the mice were anesthetized.
In an Australian study, results showed that sleep deprivation may have contributed to an almost one percent decline in gross domestic product (3). Why? When people don’t get enough sleep, they are not as productive. They tend to be more irritable, and their concentration may be affected. While we may be able to turn on and off sleepiness on short-term basis, we can’t do this continually.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.2 percent of respondents reported having fallen asleep in the prior 30 days behind the wheel of a car during a 2009-2010 study (4). Most commonly, these respondents also reported getting usual sleep of six hours or fewer, snoring, or unintentionally falling asleep during the day. “Drowsy driving” led to 91,000 car crashes in 2017, according to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (5).
How does exercise help your brain?
One study with rats suggests that a lack of exercise can cause unwanted new brain connections. Rats that were not allowed to exercise were found to have rewired neurons around their medulla, the part of the brain involved in breathing and other involuntary activities. This included more sympathetic (excitatory) stimulus that could lead to increased risk of heart disease (6).
Among the rats allowed to exercise regularly, there was no unusual wiring, and sympathetic stimuli remained constant. This may imply that being sedentary has negative effects on both the brain and the heart. We need human studies to confirm this impact.
Omega-3 fatty acids may affect brain volume
In the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study, results showed that those postmenopausal women who were in the highest quartile of omega-3 fatty acids had significantly greater brain volume and hippocampal volume than those in the lowest quartile (7). The hippocampus is involved in memory and cognitive function.
Specifically, the researchers looked at the levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in red blood cell membranes. The source of the omega-3 fatty acids could have been either from fish or from supplementation.
It’s never too late to improve brain function. Although we have a lot to learn about the functioning of the brain, we know that there are relatively simple ways we can positively influence it.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.
The Long Island Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will be holding an in-person event called “10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s” at the Middle Country Public Library, 101 Eastwood Blvd., Centereach on Thursday, Mar. 9 from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.
This will be an overview of how to recognize the common signs of Alzheimer’s disease; how to approach someone about memory concerns; the importance of early detection and benefits of a diagnosis; possible tests and assessments for the diagnostic process, and Alzheimer’s Association resources
“It is important to recognize the warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia,” said Taryn Kutujian, LMSW, Senior Community Education Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter. “We are here to provide the Long Island community the resources that you need to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia.”
To learn more about the Long Island Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, visit its website here or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900
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Alzheimer’s Association®
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Their vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia®.
On January 29, the Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook (AAAGSB), in collaboration with the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Advisory Board (AANHPI), hosted an event to celebrate the Lunar New Year at Brookhaven Town Hall which included a Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rabbit-themed art show. During the event, the artists were presented with Certificates of Congratulations those whose artwork received special recognition.
The event was attended by Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, Councilman Neil Foley and Town Clerk Kevin LaValle.
“The Town of Brookhaven was happy to host a Lunar New Year Celebration for the year of the rabbit. I want to thank the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Advisory Board (AANHPI) for their hard work in putting this celebration together. Brookhaven Town is a mosaic of many ethnic and cultural groups and the AANHPI is one of the fastest growing in Brookhaven Town that adds to our diversity. We look forward to having this celebration every year,” said Supervisor Ed Romaine.
“It was very meaningful to host this exciting event at Town Hall. The rabbit is often associated with growth and creativity, and it reminds me of how our local Asian community has grown in size and in creative confidence along with this event. We started the Lunar New Year event two years ago online, and it has grown and moved each year since then into bigger and better venues. I especially want to encourage our artists to keep up their important work in moving people’s hearts and minds in ways that the printed or spoken words cannot do. I would also like to thank the Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook (AAAGSB,) the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Advisory Board (AANHPI) as well as my staff for working so hard to pull this event together,” said Councilmember Kornreich.
Councilmember Foley said, “The Asian-American and Pacific Islander community is one of the fastest growing in the region and the Lunar New Year exhibit at Town Hall was a great example of their contribution to our local art and culture. Brookhaven Town is a great melting pot, and everybody plays a role in making it a better place to live. I congratulate and thank the Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook, and the Asian American, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Advisory Board for bringing this exhibit to Town Hall.
“This Lunar New Year celebration was one of the first events I had the opportunity to attend as the Brookhaven Town Clerk. I was impressed by the creativity and passion that the artists showed through their artwork, and I was glad to see it displayed here in Brookhaven Town Hall. Congratulations to all of the award recipients and thank you to the Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook, the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Advisory Board, and my colleague, Councilmember Kornreich, for hosting this event,” added Town Clerk Kevin LaValle.
For years, chefs, critics, and food writers have been telling us that red wines need to be paired with red meats and white wines with white meats or fish. This is what I call “The One Size Fits All,” concept and doesn’t take into consideration the multitude of recipes that fall “outside the box” and don’t adhere to the old “red with red wine and white with white” rules.
Some classic recipes that include fish cooked or served in a red sauce are spaghetti with red clam sauce, bouillabaisse (and other fish stews), baccalà (dried cod) in a rich tomato sauce, and lobster fra diavolo in a spicy tomato sauce. Besides these, there are hundreds of recipes for fish cooked in a red sauce and many are great paired with red wine.
Often, it is not the type of fish that determines which wine to drink, but the type of sauce, and the herbs and spices that have been used in the dish’s preparation. Fish can be poached, boiled, broiled, grilled, blackened, crusted, and so forth. It’s all about the texture of the fish after cooking. A poached fish is a simple dish that is silky tasting but lacks texture. The same fish blackened gives it a heartier texture that can stand up to a light-bodied, dry red wine.
Pixabay photo
A young, full-bodied, oaky, and tannic Cabernet Sauvignon pairs well with beef. Yet, paired with fatty, oily, or smoked seafood, the tannins in the wine react with fish oils producing a fishy, metallic, tinny taste, and aftertaste. It would be better to serve a young, fruity, light-bodied, higher-acid, dry red wine that is low in tannin.
Some red wines that pair with fish are Pinot Noir, Barbera, Bardolino, Gamay (Beaujolais), Grignolino, Carignan, Montepulciano, and Sangiovese. These reds are also terrific with fleshier fish, such as tuna, shark, swordfish, and especially salmon. In addition, because they are in higher in acidity, oily fish like sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and bluefish also pair well with these wines. The acid helps balance the oils in the fish, similar to why we squeeze lemon onto fish.
Besides red wines, dry, crisp rosé wines like the wines from Provence and Tavel, France, and others made from Cinsaut, Grenache, Sangiovese, and Tempranillo grapes are great with shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels), scallops, shrimp, crab, and lobster. They are also pair well with a chilled shrimp cocktail sauce or mignonette served over oysters.
Don’t always follow the rules; create your own!
Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].
Free event to highlight kid compositions and musical surprises
By Melissa Arnold
Music has a way of moving us both physically and emotionally. Regardless of culture, language or age, the right song can make just about anyone smile.
For more than 20 years, the Stony Brook University Symphony Orchestra, an all-student ensemble featuring undergraduate and graduate music majors as well as qualified non-music majors, has put on a special Family Orchestra Concert, aiming to instill an excitement for music in children while bringing generations together. The free event returns to the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Featured soloist violinist Elvina Liu will perform the opening movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4.
Conductor Susan Deaver works hard each year to dream up a fun and creative theme for the performance. Some are obvious — recent concerts have focused on contrasts or weather, to name a few — but others are more subtle.
This year’s theme, “Musical Surprises,” will challenge the audience to listen for something unexpected in each piece.
“Everybody likes surprises, right?” joked Deaver, who’s been with the university since 2000. “There are a few ways we’ve included surprises in this show. For example, we have two [portions] from Sir Edward Elgar’s ‘Enigma Variations,’ which offer surprising changes in mood and tempo. There’s also ‘Thunder and Lightning’ [by Johann Strauss II], which reflects the surprise of being caught in a sudden thunderstorm.”
The concert includes both recognizable and lesser-known pieces, but the majority are short to provide as much variety as possible. And the program is just an hour long, helping to keep the littlest concertgoers happy while getting everyone home at a decent time. It is a school night, after all.
A surprising new addition to the program this year are mini-melodies composed by young orchestra students in the community.
Elementary school musicians from the Hauppauge Public School District have attended the concert for the past several years as a nighttime field trip. Interest in the concert continues to grow, and this year, Deaver approached music teacher Timerie Gatto with an exciting idea.
“There are three elementary schools in Hauppauge, and each one has an orchestra. We started with each child bringing one parent to the concert, so that they could all see what a future in music can look like if they work at it. Now we are also involving younger siblings,” Gatto said.
“Susan Deaver is fantastic, she interacts with the audience and does whatever she can to help the kids develop a greater appreciation for music. This year, she asked if my students would make up melodies for the orchestra to play!”
With the help of classroom iPads, students were able to compose, hear and perform their own one-line melodies.
“It’s been an impressive experience for me, watching them develop their own titles and musical ideas. Some kids even put groups of notes into chords and developed more complex syncopated rhythms,” Gatto said.
The orchestra is comprised of about 75 university students from diverse backgrounds and fields of study. Among them is 20-year-old Elvina Liu, a senior music major from Auckland, New Zealand. Liu is also the orchestra’s concertmistress — a lead violinist who serves as liaison between the orchestra and conductor.
Liu will perform a solo from Mozart’s “Concerto No. 4 in D Major,” which she said can be surprising in its own way.
“I think classical works, such as this Mozart concerto, are commonly perceived as pieces that don’t allow for a lot of freedom in interpretation. A lot of teachers and musicians believe that there are certain elements that have one “correct” way of being played, which is a pretty outdated way of tackling these pieces in my opinion,” Liu explained. “I do make a great effort to respect Mozart’s writing and stylistic ideas, though I admit that I enjoy testing the limits and boundaries when I play. Sometimes I surprise myself in the moment as well!”
Liu and Gatto agreed that music provides children opportunities for development, self-expression and community in a way little else can.
“Music is one of those things where it doesn’t matter how bright, strong or fast you are. It’s accessible to all kinds of people regardless of their ability, and it offers the chance to connect with others in a nonverbal way,” Gatto said.
Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook will host the annual Stony Brook Family Orchestra Concert on the Main Stage on Tuesday, Feb. 28from 7:30 to 8:30p.m. Admission is free and tickets are not required. Children of all ages are welcome. For more information, call 631-632-7330 or visit at www.stonybrook.edu/music.
There has been a lot of media attention about outbreaks of the canine influenza virus (CIV), but very little known about how to predict it’s spread.
Dr. J. Scott Weese of the University of Guelph, Ontario hopes to put an end to that. CIV strain H2N8 was first reported in racing greyhounds in Florida in 2004. Milder cases only cause coughing and transient fever. However, more severe cases can lead to severe pneumonia. Approximately 2% of cases are fatal. Fatalities are usually limited to older dogs or dogs with preexisting health conditions.
In April, 2015, an outbreak of the CIV occurred in the Chicago area that affected more than 1,000 dogs and led to eight deaths. Another outbreak shortly after the Chicago incident occurred in the Atlanta area affecting approximately 80 dogs (no deaths).
In December 2015, another outbreak occurred in the Seattle area affecting approximately 80 dogs (again, no deaths). Interestingly, none of the cases in 2015 were caused by the CIV H3N8 strain, but rather an H3N2 strain. The H3N2 strain was previously only seen in Asia (first diagnosed in 2006-2007). It is believed that this Asian strain gained entrance to the United States through Chicago’s O’Hare Airport inside a dog from Korea.
Fast forward to today and Dr. Weese: between August of 2022 and January of 2023, 200 veterinarians reported cases in Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
What Dr. Weese has concluded from the initial information is that CIV differs from human influenza virus in one distinct way. Where the human influenza virus is seasonal based on changes in behavior (people spending more time indoors in closer proximity to each other). CIV spread is more sporadic and year-round.
CIV is passed from dog to dog via aerosolized respiratory secretions from coughing, barking, sneezing, contaminated objects (food and water bowls, kennel surfaces) and people moving between infected and uninfected dogs. Dogs that stay at kennels, groomers, doggy day care, parks etc. are more at risk. This also explains why CIV outbreaks are sporadic and occur year-round.
Vaccines for both known strains (H3N8 and H3N2) are available for dogs at this time. The goal of the vaccine is to expose the host (in this case dogs) to a weakened or inactivated form of the virus and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against it. This will prevent severe forms of the disease but will not prevent infection, nor prevent shedding of the virus.
We hope that as Dr. Weese gets more data a better map of the spread of this disease. Until that time please consult with your veterinarian as to whether your dog is at risk for the CIV virus (H3N8 or H3N2 strain) and whether a vaccine is warranted.
Dr. Kearns practices veterinary medicine from his Port Jefferson office and is pictured with his son Matthew and his dog Jasmine.
Why should we dedicate a large chunk of our lives to sleep? Researchers have identified a couple of specific values we receive from sleep: one involves clearing the mind, and another involves productivity.
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