Hector Duarte Jr. - All Headline News Staff Reporter

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at the University of Florida find the sick dogs' disease almost identical to the H3N8 influenza strain that afflicts horses.

They also found evidence of widespread infection in racedogs around the country and in pets of various breeds in Florida and New York.

There are so far no reports of people sickened by the new canine flu, which is genetically different from human flu strains, or from the bird flu that has killed more than 60 people in Asia.

The results were published online by the journal Science

The new dog illness made headlines earlier this year after greyhound racetracks were forced to close to control outbreaks. Veterinarians struggled to tell if the illness was a new variant of kennel cough or an entirely new disease.

CDC researchers counted outbreaks at 14 greyhound tracks in six states between June - August 2004, and at 20 tracks in 11 states between January - May 2005.

Researchers indicate it is not clear how dangerous the new canine flu is to dogs. Some die, others experience only a fever and cough; a large number, however, show no symptoms at all.

While most attention has focused on racing dogs, the researchers tested 70 dogs of various breeds with respiratory disease in pet shelters and veterinary clinics throughout Florida and New York; 97 percent showed antibodies to the new canine flu strain.