Serological Survey of West Nile Virus in Pet Dogs from Saskatchewan, Canada

Serum samples collected from 143 dogs from Saskatchewan, Canada, between 2008 and 2010 were evaluated for seroprevalence of West Nile virus (WNV). WNV antibodies were identified in 40/143 dogs (28%). Dogs that were primarily housed in the yard were 6.2 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6-14.5) more likely to have antibodies than dogs housed in the house or garage. Dogs were more likely to be positive with increasing time spent outside. The results of this study document WNV seroprevalence in dogs from Saskatchewan and suggest that pet dogs might be useful as a sentinel species for WNV surveillance.