Minimizing pathological flooding of a network

In a method for minimizing pathological flooding of a network using a destination node, a packet is received from a source node at the destination node. The packet is transmitted from the source node to the destination node along a path. A determination is made by a node whether the packet indicates a possibility of pathological flooding. In response to a determination that the packet indicates a possibility of pathological flooding, a dummy packet is forwarded along the path to the source node.