Most people are familiar with Bordetella, more commonly referred to as Canine Cough or Kennel Cough. But did you know your dog could catch the flu? Canine influenza can be a serious threat to your dog’s health, and can easily be confused with Bordetella. If you vaccinate your dog against Kennel Cough, you may wish to consider the Canine Influenza Vaccine as well.
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Photo courtesy of Purr Photography |
About dog flu
• Canine influenza only affects dogs and cannot be passed to humans.
• The virus that causes flu in dogs—canine influenza virus (CIV) H3N8—was first identified in January 2004. Dog flu cases have now been reported in 39 states.
• Because most dogs have no natural immunity against CIV, virtually all dogs exposed to the virus become infected.
Risk factors for dogs
• Just like Bordetella, dogs that spend time at boarding facilities, doggy daycares, groomers, dog parks, and group training are at a high risk of contracting canine influenza.
• Many facilities that require vaccination against Bordetella (canine cough) are beginning to see the benefit of also requiring vaccination against canine influenza.
Signs of the dog flu
• The most common sign of dog flu is a soft, wet cough that may last for 3 to 4 weeks. Other signs include fever, runny nose, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
• Like human flu, dog flu can lead to more serious conditions like pneumonia. Up to 8% of dogs that get the flu can die from the infection.
Recognizing the signs of dog flu is not enough to prevent spreading the disease.
– About 20% of infected dogs will show no signs of disease but can still spread CIV to other dogs.
– By the time a CIV-infected dog shows signs of illness, the dog is likely to have stopped spreading the virus.
(Prior to showing signs of illness, dogs can spread CIV to surrounding objects, which become sources of infection, as well as directly to other dogs.)
– Dog flu cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone. A veterinarian will need to perform blood tests to determine if a dog has the flu.
How you can protect your dog against the flu
• Vaccinating your pet is the best way to protect him/her against CIV.
• The first CIV vaccine approved in 2009, Nobivac® Canine Flu H3N8 from Merck Animal Health, has been shown to reduce the spread of disease among dogs.
• Talk with your veterinarian and see if their dog’s lifestyle merits vaccination.
This is such a tough one for us! The first year we vaccinated for flu Sam got terribly sick from it. We pass on it now, but since we bring him to so many events, it is always in the back of my mind.
Sam
This is an important message and yes, it should be duly noted that dogs can potentially have some rather distressing side effects from the vaccination. I have posted up your article via the various social network sites.
Be well, my friend.
Gary
I didnt know dogs could catch the flu but I once gave my dog kennel cough – I was playing with a puppy in a pet store that had it and transmitted it to my dog when I got home
That flu stuff is nothing to sneeze at fur sure. Great info!
It’s so difficult to figure out which vaccines to give or not. We all just want to do our best to keep our pets healthy. Thanks for the info.
I actually haven’t heard of the canine flu before and hopefully it’s not something I will have to deal with. I usually try to follow the advice of our vet and she hasn’t recommended this but I may ask at our next visit. Thanks for the information!
oh wow…thanks for posting this…I never knew this and i hope that Dakota and other doggies don’t get it!
Great post. I learned so much from researching the natural treatment and prevention of the flu in pets. I hope the resulting article can help your blog followers: http://allnaturalpetcare.com/blog/2011/09/24/natural-flu-prevention-for-pets/
We’ve had bordatella this year- luckily only Junebug caught it and we were able to keep the other two healthy by getting her on anti-biotics fast.
We haven’t heard much about canine influenza around here, but we are having an outbreak of parvo. I’ll ask the vets and keep an eye on what our rescue organization is recommending.
Dear KIm, go relieved to find a posting from you. I was concerned that you might be ill. But if you have been, then I hope that his posting on dog flu is a sign that all is better.
Question: Can cats get flu also? If so, what are the signs? Peace.
Good to know! Great post!
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