What you need to know about Dog Flu.

posted: Tue Apr 21 16:02:00 EDT 2015 by: Mellissa Smith Tags: "Clinic Specials" "News" 

Dog Flu is an extremely contagious respiratory infection that is caused by an influenza A virus. There are different strains of the dog flu. H3N8 is a strain that has been in the U.S. However, another strain, H3N2 has not been reported in the U.S. until 2015. This strain has been reported in Korea, China and Thailand before being reported in the U.S. There has been a recent outbreak of this strain (H3N2) in Chicago, IL. 

There are two forms of the dog flu:

  • Mild Form: wet cough lasting for 10-30 days, lethargy, decreased appetite, fever, may have a dry cough or nasal discharge. 
  • Severe Form: high fever, pneumonia or signs of pneumonia. 
There is a vaccination for the H3N8 strain but there is not currently a vaccination for the H3N2 strain. Canine influenza is a communicable disease and can be spread between dogs. As stated on the AVMA website: "As long as good infection control practices are in place, pet owners should not be overly concerned about putting dogs in training facilities, dog parks, kennels or other areas frequented by dogs."
If any signs of a respiratory infection or cough come to your attention we recommend to set up an appointment for an exam and to speak to your Veterinarian. 

For more information please visit: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/FAQs/Pages/Control-of-Canine-Influenza-in-Dogs.aspx