More information on canine influenza in pet dogs can be found in this article: Influenza A Virus (H3N8) in Dogs with Respiratory Disease, Florida in Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, the AVMA website, and this update on the April 2015 Chicago H3N2 canine influenza outbreak. Vets say the virus is highly contagious.
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Tests released late Wednesday showed two dogs housed at a Kent kennel were infected with canine influenza potentially marking the first cases of a highly contagious virus in Washington state.
Thousands of dogs have been infected with the dog flu from Seattle to Chicago and even in MI.
“So, if your dog doesn’t eat well, misses a meal, if you see coughing, if you see lethargy, just being exhausted, moping around, it could be a sign of the fever”.
Operator Bret Gagliardi says several dogs developed flulike symptoms.
If you have any questions it is best to contact your vet. There is a vaccine for the old strain and new strain.
“Eighty percent of dogs exposed are going to get sick”. “As far as they know now humans can’t get it but we can easily spread it”, she added. “They may stop eating”, said Dr. Julie Smith.
Veterinary medicine first realized dog flu existed back in 2004. Once the dog returns home, experts say it is a good idea to closely monitor a pet’s behavior and look for symptoms of dog flu. The dog flue spread so quickly that some animal shelters were forced to close their doors to prevent further contamination.
In addition, Dr. Boozer says it is possible dog flu could come to Southwest Florida, but said she is confident health officials would know what to do based on how other communities have handled it.
The outbreak previous year in the Chicago area hit at the height of spring break season, when many families had reserved kennel space for their dogs.
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Dr. Smith said dog flu is not necessarily fatal, but if your dog has another underlying health problem, it could be.
