Canine flu~get your pups their shots

Did you know that your dog cant get the flu?  In 2005 the doggie flu showed up in grey hound in Flordia and has been spreading ever since. Its caused by the H3NH horse flu virus.  This flu causes death in about 5% of those who get it.  Dogs have no natural immunity to this virus so any dog that comes in contact with it will get it. And it can last from 2-5 weeks.

What dogs are at risk?

Any dog that goes to doggie day care

dogs that come in contact with other dogs on a regular basis

dogs that go to dog parks

If you take your dog to the vet

Any dog that goes to a boarding kennel

Symptoms of the k-9 flu:

High fever

Frothing at the mouth

Pneumonia

How do you know your doggie has the flu for sure?

a blood test can be preformed to and submitted to a lab that preforms PCR tests for the virus.

What can you do to protect your pet:

New shots are available, its a series of two shots that are given 6 weeks apart.  So if you are taking your pet out to mingle with his/her doggie friends get the shots. Better safe than sorry when it comes to protecting your pet. We will be checking with our vet today to see if the shot is available here since the virus has been found in our state. Since the shot is so new you will have to call around to find it because its not available in a lot of areas yet