Are your pups spending their days at doggie daycare or romping with other pooches in the local dog parks? If so, you should ask your vet about the H3N8 flu strain that is inflicting dogs, and see if they have the flu shot available for your furry friend.

Just like kennel cough, the H3N8 flu is transferred from dog to dog through respiratory secretions. Those dogs in social situations are at the highest risk of getting the canine flu. If your dog is showing symptoms of having the flu, you might want to keep him at home until he is feeling better, or take him to the vet.

Cases of the flu first showed up in 2004 in Florida among the Greyhounds at the racing track. But this year, the flu is everywhere. It mimics many of the other respiratory illnesses that dogs get. If your dog coughs, has a runny nose, has discharge around his eyes, fever (check to see if his ears are hot), loss of appetite, lethargy, or weakness, your pup should go to the vet immediately. The vet can test your dog to see if he does indeed have the flu.

Most cases of dogs with the flu have recovered, and it is treatable. You can get your dog vaccinated for the H3N8 virus. It won’t prevent your dog from getting the flu, but it will shorten the amount of time that he is sick and contagious.

Tests have been done to see how dogs will react to the vaccine, and there have been no side effects or adverse reactions. Unlike some illnesses that can transfer from dogs to owners, if your dog becomes ill with H3N8, you will not become sick from it too.

Tags: Awareness, Dog Flu, dog tips, Greyhounds, Veterinarian