How to Keep Your Dog Safe from Canine Flu

We all dread getting the flu and we also dread our pets getting sick. Ash Babariya has some tips for us on how to keep your dog safe from canine flu…

In the past year, cases of canine flu have risen to epidemic levels, leaving veterinarians and dog owners worrying about how to protect their pets best from this virus. Many people had never heard of canine flu until the 2017 outbreak in Chicago, when more than 1,000 dogs contracted the virus. Some dog owners weren’t even aware that dogs can catch the flu, while others have had to deal with the sometimes devastating effects. Here’s what you need to know about this illness and how to keep your dog safe.

Quick Overview of Canine Flu

Canine flu is caused by two different viruses that can only be transferred between dogs. Humans can’t catch it, and being around a human with the flu won’t make your dog sick. This is a separate virus that dogs pick up from other dogs. That means that dog parks, kennels, pet stores, and shelters are particularly dangerous during an outbreak. The virus that causes canine flu is also responsible for influenza in cats, birds, and horses. Most scientists agree that the viruses jumped from horses to dogs, and that’s how dogs first caught the flu.

A very small percentage of dogs who get canine flu will die. However, most dogs who get this illness just get extremely sick, and must suffer through. There could be long-term side effects after the dog gets well, like a compromised immune system. The symptoms could range from nothing at all, to having a cough, a fever, being lethargic, and not eating. There are no real treatments once a dog gets the canine flu – just management for symptoms.

Now let’s talk about how you can keep your dog safe from canine flu…

Safety Tips for Dogs During Flu Season

Get Your Dog Vaccinated

There is a vaccine that is effective for one virus that causes canine influenza. It doesn’t protect against the newer strain yet, but it is only a matter of time before veterinary scientists improve the vaccine. Vaccinations against canine flu should be done every year, and not only can this vaccine help you keep your dog safe from the flu, it also helps to make the illness less severe if your dog does catch it. Additionally, it helps to prevent the virus from spreading to other dogs. This vaccine is not something that dogs typically must have, like a rabies vaccination, so you’ll have to ask for it.

Avoid Places Like Parks and Boarding Kennels

If there has been any canine flu in your area, it’s best to avoid taking your dog to places where there will be other dogs. That includes parks, boarding kennels, frequently-populated walking paths, doggie daycares, pet stores, and any other place where your dog frequently meets other dogs. If you can’t avoid other dogs on your daily walks, don’t stress too much – the biggest issue is dogs sharing things like toys and water bowls. Be sure that if you have more than one dog, you keep an eye out for a dog that is showing symptoms, and isolate them as soon as you can. Don’t let your other dog or dogs eat or drink after the dog you suspect is sick.

Learn How to Groom Your Dog At Home

The next thing you can do to protect your dog from the canine flu is to groom them at home till the flu season is over. Grooming locations are a prime spot for passing on the flu virus, because dogs are often sharing muzzles or leashes that the groomers use to keep them in place. Grooming your dog at home is fairly simple and can be learned by anyone. Keep your dog bathed only when they need it, trim their nails, brush their teeth, and keep the hair around their toes clipped. If you want, you can leave the fancy haircuts for when the flu season has blown over.

Wash Your Hands and Change Clothes When You’ve Been Around Other Dogs

One sneaky way that the canine flu is transferred is on the hands and clothes of people. If you work with dogs or have played with another dog, you need to wash your hands and change your clothes before you touch your own dog again. This ensures that you aren’t unintentionally passing a virus along to your dog from the one that you played with. If your dog already has a weak immune system, such as an elderly dog, you may want to try to avoid playing with other dogs entirely if you can, until the flu season is over.

Disinfect Surfaces in a Multi-Dog Home

Once again, if you have more than one dog in your home, they are all at risk of catching the canine flu. In addition to keeping any sick dogs separated from the pack, you should also be sure you are disinfecting any hard surfaces in your home. These are the areas where viruses hang out, waiting to be picked up by a wandering nose. This means things like doorknobs, cabinet handles, countertops, baskets of toys, glass windows, or anything else that a dog might put his nose near when walking around the house. Be sure to use a pet-safe disinfectant to protect your dog from toxins.

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Head to the Vet If You See Any Symptoms

If your dog is showing any symptoms of the canine flu, be sure to head to the vet right away. While there’s no treatment or cure, the vet can help manage the symptoms and keep an eye on your dog’s progress. If you want to be extra careful about spreading the flu, consider asking the vet if your dog can hang out in your car until they are ready to be taken straight back to the examination room. The symptoms of canine flu that you may see include a runny nose, a cough, not eating, being very lethargic, and having a fever.

These things can help you keep your dog safe during the canine influenza season this year.

About the author
Ash Babariya is the co-creator of Simply for Dogs and a life-long dog lover. Ash’s many adventures at the local dog park with her Boxers, Janice and Leroy, have turned her into the local “crazy dog lady”. She shares those adventures, as well as her research into the world of dogs, around the web to promote well-informed pet owning. Ash, Janice, and Leroy share a home in the Midwest with a brood of hens, all sorts of wild critters, and the occasional litter of puppies.

Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/health/dog-flu-explainer/index.html
https://www.littlethings.com/dog-flu-prevention/
https://www.simplemost.com/dog-flu-outbreak-2018-how-protect/
https://simplyfordogs.com/dog-vaccination/vaccinate-dog-flu/