Canine influenza is a new type of flu strain first reported in
They found that many dogs in humane societies, dog shelters and
Veterinary hospitals in that state had serious respiratory failure. They isolated the strain of the disease as coming from equine influenza virus or horse flu. The first thing to clarify is that although the disease is a mutation it has no affect on human (or bird) populations.
Canine influenza is a contagious respiratory disease that requires medical treatment and the symptoms are sneezing, coughing, and fever. Approximately a fifth of all infected dogs have no symptoms at all. The other eighty percent have either a mild or a serious grade of the flu nut its mortality rate is less than eight percent.
Mild cases of canine flu normally means the dog has a low-grade fever and a persistent cough that may last weeks. There is often a nasal discharge. When dog flu is more serious the fever is higher and the symptoms are worse the dog has sever breathing problems as well as other symptoms more commonly associated with pneumonia. As the disease is a new strain, no dogs have had time to develop immunity.
Antibiotics are usually prescribed so that they can deal with any secondary bacterial infections. In general, dogs respond in the same way that human’s do they need plenty of fluids and rest while the disease takes its course. If the case is severe then the dogs may need intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration.
It is still too new disease to be absolutely sure of all the facts but it does appear to be an airborne virus and dogs catch it from the droplets of the coughs and sneezes of other infected dogs. New infections seem to take between three and five days to take a hold. Once dogs have the infection then they are capable of spreading the disease from the point of symptoms for about ten days. However tour dog can catch the disease from an infected surface they never need to actually see another dog with the disease
At present no vaccine is available however you should be alert to the disease and if your dog has to go into kennels choose one that you know.
There are many reasons why dogs cough canine cough or kennel cough, is caused by bacteria, or parainfluenza is a viral infection of the respiratory tract that is normally mild. Dog flu was first found in the greyhound population, but it was not spread by greyhounds it was coincidental that greyhounds were being studied for other purposes when the disease was discovered.