Haines Road Animal Hospital

4342 Haines Road North,
St. Pete, Florida 33714
(727)525-2118

Recently, we've been getting questions from some of our pet owners
about a new dog virus called canine influenza. They were concerned about stories
they had seen or read in the news pertaining to dog flu outbreaks. In answering their
questions, we realized that all of our dog owners might have similar questions and
concerns. Thus, we're writing to tell you about canine influenza, how your dog is at risk
and how you can protect them from infection.

Canine influenza is a respiratory disease that can cause coughing, runny nose, watery eyes, loss of energy, fever and/or loss of appetite. The signs of infection are similar to those of other respiratory diseases in dogs, but the coughing caused by canine influenza can last for several weeks. With proper care, most dogs generally recover. However, canine influenza can lead to more severe or even life-threatening infections, such as pneumonia, and has been fatal in up to 8% of cases.

Because canine influenza is caused by a relatively new virus, dogs have no natural immunity to it. Since it's highly contagious, visiting places where dogs congregate, such as kennels, doggie daycares, dog parks, or grooming facilities, puts dogs at higher risk for catching this new virus. Making things more difficult is the fact that dogs can spread the virus before the coughing and other signs of sickness appear.

The best way to protect your dog from canine influenza is through vaccination. Fortunately, the USDA has issued the first conditional license for a vaccine that aids in the control of disease caused by canine influenza. A conditional license is issued to meet a special circumstance such as the emergence of a new virus for which there is no existing vaccine.

Like the human flu vaccine, the new canine vaccine doesn't completely prevent infection, but it can dramatically reduce the severity of the disease. The vaccine also significantly reduces the amount of virus that dogs shed, minimizing spread to other dogs- so it's the ideal way to protect our local canine community as well.

We recommend vaccinating dogs against canine influenza and have the vaccine available. Please call us at (727) 525-2118 to discuss any questions you might have or to set up an appointment. To give your dog the most complete protection, the initial vaccination requires two doses of the vaccine given 2 to 4 weeks apart, followed by a single booster dose given annually.

Sincerely,
The Doctors at Haines Road Animal Hospital

PS. If you'd like to read more about canine influenza, www.doginfluenza.com offers a lot of good information.

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