Yes, Dogs Can Get the Flu Too
The recent flu outbreak isn’t only affecting humans, Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has reported cases of dog flu across the country. Their research, which is done on a voluntary basis, shows that flu is spread among dogs when they bark at each other or sneeze within close proximity to others.
Translation: be careful at the dog park with your canine buddy this time of year!
“Symptoms of the flu to look for in your dog include a persistent cough, sneezing and high fever, reduced appetite and discharge from the eyes. Not all dogs, however, show signs of the illness,” according to ABC.
The recommended treatment is taking infected dogs to the vet right away so that they can get proper medication. But with good nutrition and rest, most dogs are expected to recover from a flu bug within 2-3 weeks.
Dr. Amy Glaser, director of Cornell’s Molecular Diagnostics Animal Health Diagnostic Center, suggests that pet owners try to limit contact with sick dogs and wash their hands after caring for them, as to not spread the illness throughout the household or to other pets.
Despite the dog flu being a serious respiratory illness, there’s no need to panic, the fatality rate for dog flu is less than 10 percent.
Dog flu is spreading…..In the #SouthBay at least 70 cases reported and now more in #SanFrancisco pic.twitter.com/vQxzkIj9ck
— Laura Garcia (@LauraGarciaNBC) January 22, 2018
