In the last few years the world has begun to open up to pet owners allowing us to take our pets with us to more places. Need pet food? Head over to PetSmart and let Rover pick out his owner dinner. Need a hammer and nails? No problems! Just take your dog to the nearest Lowe’s and you can shop together. These are all wonderful things, and we are not about to discourage you from taking advantage of being able to spend more time with your pets. However these new opportunities for socialization can come with a few risks. Just like human have to be worried about germs, and getting a cold or the flu from other people; dogs have concerns too, primarily Kennel Cough and Canine influenza.
So what is the concern?
Both Kennel Cough and Canine influenza are highly contagious between dogs. They both can present symptoms such as a cough, mild fever, lethargy and nasal discharge. Both can be spread from direct contact dog to dog, germs from contaminated objects or from aerosol in the air. Both Kennel Cough and Canine influenza are viruses which means that even though veterinarians can help alleviate many the symptoms with medications like cough suppressants, anti-microbials and fluid therapy, the virus usually has to run its course. For Canine influenza that can take up to a month and for Kennel Cough it can take any where from 3-6 weeks. In harsher cases or untreated cases the symptoms can worsen and pets can develop pneumonia, and in severe cases Canine influenza can lead to death.
So what can you do?
Vaccinate, Vaccinate, Vaccinate! Kennel Cough is a broad term used for viruses such as Bordatella, Parainfluenza and Adenovirus-2 found in various forms in Canine Distemper Vaccines and in Canine Bordatella, or Kennel Cough Vaccines. Canine influezna, is an H3N8 strain of the flu virus that is not contagious to humans. The Canine Flu vaccines or CIV vaccine for short is available in most areas. Even though this virus is fairly new it is becoming more prevalent simply because pets are not vaccinated.
What do you do if your pet isn’t vaccinated?
The best way to prevent kennel cough or Canine influenza is to prevent exposure by keeping your pet at home and as a pet owner to avoid other dogs so that you don’t risk bringing it home on your clothes.
What if you think your pet may have kennel cough or Canine Influenza?
- Take your pet to a Veterinarian to be treated immediately. Alleviating the symptoms can help a pet recover faster.
- Keep then separated from other dogs, especially housemates, until the symptoms subside.
- If you handle other pets or are visiting family or friends with other pets wear different clothes and shoes to their home and wash your hands and arms thoroughly before petting another animal.