MADISON, Wis. — So far, Wisconsin has been spared seeing any cases of dog flu, but experts are warning that because the virus is highly contagious, that could change at any moment.
The H3N2 canine flu has already spread through several shelters in the southern part of the country, and while experts said this latest strain is less likely to make dogs very sick, it’s still highly contagious.
Dr. Sandra Newbury is the director of the shelter medicine program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. She said when it comes to keeping their pets happy and healthy, dog owners want to take a lesson from the past three years and social distancing.
“It’s so interesting because all of the knowledge that we’ve gained from COVID-19 is so easily transferable,” Newbury said. “If your dog is showing any clinical signs of respiratory disease, they shouldn’t go to the party and you should get in touch with your vet.”
Like with COVID-19, the canine flu can be deadly to dogs with underlying health conditions or the kinds of dogs you can’t teach new tricks.
Head veterinarian at the Dane County Human Society Uri Donnett said though most of their population is young and healthy, they are keeping a close eye on H3N2. He said places like shelters, clinics and doggie daycares should be paying the most attention because the flu is more likely to spread in those types of areas.
It’s one of the reasons they themselves already take so many precautions, like doing frequent medical and background checks, especially on transports from other parts of the country.
“We do medical checks on anyone that does develop clinical signs of coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge,” he explained. “If we saw an increase in that, above what we would normally expect, if we saw more dogs developing pneumonia, more severe clinical signs and of those things, those would make us more concerned.”
Donnett said there are enough people who may want to consider talking to their vet about getting their dogs vaccinated and assessing risk based on their habits. He also said vaccines, however, do have limitations because they require two doses, take about a month before they kick in and don’t stop infection so they work better as a precaution.
If you are concerned your dog has been exposed, experts recommend that you call your vet in advance because of how contagious it is. They may have you wait in the car or do some prescreening on the phone before booking a visit.
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