Saturday, September 12, 2009

Dog Flu

It is tough days for swine....pigs are getting a bad rap for being the original carrier of the H1N1 Flu virus. I won't hold it against the pigs, but I still want to know if dogs like me can get it. Turns out it is very unlikely that dogs will catch swine flu, even if their human has it.

Phew.

But we won't get off that easy. It turns out that dogs are at risk for the H1N8 flu virus! DiscoveryNews has a helpful story about the canine influenza which is most likely to spread in kennels and doggie day car facilities. Dogs got this bug from horses, but there are no cases of humans catching it from dogs (yet). Symptoms include fever, sleepiness, and possible respiratory infection. The good news is that serious complications are rare, but it could be feeling leave a sick pup feeling icky for a few weeks. As always, if you are seriously sick, have your person call the vet!

[Image courtesy of PhotoBucket]

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