New flu virus hitting dogs

it's a flu bug that's even more contagious than the h-1-n-1 virus you've been hearing about. howe...  More »

it's a flu bug that's even more contagious than the h-1-n-1 virus you've been hearing about. however,this virus won't target you -- rather your dog -- and it has found its way to albuquerque. stuart dyson is live at the dog park near the zoo with a look at the canine flu. let's forget about h1n1 for a minute - and turn our attention to h-3-n-8 instead - that's the name of the virus that's giving dogs the flu in many parts of the country - albuquerque veterinarians telling us some cases of canine flu are starting to turn up here now. don't start feeling too sorry for chimichanga the charming chihuahua - turns out he doesn't have canine flu - but the vet is conducting a chihuahua check anyway because this is serious business. " because it's a fairly new virus and many dogs have not been exposed to the virus before - almost 100 percent of the dogs that are exposed are gonna get the virus - not all dogs are gonna show signs of the virus." okay - what are the signs? - it sure looks a lot like the kinds of flu humans get - starting with a real runny nose and a cough. " early on in the disease it presents pretty much like kennel cough - a hacking cough - but then we also see having a fever - not wanting to eat - actually not feeling well." the danger is the dog may develop pneumonia - and that's never good - anywhere from 2 to 8 percent of the cases are turning out fatal. dogs at risk are dogs that socialize - like at the dog park - not just with other dogs - but with people who can pass the disease from dog to dog - without catching it themselves. " i definitely worry about it." " i can't deny her the park but i just gotta watch it iuess - be careful - get her a mask - ha ha." chimichanga the charming chihuahua says - see your vet when symptoms show. chimi also says - there's a vaccine for this - your vet should have it - there's a vaccine for this - your vet should have it - but if your dogs pretty much stay home in the yard and don't socialize - they're low-risk and probably don't need it  « Less