CANINE INFLUENZA - AN EMERGING DISEASE We have all been hearing about the dangers of the so called “Swine Flu” caused by the H1N1 virus. Certainly this is a very serious virus and not to be taken lightly. However, there is another serious virus in dogs called the “Canine Influenza” virus or the H3N8 virus. This is a completely separate virus that affects ONLY DOGS and is entirely unrelated to the human H1N1 virus. It is a highly contagious virus and can produce mild symptoms such as cough, runny nose, low grade fever and lethargy lasting from a few days to a week or more, or the symptoms can be much worse with high fever, a severe cough, extreme lethargy, and pneumonia. Since this is a virus, it is difficult to treat, and approximately 5% of the dogs with pneumonia die even with aggressive treatment. Dogs most at risk are dogs who are boarding, going to dog parks, dog shows, field trials, or any other event where there is a concentration of dogs. Even casual contact with neighborhood dogs can present a risk Fortunately, there is a vaccine available which has no known side effects. This vaccine does not prevent the disease but will reduce the symptoms and severity, especially of pneumonia and virtually eliminate mortality. In addition the vaccine dramatically reduces the shedding of virus by infected dogs, thereby lowering the risk of infection to other dogs. Please contact if you have questions or concerns. We would be happy to discuss the disease and help assess the risk for your dog.