Should Dogs Get Flu Vaccine?

Jan 12, 2012 by Dog Breeds News Desk

Edward Dubovi, director of virology at Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center, told the Wall Street Journal that dog breeds of any kind should be vaccinated against dog flu if these dogs have been in close contact with other animals in places where the virus has been detected.

Dr. Dubovi says:

If I’m in New York City and going on a two-week vacation at Christmas and putting the dog in a kennel, then I’m vaccinating. If I’m in Kansas City where you don’t know for sure the virus exists, then maybe I’m going to wait.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dog flu is a contagious respiratory disease in dogs caused by a specific Type A influenza virus referred to as a “canine influenza virus.” CDC stressed that this a disease of dogs, not of humans. The virus was originally a horse influenza virus. Later on, this virus spread to dogs and can now spread between dogs.

Merck & Co, makers of the dog flu vaccine reported that the virus has been detected in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colorado, Texas and is now being investigated in California.