If this dog could talk canine influenza tour
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By Emily

July 21st, 2016

Today’s post is a part of the Insider’s Program on Bloggy Moms. I was compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Did you know that dogs can get a form of the flu called canine influenza? I follow several dog-news sources, and dozens of pet blogs but I hadn’t heard about canine influenza (aka dog flu or CIV) until recently. It’s important for dog owners to learn about canine influenza because there is a new strain, H3N2, which almost 100% of dogs are naive to. This means that dogs have no natural immunity to the H3N2 strain so almost all dogs who come into contact with H3N2 will become infected. Dog flu can spread at any time of year, but is most likely to spread when dogs spend more time outside, at dog parks or otherwise around other dogs. Last year the outbreak was so bad in some areas that not only were pets and their owners impacted, but some local businesses temporarily closed and veterinary clinics were stretched thin because of the high need for veterinary care. There is a dog flu vaccine available to protect dogs against CIV which you can ask your vet about. To learn more about the vaccine or canine influenza visit www.DogInfluenza.com.

frank pillow pug

There is also a tour to spread the word and educate pet owners about canine influenza. The tour is called If This Dog Could Talk, in collaboration with Elias Weiss Friedman, who created the photo-documentary series The Dogist. There will be three stops in the tour. Each stop is in an area where canine influenza was problematic last year. The dates and locations are as follows:

● July 23: Lake Shore East Park at 450 E. Benton Place, Chicago, IL 60601

● August 13: Freedom Barkway at 523 Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312

● September 24: Frazier Park at 1201 W 4 th St. Ext. Charlotte, NC 28202

Those who are unable to attend an event are encouraged to support the campaign to raise awareness of canine influenza by posting photos of their dogs on Twitter using #IfThisDogCouldTalk and tagging @MerckAH. Select photos could also be featured in The Dogist e-book.

By tweeting a photo, you are allowing Intervet Inc., d/b/a Merck Animal Health (“Merck Animal Health”) to use it at its sole discretion, including for marketing materials developed by Merck Animal Health. Once published, it will be available for viewing by any other person for as long as the published materials are in circulation.

Were you familiar with the dog flu and how contagious it can be?

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This post currently has 8 responses.

  • Laurie P

    Dog flu?? I’m just hearing of this….. very informativc! Wish there was a similar event in my town!

  • kathy downey

    Thanks for the information,it seems the Dog flu is much like the Cat flu.

  • Crafty Nunn

    I did not realize it was such an issue. I am glad they are sharing.

  • ellen beck

    I am glad this is coming to light. It is a form of cold, just like an URI in a cat. So many are killed for a simple cold… it is sad. I knew dogs caught this.

  • Deb E

    I’ll have to ask my cousin and his wife about this since they are both veterinarians. I’m a people nurse so I had no idea! My little Yorkie seemed so fragile that I’m glad he never got canine influenze. Good to know info going forward for my future pups too.

  • Rosie

    Wow this is the first time I’ve heard of H3N2 – I want to tell my friends with dogs, too, to make sure they know about this!

  • Dotty J Boucher

    Oh wow! and no I did not think that a dog could get this or be sick in such a manner. I will have to alert my family to keep an out of for such things.

  • Karen Propes

    I haven’t heard of this, I am going to talk to my vet about this. Thanks you so much for shaing. It’s strange how we never discussed it at the Vet. So glad we have people out there making us aware of these type things.

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