Canine Flu – What you need to know
UPDATE:
On 1/12/2018 Camp Bow Wow updated their vaccination requirements to include the Canine Flu vaccine. From an email to their clients:
“We will be requiring campers to be vaccinated for the H3N2 flu by March 31st, 2018. After that campers that are not vaccinated will no longer be permitted to come to camp…We will require that all dogs either receive the H3N2 vaccine or the Bivalent vaccine that covers both strains (H3N2 & H3N8). The flu vaccine is an initial vaccine followed by a booster 3 weeks later. After that it is an annual vaccine.”
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Dogs who attend daycare, kennels and other social environments are most at risk. The virus can be spread by contact, shared bowls, kennels, from coughing, sneezing, shared toys, leashes, and handlers who have interacted with an infected dog, etc. There are two common strains and both can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours, on clothing for 24 hours and on human hands for up to 12 hours. (Your dog does not have to be in contact with another dog to become infected).
Symptoms: coughing, sneezing and nasal discharge, among others like loss of appetite, dehydration and or lethargy.
While we do not yet have any clients with reported cases (January 20, 2018) we are being proactive, and encourage you to do the same.
If you are a client and notice any of these symptoms in your dog, call us, your vet, and any other pet care professional who is in contact with your dog. This is a very contagious virus. If you notice symptoms, your dog will not be permitted to attend classes for up to four weeks after treatment has started.
If any of our clients report that their dog has symptoms we may close the facility down to sanitize for several days to prevent any further spread. Read more about canine flu here.
The vaccine is a live virus and your dog could contract the virus and show symptoms from the vaccine. If you choose to vaccinate, your dog will not be permitted to attend classes for between 2-4 weeks. We will of course honor all of your group class time and place it on hold, as appropriate. Please let us know if your dog has any symptoms, if you are choosing to vaccinate and help us keep everyone healthy.
Call us with any questions: 412-345-1748