Animal Services Warn Dog Owners About Canine Flu in Pets, Urges Protection

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md.: Montgomery County Office of Animal Services urges dog owners to be aware and take precautions as there have been increasing reports of the canine flu.

Suspected cases of canine flu have been on the rise. The illness is so prevalent and severe that veterinarians advised dog owners to keep pets away from other dogs at places such as dog parks, doggy daycares, and boarding facilities last month.

“Dogs that do visit dog parks, doggy daycare or who are boarded when their owners are traveling are more at risk,” the Montgomery County Office of Animal Services said in a statement.

The highly infectious illness is caused by a specific strain of the Type A influenza virus. Symptoms include cough, runny nose, eye discharge, fever, lethargy, and poor appetite.

“The signs range in severity between no signs at all and severe illness, sometimes resulting in death,” the animal services officials said.

People were aware of the increase in cases at a dog park in North Bethesda, but they didn’t seem too worried about it.

“We have already done his vaccine for it, so it’s business as usual,” said dog owner Ben Taylor. “We had to do a dog daycare, and that required it, so we had to get it.”

Another dog owner Lauren McCullough said she would be watching for any possible symptoms.

“We haven’t had any issues so far, but if we did, we would stay away for a couple of months,” McCullough said. “Most of the dogs that come here are puppies, and sometimes they come before their first vaccines and stuff like that, so it can be a little bit of a hot spot.”

The county’s animal services office encouraged dog owners to ask their veterinarians about the canine influenza vaccine.

“While the vaccine may not stop a dog from contracting the virus completely, it will lessen the severity and help reduce the spread,” the office said.

If a dog is diagnosed with canine influenza, it should be separated from other animals for at least 28 days. Most dogs recover within two or three weeks, but some may develop secondary bacterial infections, leading to more severe illness.

When it comes to people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are no reported cases of canine influenza viruses spreading from dogs to people.