Just when you thought your dog was safe to be boarded in doggy daycare comes the news that, well, Rover is going to need a flu shot. While it’s not the famous swine flu that’s ravaging the human population and giving everyone flashbacks to 1918, it is a similar situation. Equine flu (or horse flu, or H3N8) has jumped species and entered the dog world. Don’t worry, it hasn’t crossed over into humanity… yet.
Like its piggy counterpart, equine flu has a less-infections disease that it is similar to called kennel cough. Unlike swine flu, equine/canine flu is fairly harmless, but it will spread to any dog it comes in contact with and may lead to other respiratory infections like pneumonia. The doggy flu vaccine is made by pharmaceuticals company Schering Plough and is designed to shorten the duration and contagion period of equine flu, rather than preventing it like human flu vaccines do.
You know, if I could, I’d get a vaccine to make my flu sickness shorter, rather than one that leaves me feeling sick all winter like normal flu shots do. I wonder if there’s some way we can make this happen for two-legged flu vaccines, instead of just four-legged ones.
Tags: equine flu, dog flu, canine flu, H3N8 flu, swine flu for dogs, pandemics, animal flu, kennel cough, Schering Plough