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Tuesday, 21 July 2009

Can dogs catch Swine Flu?

Hello fellow dog lovers!
I feel a bit daft for asking this BUT Does anyone know if dogs are at risk from swine flu? I'm Mum to a English Springer spaniel and as a first time dog owner as fussy as I was as a new Mum many years ago.
Fiona James

From the NHS website:
There is currently no evidence that pets are susceptible to this new strain of flu. The swine flu virus appears to be passing only from person to person or from human to swine. In general, flu viruses commonly infect just one species; for example, dogs and cats do not get seasonal flu from their owners.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Fiona,
    Don't feel daft for asking, I didn't know myself for sure, so by asking you will help others to learn from the answer.
    Nothing wrong with being fussy, & as a new dog owner it must be daunting when everyone else seems to know so much.
    I personally gain my "knowlege" from Dogs Today Mag of course, & D for Dog forum (www.dfordog.co.uk) where the members are exceptionally friendly & helpful to newbies, which isn't always the case with dog forums.

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  2. My dog plays with a fox in our back garden but is always covered in fleas how can I stop the infestation?...(I cannot kill the fox)

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  3. My husband and I recently had swine flu. I have recovered, but my
    husband is still coughing. We sometimes give our leftover chicken or
    other protein to our Havanese and golden retriever after dinner. In the
    last 24 hours the Havanese has developed a very hoarse raspy cough, but
    otherwise is acting fine and is not running a temperature. Could she be
    getting the flu too?

    Diane K. (pet owner)

    ReplyDelete