Avoid Dog Flu and Keep Your Pup Healthy During the Holidays

Holiday travel can be stressful – from delayed flights to packed airports to lost luggage – and with cold and flu season in full swing, staying healthy during a trip is a priority for many travelers. And it’s not just the humans in our family we should be worried about. Your pup’s health could also be at risk, whether you’re bringing your pup with you or leaving him with the sitter.

If your canine is around dog friends during the holidays – whether that’s at the airport, a boarding kennel, grooming facility or family gathering with other pups – they could be at risk for dog flu.

“This is one of the happiest and most social times of the year. That means dogs are coming in contact with each other,” said Dr. Courtney Campbell, DMV. “Dogs are going to other places and meeting dogs and having contact with other people as well, this is why it is so important to talk about protecting dogs from the dog flu. Pet parents are thinking about dropping their dog off at a boarding kennel, or having their dog groomed, going to the Veterinarian. These are the times of the year that it is so important to emphasis two things; one, there is a bad virus out there and it’s called dog flu (canine influenza) and second you can protect from it by vaccination.”

The signs of Dog Flu (CIV H3N8 and CIV H3N2) infections can be hard to tell from canine cough. Veterinarians are trained to diagnose the differences.

Common signs for Dog Flu:

• High fever(103°F)
• Lethargy (tiredness)
• Loss of appetite
• Cough, which may be dry or may bring up sputum
• Runny nose with clear secretions at first, but may later change to a thick and yellow and/or pink-tinged color

Dog Flu cannot be distinguished from other causes of acute respiratory disease based on clinical signs alone. If your dog shows any of these signs, contact your veterinarian and avoid taking him or her anywhere (other than the veterinarian's office) until a full recovery has been made.

“The corner stone from protecting dogs from the dog flu is vaccination,” said Campbell. “That is why I’m so happy to talk to you about this right now and partnering with my friends at Merck Animal Hospital and bring more awareness about this flu virus because we want to protect more dogs. One have your dog vaccinated and two, clean objects your pet has come in contact with including leashes, dog bowls, blankets and those sort of things because the virus can live on those objects as well.”

For more information visit DogFlu.com

About Courtney A. Campbell, DVM

Hailing from New England, Courtney was raised in the quaint town of Burlington, Connecticut. His curiosity for pets emerged when he young visiting his mother’s home country of Antigua in the West Indies. Remarkably, he discovered the joy of sprinting right along with pygmy goats as they played in the grasslands. That experience as a young child has resonated with him ever since. On his tenth birthday, he received his first puppy and the dream of becoming a veterinarian was born. His academic journey lead him from the University of Delaware and then on to Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. But for Courtney, the academic journey was far from over. He completed three one-year internships, and then a three-year surgical residency in Los Angeles.

He moved slightly north and now enjoys the sunshine in Santa Barbara, California for which he affectionately calls paradise. Courtney is not only fluent in Spanish but he is also a 5-time NPC Physique competitor. He enjoys volunteering with rescue organizations, running, and freelancing in theater and short film projects.

He currently works at VetSurg, a specialty surgery practice in Ventura, California. There he focuses on orthopedic, soft tissue, and minimally invasive surgery. He is also a featured lecturer for Merck Animal Health. Courtney co-hosted a national talk show on Nat Geo Wild called Pet Talk and he has continued to be a featured guest on a myriad of programs such as Rachael Ray, Live with Kelly, The Doctors, Home and Family, The Real, The Boris and Nicole Show, Pet Collective’s Ask a Vet/Hot Vet. Courtney currently hosts his own podcast called The Dr. Courtney Show on Pet Life Radio. Most recently, he has served as the pet-centric news correspondent for Top 30, a new, contemporary news program.

Whether it’s media, theater, or film, Courtney is looking forward to fun career in the world of ‘edutainment’.

Interview Courtesy: Merck Animal Hospital

Photo Courtesy: Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 1.0 from pxhere.com