Disease, as it is with humans, can spread like wildfire if not monitored properly. You need to exercise caution at all times with your pets because diseases that can affect your dog or your cat don’t make front page news and it could be a while before you know anything is wrong. One such disease affected thousands of dogs in the Chicagoland area last spring, catching many dog owners by surprise and putting every pet lover on edge. The disease in question was Canine Influenza Virus from South Korea.

It was as if dogs had vanished from Chicagoland as owners avoided dog parks, groomers, and the outdoors in general; canine life was on lockdown. Symptoms were across the board, but included everything from a runny nose to a high fever. It is a highly contagious virus for dogs and can affect a dog almost immediately upon exposure. This Chicagoland outbreak is known as the 2015 Chicago Canine Influenza Outbreak and took the veterinarian world by storm because there was no cure for this particular strain. Thankfully, that has now changed; there is now a vaccine, the new H3N2 Vaccine for dogs.

Donna Solomon of Huff Post writes, “This new vaccine is given in a series of two injections separated by 2-4 weeks. It can be given to any pet over 6 weeks of age. Protection against this virus is achieved 2 weeks after the second vaccine. After the initial series, it is repeated yearly. Since investigators do not know if a previous natural exposure leads to long term protection against this virus, I recommend waiting 6 to 12 months after your pet has completely recovered from canine influenza before getting the H3N2 vaccine.”

That is some solid information and advice and at Powell Veterinary Service, I believe in vigilant pet ownership. The 2015 Chicago Canine Influenza Outbreak took pet owners by surprise and that is never a good feeling. For the New Year (it’s only a couple weeks away), keep a watchful eye for anything that could affect the health of your beloved pet.