When dog flu hits a community, all exposed dogs – except those who recently had the flu or those vaccinated – will get the virus, writes Steve Dale. Around 25 percent of dogs who get the virus don’t show any signs or symptoms. But, they’re just as contagious as sick dogs.
Numbers below only hint at the real story. What we do know is that around two to five percent of dogs do die as a result of the dogs flu. . . the H3N2 strain.
Source: Steve Dale Pet World, September 14, 2018. Link.
Most pet caretakers with coughing dogs do visit the veterinarian. Knowing what other dogs in their practices have suffered problems, and understanding how to treat dog flu, most don’t pay for official testing.
INSIGHTS: Dale shares an incidence map by flu strain and numbers provided by IDEXX. The lack of testing reduces knowledge of flu incidence.