Have You Ever Wondered If Your Dog Can Get The Flu From You?

Have You Ever Wondered If Your Dog Can Get The Flu From You?

In many parts of the world, we are entering the dreaded flu season! The season associated with coughs, colds, and a runny nose. This certainly is not pleasant for us at all.

While we get sick during this season, we may find ourselves wondering if our dogs can catch a cold from us too. Can they get the flu? Well, researchers say no. Our dogs cannot catch influenza from humans, but they can get canine flu. Canine influenza is spread easily among our canine companions, just like we humans spread the flu to each other. Even though canine flu and the flu we contract are not the same, the symptoms pretty much are.

The symptoms to look for in your dog are the typical flu-like ones such as coughing, sneezing, fever, runny nose and eyes, lethargy and fatigue, and at worst perhaps even difficulty breathing. A good idea would be to take your pupper to the vet if you notice the symptoms are particularly bad. Although flu cannot be spread between dog and human, there are other illnesses that can. These include:

  • Giardia: spread through contaminated water, dirt, and feces
  • MRSA: an antibiotic-resistant staph infection that is more commonly transferred from human to dog
  • Scabies: a burrowing mite which causes hair loss and itchiness in dogs, or inflammation and itchiness in humans
  • Ringworm and roundworm: ringworm can be spread from the dog or infected dirt. It appears as a red ring under a human’s skin. Roundworm is an internal parasite that infects the intestine of human or dog, usually manifesting as diarrhea or vomiting (amongst others)
  • Rabies: this can be spread from dog to human through a dog bite. The dog usually presents with foaming at the mouth and increased aggression, including loss of muscle coordination and dropped jaw. In humans, there are a variety of symptoms, but thankfully, this infection can be prevented with a vaccine and treated if caught in time!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay

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