SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — There’s a new strain of dog flu reported in a number of states, including South Dakota, and the illnesses are serious and even deadly.
Find out what pet owners should be looking for and what they should be doing to better protect their pet.
At Precious Pets, they have a lot of concerns about the new strain of dog flu.
“It’s a new disease that we don’t know too much about,” Tom Gunlicks said.
Gunlicks has been boarding dogs for 24 years and has seen all kinds of viruses and illnesses, but this latest strain of dog flu has him baffled.
“I think I have, but it’s kind of like when COVID first came out, I think I knew some people who had COVID before they knew what COVID was and so we are kind of going thru this with this dog flu,” Gunlicks said.
Just like COVID, this strain is spreading quickly in a number of states. As a serious respiratory illness, it can be a real threat to your dog.
“This one is a bit of a mystery yet, they really haven’t quite put a name on it yet. They really haven’t identified this particular virus and where it came from,” veterinarian Dr. Dick Rogen said.
Rogen of Horizon Pet Care in Brandon says the symptoms are very similar to other strains of canine flu and kennel cough; coughing, lethargy and loss of appetite.
While there are vaccines for both of those viruses, this one is different.
“There’s no vaccine for it and there’s no real treatment for it other than supportive care,” Rogen said.
Meaning, do the best you can as a pet owner to make your dog feel loved and comfortable.
Dr. Rogen says, just like humans, younger puppies and older ones are at a higher risk.
“Most of them are getting really sick; not that many are dying but the ones that have been dying you’re hearing about,” Dr. Rogen said.
Dr. Rogen says there are some things you can do as a pet owner, though, to protect your dog.
“You want to stay away, just like when we first had COVID, you had social distancing. Dogs really do need to have some social distancing,” Dr. Rogen said.
If your dog doesn’t feel well or is coughing, don’t take them to the kennel, don’t take them to the brew pub and don’t go down to the dog park.
Dr. Rogen says he has a lot of clients who are concerned and has been fielding calls daily about the new flu.
But he says this is not the time to panic.
And that’s the same advice Gunlicks would offer as well.
“I understand that people are warning their clients to be careful of it and I totally empathize with that; not offended by it. If it was my child I would want to take care of my child; if it’s my dog, I want to take care of my dog,” Gunlicks said.
And it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
“And it’s frustrating as a veterinarian, because we want to be able to give you this medicine or this medicine or treat it in this way and it’ll go away and we are not getting that kind of response,” Rogen said.
To learn more about the dog flu, the symptoms to look for and the severity of it, click here.
