Should you vaccinate your dog for Canine Influenza?

June 27, 1:25 AMPet Care ExaminerPatrick Mahaney

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Thank you to Wikipedia for the Influenza Virus pic

On June 23, 2009, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, announced the USDA approval of their vaccine for Canine Influenza virus for use in dogs. The vaccination’s potential value as a means of disease management is already being scrutinized by the veterinary community.

The Canine Influenza vaccination is composed of the killed (inactivated) virus H3N8. The vaccination does not prevent infection, therefore it does not prevent clinical signs of infection. According to the Intervet website, the Canine Influenza vaccine will “reduce the incidence and severity of lung lesions, as well as the duration of coughing and viral shedding.” Canine Influenza is typically a mild, self-limiting disease, but there are reports of severe illness and fatalities attributed to the virus in animal shelters across the US. For further information on Canine Influenza and other respiratory infectious organisms, please see Canine Influenza--could dog flu infect your pooch?

This vaccination may be of use in places where dogs of varying or unknown vaccination status are closely confined, such as shelters, pet stores, boarding facilities, or dog shows. The vaccination will be most useful if there is a Canine Influenza outbreak in these situations and the vaccination can be readily administered to those dogs that were potentially exposed to the virus. Therefore, like other vaccinations that prevent the clinical signs or shedding of particular infectious disease organisms (i.e. Giardia vaccination), many veterinarians will not likely recommend this vaccination for the average household companion canine.

In the future, if Canine Influenza infections become more wide spread, the vaccination may be more useful in the general veterinary community.

For further information on Canine Influenza, see:
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) news release

CDC Canine Influenza website- Their website still states “there are no canine influenza vaccine licensed in the US at this time.”

For other articles on animal disease and health issues, please see:

Swine Flu- could H1N1 infect your canine?

Rabies infected dog enters NJ via Iraq

Strychnine poisoning used as population control control for Iraqi street canines

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