When someone in your office get's stick, you do you best to stay away. Sanitary spray and wipes are helpful to wipe down common areas and surfaces in shared spaces. But are human flu's different from animal flu's? What should you be doing to ensure your dog is out f harms way?

“The dog population here has never seen this strain before,” said Dr. Keith Poulsen, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The canine sickness causes symptoms similar to those of the human flu, such as coughing, nasal discharge, fever and loss of appetite, though a small percentage of dogs can be carriers of the virus without showing symptoms, Poulsen said.

Poulsen recommended commonsense measures to prevent more dogs in the region from getting or spreading the virus. “If you go to dog parks, keep your dog on a leash, and avoid densely populated dog areas, especially if you have a very young dog or a very old dog whose immune system is compromised,” he said. Also, “if your dog is sick, don't take him anywhere,” he added.

The virus has an incubation period of about one to three days, and the infected animal can be contagious for up to 14 days, Poulsen said. The symptoms usually last about five to seven days, though the cough can persist for several weeks, he added.

Very informative information here. To read the full article, you can go to Live Science.

If your plans were to take your dog to the dog park this weekend, you might want to post pone it or talk to your vet to see if this doggy flu virus has hit your area. Because so many dogs were affected, its in your best interest and your dogs if you use extra caution and take some preventative steps to avoid contamination.

Does Your Dog Have the Flu?

If your dog caught this doggy flu going around we want to hear your story! Tell us how your pooch is doing, what their symptoms were and how they're being treated (by you or the vet) currently. Also any feedback and observations you may have are very much welcomed!