Though we may remember to get our flu shots this month, many of us forget that our dogs need their flu shot too! Here are 4 great reasons to get your dog vaccinated against the canine flu this month!
1) Lack of Immunity: Unlike the human flu, the canine flu is a relatively new disease. The first case reported was in 2003, meaning that our dog populations have not had time to develop any immunity to this virus. Since our dogs don’t have an inherit immunity yet, any (unvaccinated) dog that is exposed to the dog will become infected.
2) Highly Contagious: This aerosolized virus (meaning it travels through the air to infect other dogs) can quickly sweep through doggy day cares, parks, shelters, and more. As stated above, any unvaccinated dog that is exposed will become infected, allowing the virus to spread even faster. If you’ve adopted a dog who contracted the canine flu and then drop him off at doggy day care, the virus will spread unbelievably fast to all the other pups at day care.
3) Potentially Lethal: While your otherwise healthy dog may recover just fine from the flu (as us healthy humans do), older dogs, puppies, or dogs with other underlying medical problems who contract the canine flu may have a much harder time beating it. Severe cases can develop hemorrhagic pneumonia-which causes your pet to start bleeding into her lungs. Just because your dog is in tip top shape does not mean your neighbor’s dog (who may be fighting cancer or have an immunodeficiency condition) will recover as well-if at all. Vaccinating your dog will help to protect the puppies who are too young to be vaccinated as well as the dogs who are battling other illnesses (and is unable to receive vaccines per the veterinarian’s recommendation) from contracting the canine flu.
4) $5 Off During September: That’s right! If the top three reasons were not enough to get you to schedule an appointment for your pup’s canine flu vaccine, this is the reason to get you to call right now.
Here at Emerald Animal Hospital, we are offering $5 off of each canine flu vaccine during the month of September. We’re even taking $5 off of the physical examination fee if you choose to have your pet receive the flu vaccine! Please remember that if your dog has never received the canine flu vaccine before, he or she will need a second vaccine 2-4 weeks after the initial vaccine (but don’t worry, we’re giving $5 off the second vaccine too). After those first 2 vaccines, your canine companion will be protected from the flu for a whole year!
To set up an appointment or contact us with any further questions, give us a call at 216-749-7161! We’ll assess your pet’s health and make sure that the canine flu vaccine is right for both you and your pet. Call today and spare your pet those miserable flu symptoms!