Twin Cities Veterinarians Preparing For Dog Flu

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Twin Cities veterinarians say it's only a matter of time before dog flu makes it way to Minnesota.

At least 1,000 dogs have come down with canine influenza in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. Six of them died.

"I think they should be concerned about it a little bit but mostly just aware," Dr. Brek Perry, a veterinarian at Westgate Pet Clinic in Minneapolis, said.

Westgate Pet Clinic got 60 doses of the canine flu vaccine last Thursday—by Tuesday they were out. They ordered a new shipment immediately to keep up with demand for the vaccine.

"I haven't gotten the vaccine," Sara Shaw, from Minneapolis, said about her dog, "Hawkeye". "Gosh, I'm being a bad dog mom and I should go get it."

Still, veterinarians say the vaccine is given on a case-by-case basis and isn't necessary for all dogs.

"Dogs that go to dog parks, dogs that board, go to daycare—social dogs that go out quite a bit," Perry said.

Symptoms to look for include coughing or sneezing, fever, and nasal discharge.

Shaw said she is avoiding dog parks until she can get her dog to the vet to get the vaccine.

"I want him to live forever so anything to keep him healthy, and if I have to keep him from playing with other dogs, so be it," she said.

If your dog has symptoms, keep him away from other dogs and call your vet.