Dog Flu Spreads to 46 States

It’s hit the West Coast particularly hard.

Canine flu is making its way across America and hit the West Coast especially hard, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Dog flu causes symptoms similar to human flu, such as lethargy and coughing. It cannot spread to humans.

The illness has affected dogs in all states but North Dakota, Nebraska, Hawaii and Alaska, according to DogFlu.com.

Fortunately, canine influenza is not often fatal. One veterinary hospital in Campbell, CA, told SFGate it had seen 50 cases of the illness over a recent two-week period, and none of the dogs had died.

And Dr. Kyle Frandle of Los Gatos Dog & Cat Hospital in Losa Gatos, CA, told the Mercury News: “About six days ago we started getting calls about dogs with the flu from kennels and boarding facilities; now many of them have shut down to limit the spread.”

Frandle is recommending that dogs be vaccinated.

Read more at Sacramento Bee