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Pet healthcare: Can my dog get swine flu? E-mail
While no cases of swine flu in dogs have been recorded, owners should nevertheless adopt a common sense approach to their pet's welfare, one expert has advised.

With a cat in the United States having already died after contracting the H1N1 strain of the flu virus from humans, concern is rising that it may only be a matter of time before dogs are affected.

And though Boston-based vet Dr John de Jong has stressed that this is unlikely, he has advised dog owners to be on the lookout for canine influenza, or H3N8, which can be just as serious and, as such, he has urged people to be on their guard against this condition, with common sense just as vital as vaccinations.

"If another dog is coughing or sneezing, keep your pet away or at least until you talk with the owner," he wrote in the Boston Globe pet healthcare column.

"Last but not least, if your dog exhibits clinical signs such as those I described, then keep your dog away from other dogs and have him seen by your vet," he added.

This advice has been echoed by experts in Canada, where CTV has reported vets are also more concerned about the threat from canine flu than from the possibility of swine flu crossing over into dogs.

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Written by Rosina

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