The good news is, you and your dog don?t have to go into hiding to avoid catching anything. A few simple precautions will keep you safe and allow you and your dog to enjoy the outdoors to the full.

Let?s start out by outlining some hard facts about dog flu or canine flu. The highly contagious virus which is responsible for canine flu was originally spotted in around 2004 in the greyhound racing population. Many dogs died as a result and many more taken ill. That said, the virus is shown to be deadly in only 10% of the most susceptible dogs. I.e. Young puppies or older dogs whose immune systems are weakened.

More recently, canine flu has entered the domestic dog population. Although this may be the case, there are steps you can take to protect your dog.

Firstly, be aware that the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) has recommendations for good infection control practices. Wherever you take your dog be it a groomer, pet store, boarding kennel, animal shelter or dog show, always ensure that they meet the AVMA standards. Any place that your dog is likely to be closely contained with other dogs in greater numbers than usual, always check those guidelines are being met.

You need to enquire as to how they cope with suspected dog flu cases. How do they isolate dogs that develop symptoms? Do they have a vet on call? When/how do they notify owners that their dog is showing symptoms. Asking all these questions will help you assess whether your dog will be o.k. there.

Additionally, if you think that you may have come into contact with a dog carrying the canine flu virus, wash your hands and clothes and anything you may have touched. Do this before coming into contact with other animals.

At the time of writing this article, there is no available vaccination for the canine flu. If you feel your dog may have canine flu or been exposed to canine flu, do not take them anywhere where other dogs will be congregating. Seek veterinary advice immediately.

If your dog does have dog flu the good news is that most dogs will recover in anything from 10 to 30 days. Most dogs will suffer with a persistent cough and a runny nose.

More severe cases will involve a fever and possibly pneumonia. The use of an intravenous may be needed with a course of antibiotics. Most dogs will recover from canine flu if cared for properly by a veterinarian.

Luckily, there is no evidence at the moment to suggest that people are at risk from catching dog flu. If you are worried about this then you can breathe easy.

Originally, the canine flu stemmed from the equine influenza virus which has been around for over 40 years. In this time, there has been no evidence to suggest anybody has caught the flu virus from a horse that had contracted it.

If you have concerns about dog flu, don?t fear taking your dog for walks or meeting other dogs. Your dog needs to exercise and socialize as much as ever. The best course of action would be to take the above precautions mentioned in this article. Find out as much additional information as you can and just be aware. That way your dog gets to enjoy life, and stay safe at the same time.

Article By Andrew Strachan. Find lots more information about dog flu and different types of dogs at http://www.types-of-dogs.com Lots of help and advice too.

Firstly there is the coughing. Most if not all dogs will suffer this, if not painful it will be very uncomfortable for your dog. Young puppies and older dogs will suffer from coughing a lot more than your average aged dog. The best thing to do at this stage is to make sure that he has plenty of fluids and that he doesn’t over work himself in the throat area, or he could start to feel really sorry for himself! The coughing tends to be worse during exercise or excitement, it tends to imitate kennel cough but the difference with dog flu is that the cough lasts a lot longer.

High fevers are another symptom to watch out for. Sometimes dogs can suffer temperatures up to 106 degrees so if you start to notice the coughing and the fever together make sure that you get him to the vets just to be on the safe side. Otherwise you could be looking at a bad bout of dog flu. The fever tends to make your dog dehydrated so again just make sure that he has lots of water and that you give him plenty of love as he will need it, feeling so poorly!

There are other general symptoms such as runny eyes and nose, which could simply be just a cold but its best to get it checked out especially if there are any other symptoms. Your dog may also suffer from some depression. He will be going through a tough and painful time so just make sure that he is as comfortable as possible and give him lots of cuddles. A bit of tender, love and care can go a long way!

Dog flu is highly contagious between other dogs. People are often worried about dog flu spreading to humans but there is no evidence of this whatsoever and there has been no claims of it either so that’s not something you have to worry about. Something you do have to worry about however is that if dog flu is left untreated then it may lead to Pneumonia. Dogs suffering from dog flu also have an 80% chance of infection which is why antibiotics are usually prescribed to help them fend it off, saving them a lot more pain and discomfort.

The incubation time for dog flu is around four weeks, after those few weeks are over and your dogs had a good treatment of antibiotics he should be feeling fit, happy and back to his normal self again.

Bert Gajda lives with one old stubborn border collie named Roxy and is an administrator of http://www.dogtwist.com