(WFLA) – Humans aren’t the only ones dealing with the flu. There’s a serious bout of dog flu being reported in at least five states, according to several Veterinary Medical Associations.

Thankfully, Florida is not one of those five states. But as fast as this virus is spreading, there is something pet owners can do right now to prevent the problem here.

This contagious K-9 virus can leave dogs with a fever, decreased appetite and lethargic. Those are symptoms Barb Thomas hasn’t seen in any of her four, furry collies.

“We don’t have that issue at our house. So, no,” she said.

But Veterinarian Dr. Eric Bucki says now is the time to get ahead of the virus spread.

“What we do is advocate ‘heard immunity,’ where let’s just try to vaccinate as many individuals as possible, even if they’re healthy and don’t have the symptoms or signs,” he explained.

This vaccination is especially important for dogs that will be intermingling with other canines like at a dog park, a yappy hour or a kennel.

“It’s probably best to have them vaccinated because that will improve the herd immunity,” Dr. Bucki said.

This way, any dogs who don’t get immunized have less of a chance of getting the bug.

But he also reminds us there are other illnesses going around.

“Then there are a host of different bacterial infections, you’ve got mycoplasma, you have streptococcus, you have bordetella,” he said.

“So there’s all these things that could be causing an outbreak in respiratory illnesses.”

That’s why he highly recommends getting your pet tested by a clinic.

Despite the warning, some pet owners still say “no thanks.”

“I don’t do the flu shot. I would not subject my dogs to the flu shot,” Thomas said.

If your dog does pick up the flu virus, be sure to keep them away from other canines for at least 21 days.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON: 

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