We asked you all how the recent flu outbreak affected your plans this summer. Not surprisingly the response was extensive. Here are some of your answers,
With a new litter of puppies at 4 weeks today, we've stayed close to home and have no plans to enter shows or attend training classes until after all the pups are in their new homes. Also, routinely spray shoes with bleach water.
Liz Wertz
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Stayed at home then vaccinated dogs
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We stayed home from the NC shows, lost several hundred dollars in entry fees and spent another several hundred vaccinating all of my dogs with both the H3N2 & H3N8 vaccines.
My obedience All American Dog, Millie RoseCDX was entered in the RedRiver Obedience Training Club trial June 11. The show was cancelled because of the flu scare. I was disappointed we couldn't show, but admired the decision. They said titles & ribbons were not as important as the health of our dogs. I was trying to decide weather to show or not as my dog had not been vaccinated. The vet said there was no guarantee that the vaccine would be relevant to that strand of flu.
I am also proud of the club for refunding all the entry free.
My dog remains unvaccinated, but I will probably get her vaccinated in the near future. We live in the country & do not attend many obedience classes or show & goes.
Thanks
Joy Parker
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I'm refraining from shows this summer.
Loralar Pugs
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Currently, I am simply staying home. I will vaccinate when I feel I have gathered enough information and feel it is appropriate. I have a Brachy breed and all vacc's are a worry. I will miss all the shows I planned to attend this summer, air conditioned, of course, but my dogs are more important to me than ribbons.
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I am not attending any shows at this time until it's under control.
Terry Wise Hammond
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Staying away from shows until his vaccine works.
I have vaccinated all my dogs and puppies for both strains of the influenza. I have decided not to enter any shows until it subsides. And I will keep my dogs at home.
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We are staying home until the booster vaccine has time to work, the Palm Beach shows in July should be fine. I took my vet's advice for my dogs:
Add Immune Booster to the daily Diet, I use Nature's Farmacy. Use on every dog in the house.
• Add Probiotics to the daily diet, again, I use Nature's Farmacy use on every dog in the house.
• Run an ionic essential oil diffuser in the kennel room with immune boosting oil. We run one in the kennel and one in the kitchen as we have kitchen puppies.
• Avoid dog parks, training classes, PetCo, etc, anywhere there are numbers of dogs you are unfamiliar with.
• Call the vet before going in to ensure no sick dogs are in the office (my vet does house calls, LOVE her)
• If you go to a show, stay out of the grooming area, if possible show and go.
• Disinfect your shoes and dolly wheels ( I use Listerine in a spray bottle)
• Disinfect your kennel with a commercial disinfectant such as Nolvasan. Mop every day. And no, the $10/gal OdoBan does not do the same job as Nolvasan.
• Bleach your kennel runs, do it after the sun goes down as sunlight breaks bleach down. You can do a 30:1 dilution , I am more like 8 oz to the gal in a garden sprayer.
• If you even suspect a dog is sick, call the vet.
• With your vaccination, add Bordatella.
Susan Shephard Deja vu Pekingese ROM
It has not changed my plans at all. However, all of the dogs that i'm taking to shows every weekend have been given the vaccine .
Robert Perry
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I did not want to panic over this. I read as much as I could find on the H3N2 and H3N8 in order to make an informed decision. I decided to vaccinate and skip a few shows. I ordered the vaccine that covers both.
Janet Coy
Secoya Whippets
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It hasn't really affected my plans. I'm just not doing any inside crating if I don't have to. If I do have to crate inside, I am using sheets to cover the crates.
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Had vet give 3 dogs first dose 5/30
Tues before 4 day weekend cluster
at Purina. Only one entered & majors.
Transported into building in crate
& kept at ring side short time before
ring time. Immediately removed in
crate after showed & returned home.
Vaccine order received Thurs 6/8 &
all other dogs received first dose.
Second dose to be given this week
as Booster. None of others have
been off premises. Even gave first
dose to 2 oldest (over 12 yr) toys
in poor health and neither had any
reaction to vaccine. Risk considered
reaction versus IF contracted disease
and decided due to health would
likely Not survive IF developed Flu
symptoms.
Only one showing in 2 weeks will
travel in large RV with friend & be
in her Ex pens or crate in bldg.
( will have 2nd dose before).
1-2 May show end of month at
small show at Purina but not yet
entered. Probably no shows till
Aug one show & none till Sept.
Thank you.
Sue Hewitt
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i did not pull any of my dogs nor did I get them vaccinated. Other than my regular routine of home and kennel sanitation for floors, crates and equipment with bleach and disinfectant, I did nothing extraordinary.
I believe that the media and AKC jumped the gun and oversated the severity of the problem. The early reports of the symptoms do not match the current reports. The charts showing incidences of flu combine avian, swine, equine canine and feline. In addition the charts are based on information that is at least two years old. The vaccines available are only effective for the flu strain for which they were created. As such the relevance of vaccination is questionable.
This canine flu effects dogs much the same way as human flu effects humans. Seniors, the ill, the very young and puppies are most vulnerable. This virus is airborne. In order to avoid bringing it into your house or kennel your would have to remove your clothing in your garage, toss the clothes into the washing machine then jump into the shower hoping that you do not shed the virus from your hair.
All of this was discussed with my veterinarian. I continued to show my dogs and continued with my sanitation routine. None of my dogs are sick wit the flu
Janet Hartmann
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I got my dog vaccinated for flu, and we don't plan to attend any shows/performance events until at least the fall. We hope to go to the Aussie nationals in October.
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