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Dog flu virus is a mutation of horse flu virus that has been around for a few years affecting racing greyhounds on racetracks. In September 2005 the first cases of dog flu in pet dogs were confirmed. Confirmed cases in pet dogs have occurred in multiple states including Pennsylvania.
All dogs can get dog flu as there are no vaccines available for this disease. Fortunately the majority of dogs that are infected by this virus only get a mild kennel cough like disease with coughing, nasal discharge and a mild fever. A small percentage of dogs can develop pneumonia and they can die from this if not treated promptly.
Unfortunately there is no way to immediately diagnose if your pet has dog flu or another disease. The only way to confirm dog flu in a pet is to take two blood samples, two weeks apart and send these out to a research laboratory.
Dog flu is spread in the same way as kennel cough so the more exposure your pet has to other dogs, the bigger the chance that they can become infected.
The best thing you can do as a pet owner is to keep you pet away from unknown dogs especially if they are coughing. Also be sure to take your dog to veterinarian for an exam if you do notice coughing.