Flu Fear Fans Vaccination Flames

Panic Time? Not if You’re Smart.

The canine influenza virus (CIV to the lab folks, or dog flu to most of us) has made another come back. Dog flu was all the rage in Chicago in 2015, and I posted about the likely “genus epidemicus” (remedies to cure and/or prevent this illness) back then, and I’m sure it still applies today.

What’s changed that it’s going around again?

Very little, from the sounds of it. It’s cropped up at some dog shows and a
recent post on the AVMA site reveals it’s moved back into several states this
time around.

In May 2017, canine H3N2 influenza was diagnosed in dogs in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana, and Illinois. This was the same strain of H3N2 involved in the 2015 outbreak in Chicago.1

I was a bit surprised to hear of the resurgence, as I expected there’d be a
wide spread immunity by now, two years after the initial run.

Also surprising to me is the apparent hysteria to get dogs vaccinated, likely
fueled by the media, who are milking the “contagion factor” all they can.

What’s in it for them? More eyeballs on their station/website, more ad sales.

Here’s a sample from a blog reader who commented on one of my earlier dog flu
posts:

This is definitely the HOT topic right now in my dog circle. We do agility and
it’s all the fear right now. Starting in Georgia and Florida and now in Texas

Many are ordering the vaccine. Many fears about these strains going around if caught can cause permanent lung damage and cost thousands of dollars to treat your dog. The stories are scary. I am having faith in Homeopathy.

Seriously?? “Permanent lung damage?” From the flu?

Sounds like unfounded hysteria to me, until I hear post mortem results that prove otherwise.

Reality Check

Let’s get the facts of this flu in hand, and have a plan in place that’s risk free, for both prevention and treatment, if your dog should get this flu.

Want to grab my free homeopathic dog flu prevention and treatment report?
Click this button and get it now:

There are two measures for every epidemic, whether human or animal. They are:

  • Morbidity
  • Mortality

Very different measures.

The first, morbidity, just means how many are sickened by a given infectious disease. It’s akin to contagion. How easy is this virus to catch? That’s morbidity.

The second, mortality, like it sounds, means how high is the death rate in the population that does catch the bug?

Just like the 2015 dog flu outbreak, this same virus is quite contagious, but not much of a threat to reasonably healthy dogs:

The H3N2 virus exhibits extremely high mobility and low mortality, and an
estimated 3 to 5 percent of dogs infected die.

Dr. Hawkes lost one of his black Russian terriers—though he’s quick to point
out that this particular dog had additional medical issues.

“It was pretty scary to see my 10 big dogs taken down in a matter of days,”
Hawkes said.2

“Additional medical issues?”

In other words, this was not a healthy dog.

Typical of most infectious diseases (and even parasites from fleas to heartworms), it preys mostly on those weakened, less healthy individuals in any given population.

Although most dogs recover without incident, deaths due to H3N2 have been reported.3

Oh, and no scientist anywhere is citing “permanent lung damage.”

Species Jumping

Oh, those pesky flu viruses, they seem to like to spread their influence beyond the borders of species lines.

The first we knew of dog flu was in 2004, when H3N8 apparently jumped from horses to greyhounds in Florida.

And our latest dog flu variant, H3N2, has infected some cats.

Following the initial diagnosis in Chicago, additional cases of canine H3N2
influenza were reported in a number of states. In early 2016, a group of
shelter cats in Indiana were diagnosed with H3N2 canine influenza. It is
believed the virus was transmitted to them from infected dogs.4

No humans have caught this flu in either variant to date.

How to Think Through the Vaccine Hype

With the help of main stream media and shock jocks on local TV news shows,
there’s been a rush to get dogs vaccinated against dog flu.

Let me help you see why that’s not in your best interests.

First, we look at efficacy, or how well it protects. Much like flu in humans, there’s more conjecture about efficacy than there is hard data to suggest we can rely on it protecting the vaccinated.

Vaccines are available for both H3N8 and H3N2 canine influenza. A bivalent
vaccine offering protection against both strains is also available. Currently,
there are no canine influenza vaccines approved for use in cats. Vaccination
can reduce the risk of a dog contracting canine influenza. Vaccination may not all together prevent an infection, but it may reduce the severity and duration of clinical illness.

The canine influenza vaccine is a “lifestyle” vaccine, and is not recommended
for every dog.5

“May not altogether prevent an infection?”

“…may reduce the severity and duration of clinical illness?”

Yes, and I may be a genius billionaire with yachts in five oceans and a fleet of private jets who could have retired 20 years ago.

Ahem.

Then, we always need to look at safety, as you well know if you’ve read anything on this site or many others concerned about vaccines and our current epidemic of vaccine injury in kids and animals.

Vaccines in general, and I’m sure this one is no exception, lack both efficacy and safety. Read that link on safety above for the inside scoop on the animal side of that.

And look around at the startling rise in autism and death from peanut allergy, both of which paralleled closely the rocketing rate of childhood vaccine “requirements.”

Add to that my recent post about the latest study the skeptics didn’t want you to see, comparing vaccinated vs non-vaccinated children, and you should have any concerns about vaccine safety verified in a hurry.

Conventional Treatment? You Can Do Better, Trust Me.

You know the old saw,

If your only tool is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail?”

Well, that hammer in Dr. WhiteCoat’s hands is antibiotics. Given freely, given way too often, and causing all sorts of gut and immune system damage.

And, last I checked, antibiotics still aren’t effective against viruses, right?

And CIV stands for what, again?

Canine influenza virus.

So, how’s that treatment working out, out there in nail land?

The majority of infected dogs exhibit the mild form of canine influenza. The
most common clinical sign is a cough that persists for 10 to 21 days despite treatment with antibiotics and cough suppressants. 6

“Persists…despite treatment?”

And side effects are ruined gut flora, where 80% of your dog’s immune system resides?

How loudly can you shout NO!?

A Free Report to Put Your Mind at Ease

I recognized that my earlier post on the 2015 dog flu prevention and treatment remedies was a bit difficult to sort out. I was pretty excited when I wrote it, as we’d had real, verifiable cures of dogs with dog flu from two homeopathic remedies.

To that end, I collated what you need to know to use homeopathy to do two worthy things in this particular epidemic:

  1. Effectively and cheaply and safely prevent dog flu.
  2. Treat it effectively, cheaply and safely, if your dog was unlucky enough to contract dog flu.

Click on this button and you’ll have my Dog Flu report in short order:

And tell us in the comments if you’re seeing dog flu (and dog flu fear) in your area, and how the symptoms you’re seeing compare to the list above.

Let’s keep track of this so we stay on top of the best remedy choices to prevent and/or treat it.

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17 Comments

  1. Jessy on December 8, 2020 at 11:52 pm

    Hello! I am new to homeopathic medicine but I’m in desperate mode as my little puppy, Beau, who is about 10 weeks, seems to have developed a flu or some sort of upper respiratory infection after visiting his vet. Now they want to do all this ruling out that may cost me a lot of money. I came about your post and I’d like to ask for your advice. Can I give my puppy the phosphorus 30c? And if so how much do you recommend? Any other advice is welcomed! Thank you so much

    • Will Falconer, DVM on December 9, 2020 at 5:31 am

      Ruling out? Sounds like a money grab to me. Odds are, it’s kennel cough if he got it after visiting their clinic, and that’s a self-limiting “cold” that no one dies of. It’s beyond the scope of comments or emails to help you, but I’d recommend hiring a true homeopathic vet to prescribe for your pup. I detail how to do that search on this page: Rec’d Resources, at the AVH site. I’ve even got a video there for you.

      • Jessy on December 10, 2020 at 9:44 pm

        Thank you much Will for your advice!

  2. Otley on June 21, 2017 at 10:32 am

    When we stop the importation of dogs from other countries we can relax. Until then these dogs keep bringing in dangerous diseases our dogs have no immunity to or we haven’t seen in years. We are seen the reemergence of this Korean Dog Flu is because they keep importing SICK dogs.

  3. Sue Glovan on June 19, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    I show my dogs in comformation and we were entered in shows in NC in May. May dog did develope a cough about 10 days post show. He is raw feed, only puppy vaccines and treated after vaccines with homeopathic formulas. We supported my dog with homeopathic formulas, Manuka honey, Vitamin C and slippery elm. I did not isolate him from my bitch and she has not shown any symptoms. My dog coughed occasionally for 72 hours. There was no change in his appetite, energy or attitude. No flu vaccines for my pack this year or ever!

    • Will Falconer, DVM on June 19, 2017 at 6:21 pm

      This is awesome, Sue, great work! It shows to a T what I teach and believe in most deeply: disease only affects the unhealthy. And, raising animals outside of the “accepted norm” of conventional prevention is the way to do that. Your dog getting such a mild version of the contagious cough (likely flu, given where you live and the history of a show visit) just points out that so much depends on how you’ve chosen to raise him.
      And, your bitch isn’t coughing (though possibly may, later) shows me that the virus just gave up, and your dog’s immune system kicked in appropriately to deal with it as Nature intended.
      Bravo! Thanks for sharing this with us.

  4. Lisa on June 19, 2017 at 9:37 am

    I don’t know if what my dogs had was the flu but there was a lot of coughing with mucous and it was highly contageous. Normally I just let things take its course but this time I got worried because it was so contageous and was spreading like wild fire and I have a lot of dogs because I do rescue work. So I made a nosode from one of the sick dogs and gave it to everyone. Worked wonders, those that were sick were over it in two days, even a 4 month old pup. Those that weren’t sick never got it even the old dogs that are in their teens. Gotta love it

    • Will Falconer, DVM on June 19, 2017 at 9:59 am

      Nice work, Lisa! Great idea and sounds like it worked gangbusters. How high of a dilution did you make it?

      • Lisa on June 19, 2017 at 10:10 am

        10C

  5. Tammy on June 19, 2017 at 4:37 am

    I was at a dog agility trial in New England this weekend and a few folks had already vaccinated their dogs, saying CIV has now been found in several southern New England states.
    I have no plans to vaccinate my healthy young dog, but I admit to some worries about my middle-aged dog who is fighting cancer and has no spleen anymore. I’m not at all sure what to do for her if I want to continue to bring her into the presence of other dogs, like at agility practice.

    • Will Falconer, DVM on June 19, 2017 at 7:40 am

      Hi Tammy,
      Protecting homeopathically makes extra sense for someone who’s ill. If agility continues to bring her joy, by all means, use the protocol of prevention I outlined in the report.
      Vaccines, just as a reminder, are 100% contraindicated in sick individuals.

      • Tammy on June 19, 2017 at 5:06 pm

        Thanks, Will, that was most helpful. I will follow the prevention protocol you write about. Our “traditional” vet is extremely conservative around vaccines for our hemangiosarcoma girl (she’s survived 28 months now with an alternative therapy Penn has been studying, also recommended by our vet), so we aren’t getting pressure from him. She does still get joy running a course or two, so I just want to be wise about supporting her health as best we can.

  6. Rachelle Bennett on June 18, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    Thank you for taking the time to re-address this and providing the new report! The hysteria has been growing this week! This is so timely and I hope to share with others. So many are not open to homeopathy though. 🙁
    Questions – if only taking one dog that may potentially have exposure, would you do the preventative on the older dog staying at home as well?
    How long does it usually take for all this (hysteria) to die down and this Canine flu run its course? The same group of folks we trial with are very worried about our nationals that will be at the end of October – 1st week of November.
    Continuing to stand strong.
    Thanks

    • Will Falconer, DVM on June 19, 2017 at 7:38 am

      Hey Rachelle,
      I’d give both of your dogs the preventative remedy if only one will be potentially exposed, but come back home to the older guy.
      The Chicago round lasted from about March till mid-summer of 2015, if my memory serves me. The hysteria? Ha! Anybody’s guess.
      You should be fine as long as you bring your remedies and avoid the fear mongers.

      • Rachelle Bennett on June 19, 2017 at 10:25 am

        LOL yes, they hysteria does linger.
        Thanks again!!
        I will definitely pack the remedies and give the one staying at home the same.

      • Debra Temple on October 29, 2019 at 7:21 pm

        October 29, 2019

        I have question about dosage of Phosphous 30C . . . in one article
        it states: “3 doses total at roughly 12 hour intervals, then stop”.
        at this link: https://vitalanimal.com/dog-flu-remedy-epidemic/
        Another states: “1cc of this remedy into his mouth three times within 12 hours”
        at this link: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/natural-treatment-for-dog-flu/

        So, which is it: “within 12 hours time-frame” or “at 12 hours intervals”

        Thank you hopefully you can get back to me asap – my puppy girl (10 yr old) has been sick for two weeks, just now saw your articles, so ordering the Phos and the Nux won’t get here for 2 days – I’ve been dosing her with Colloidal Silver and Manuka, vet gave me antibiotics that have been no help. (ZOE, my pup calms down a bit if I let her lick on a Ricola losenge.) She is starting to become lethargic . . .HELP!

        PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP! Thank you! beetemple@protonmail.com

        • Will Falconer, DVM on October 31, 2019 at 9:58 pm

          Always go with my original work. Will it make a big difference, though, how you give it? No.

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