Check out this story about dogs and the flu:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/pets/2012/10/31/does-your-dog-need-flu-shot/wRF2bStxdyXDDGHPQnO8vJ/story.html

Has your dog ever had canine influenza? Will you get your dog a flu shot this year?

http://www.boston.com/community/forums/community/pets/ask-an-angell-vet/dog-flu-shots-are-they-necessary/40/6246987 

We discussed this a while back.

Re: Dog Flu Shots are they necessary?

posted at 12/08/2011 04:09:23 EST

Hi Dog-Lady,

At this time we do not recommend the flu vaccine. There have only been a small number of cases in our area. The vaccine does not prevent disease only lessen its intensity. More importantly it does not prevent shedding of the organism so pets remain contagious.

Best to you,

Joel Kaye, DVM, Angell Animal Medical Center

Thanks Robin! I hope you are well.

I'm fine.  Thank you.

BTW:  Where are the Angell Vets, are they still with us?

I personally would never give Bella the flu shot. I also personally dont get it myself. I have seen too many adverse reactions, and I would hate to put Bella through anything like that even if the possability is a small one

I get the flu vaccine because I get the flu every year, without fail, sometimes twice. I find when I get the vaccine it only lasts a day or two is much less severe, as without it I'm usually down for a whole week.

I wouldn't give it to my dog because he's never had the flu and is very healthy. If he were sickly or prone to infections, or had adverse reactions to antibiotics, I might think differently.

I don't ever get the flu, and Gracie has never had so much as a sniffle, so neither of us get the vaccine.  (The one time I got the flu shot I got very sick and was out of work a week.  Talk about a backfire.)

Robin, Angell Vets took a break. I am hoping to have them back.

@BDCKristi,  Thanks... maybe someone will think of an interesting question that will tempt them  ;)

We got Cody the canine influenza vaccination this fall for the first time, had no reaction issues.  We board him on occassion and while the kennel has never had any cases, it is more prevalent in our area and our vet recommended it.  If I didn't board him, I probably would skip it. We also got him a Lyme vaccination last January when we first adopted him as it's so wooded where we live and ticks are everywhere.   For me, I started getting the flu vaccination about 4 years ago.  Had a mild reaction (chills/fever later in the day for a few hours) the second year I got it, but that was the only time. 

What the heck happened to my user name? I just posted and I'm showing up at user_1394501. I'm logged in, I see my normal user name on my screen but my post gets a random ID like i'm a new user.   Is this happening to anyone else?

-flychick