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VERIFY: Can you exchange the flu virus with your dog?

The sniffles, fever...it can happen to dogs, too. But can humans and dogs pass the flu virus to one another?

CAPE ELIZABETH (NEWS CENTER Maine) — More than 20 people have died of flu-related causes in Maine since the start of the flu season in October.

RELATED► Maine has had 28 flu-related deaths

With so many flu cases, there's some concern about whether or not your pets can also be affected.

NEWS CENTER Maine set out to Verify:

Can I exchange the flu virus with my dog?

It may sound like a crazy question, but it's been on a lot of people's minds. “I think there's a lot of publicity about people flu, and everyone feels so miserable when they have it, that understandably, they want to make sure they're safe from their pets,” explained Dr. Ginger Brown Johnson, the owner of the Veterinary and Rehabilitation Center of Cape Elizabeth. She says she’s gotten a lot of questions about the flu issue in recent weeks.

So can you get the flu from your dog?

The answer: Not really.

“It's really important to know there have been no people cases of dog flu, none at all,” Dr. Johnson explained.

She says there has never been a case of a dog passing the flu to a human or vice versa, but that doesn't mean it never could happen. “Flu viruses are always changing, so it is worth monitoring,” she explained. “But at this point there have been no cases of people getting canine flu.”

Influenza affects all species in a similar way, with symptoms like coughing, sneezing, discharge from the eyes or nose, and a fever.

However, it is not spread the same way within species. Human flu is seasonal and can affect the entire country. Dog flu is not seasonal, and is limited to localized outbreaks. There have been two notable dog flu outbreaks - in Florida in 2004 and Chicago in 2015. Dr. Johnson says these locations are likely because of concentrated areas like “the dog show circuit, the greyhound racing circuit” or places like day cares or kennels.

She says people in other areas of the country don't have to worry about a canine flu outbreak - but if your dog does get sick, to play it safe. “If [humans] are sick, we're not going to go to school or work,” she said. “If [our dogs are] sick, we don't want them to be going to daycare or our to the dog park.”

In Maine, Dr. Johnson says don't have to worry about our dogs getting the flu, or us getting it from them.

Dr. Johnson says if you want to be extra careful, just wash your hands and keep your house sanitized.

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