Can Pets Catch Your Colds?

Can pets catch your colds? You catch a cold from a co-worker or your kid gets it from school and spread it to you, the next thing you know your whole family has had an annoying cold. Every family deals with this and colds can happen during any time of the year. When a cold is going around to the whole family, is it possible that your furry canine family member can catch a cold too?

The good news is that your dog can't catch a cold from you or anyone else in the family. The bad news is that dogs can in fact have a virus such as a cold. You won't be to blame for spreading the cold germs to the dog, but you will have to deal with the sick dog.

Dogs can get respiratory infections, viruses, and many other illnesses. Most of these aren't spread between animal and human, but they could be contagious if you have other dogs or pets. Colds that humans and animals get are different, but they seem almost the same. If your dog has a cold you will probably notice that the dog appears to feel under the weather and you will also probably notice sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, and even a runny nose.

So, you notice that your dog is sick, but what can you do? There isn't over the counter cold medicine for your dog at the local drug store. You should take your dog to the veterinarian whenever you notice any sign of illness. You are not an expert on pet heath and you could misdiagnose your dog. In some cases what appears to be a cold could be something worse. Veterinarian can run tests and determine what illness your dog has and give you proper treatment for it to keep your dog healthy. 

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.