Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is influenza infection in dogs and cats worldwide
By Ramos-Martínez, Juan Carlos et al.·Published in Preventive veterinary medicine·2026·Unidad mé·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Global seroprevalence and prevalence of infection of influenza in dogs and cats: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A review of studies found that about 12% of dogs and nearly 2% of cats have been exposed to the influenza A virus. This means that while it's not extremely common, it can still affect pets, especially in certain regions like the Americas and Asia. The prevalence was higher in dogs during the spring and summer months. The researchers noted that there are many factors that could influence these numbers, and ongoing monitoring is important to understand how influenza affects our pets.
People also search for: dog influenza symptoms · cat flu treatment · how common is dog flu · signs of influenza in pets
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and seroprevalence of influenza A virus in dogs and cats though a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed following PRISMA guidelines. A total of 79 studies in dogs and 34 in cats were included, encompassing 35,895 dogs and 2882 cats. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted. The pooled prevalence was 12.04 % (95 % CI: 3.96 - 23.28) in dogs and 1.73 % (95 % CI: 0.00 - 7.10) in cats, while seroprevalence was 12.07 % (95 % CI: 4.4 - 22.49) in dogs and 7.39 % (95 % CI: 3.17 - 13.12) in cats. Significant geographic differences were observed, with higher prevalence in the Americas and Asia compared to Europe. Additionally, prevalence in dogs was higher during spring-summer than in autumn-winter. Meta-regression analysis did not reveal significant associations between prevalence and factors such as symptoms presence, ownership status, or geographic region. However, the high heterogeneity among studies suggests that unaccounted variables, such as detection methods, may contribute to results variability. These findings underscore the epidemiological relevance of canine and feline influenza and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance to monitor geographic and temporal trends.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41092507/