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Name: Doris
Status: Other
Grade: 9-12
Location: OK
Date: N/A
Question:
Can a dog contact the shingles or chicken pox virus from a human?


Replies:
Hi Doris,

Great question. There are a number of diseases that people and dogs can share, but chicken pox isn't one of them.

Dogs are not affected by the virus that causes shingles or chicken pox. They do have their own virus, that is a distantly related alpha herpes virus, that causes a mild respiratory disease in adult dogs, but can be severe for puppies. Humans are not affected by the dog virus.

Laura Hungerford, DVM, MPH, PhD
Click here to return to the Veterinary Topics Archive

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