How come dogs don't get sick like humans? No colds?

Answer 1

dogs do in fact get sick, and more often than you think. however their immune systems are different than ours so they don't get the same colds, viruses, etc that we do. more often they get stomach viruses than respiratory infections, depending on how much exposure they have to other dogs. their mouths stay cleaner than ours naturally in order to keep bacteria out, seeing as to how they injest a lot of it by eating of the floor and such. it's all a part of their specialized immune systems

Answer 2

Animals get sick, and probably more often than you realize. Though their illnesses are not always the same as human beings, they do get colds and stuff like that. However, animals cannot catch a cold from a human being. Viruses that make humans sick can't just cross over easily to a completely different species. Think of the Avian Flu Virus. It could take ten years before the virus has mutated enough for human beings to easily transmit it from one to another. Also, I discovered recently that dogs can have Lupus.

Answer 3

Dogs do get "colds" like we do. But think about it. We are exposed to other "animals" (people) all day long. We work and go to school in buildings full of people crammed in small spaces. Dogs are generally by themselves or with the same animal all the time. They only occasionally come into contact with other dogs and aren't usually confined with them for long periods of time unless they go to the kennel, groomer, or vet, which is where most dogs pick up things like Kennel Cough. This is where they are exposed to different "germs" for longer periods of time and are more likely to pick stuff up. Just like kids that stay at home when they are little. They don't get sick as often as kids that go to daycare. Now, this isn't the place to debate the pros and cons of daycare, but that's basically how I see it. Kennel Cough is similar to a cold in people. It can be caused by a bacteria or a virus and is highly contagious from dog to dog. We (hopefully!) vaccinate for it to reduce the dogs' chances of getting it and also reduce the severity if they do get it.

Answer 4

The viruses that dogs and other animals get are often genetically different from those that we get... often it is found that they may seem to get the same things as we do but in fact it is also totally different.
Asked a vet... they said dogs cannot catch human illnesses.
Hope this helps. ^_^

Answer 5

I think my dog has a cold. I have a cold right now and earlier, I noticed snot was running out of her nose, so I wiped it. Two seconds later, it was running snot again (plus, she spent four hours straight this morning just laying on the couch with me, looking all sad). I don't think they dwell on how bad they feel though. They don't whine and complain like humans because they dont expect to get baby'ed like we do.

Answer 6

Actually they do get sick. Their nose runs and they don't move around so much. If you ever feel a dogs nose and it's warm then it's probably sick b'cause dog's noses are cold when they are healthy.

Answer 7

Dogs DO get colds. Where have you been?? I've seen lots of dogs AND cats with colds.

Answer 8

Generally, dogs do have better ammune systems, but dogs DO get colds, often known as kennel cough. They can't catch most human diseases, but they're not human beings.

Answer 9

Oh yes dogs do get sick like humans, they get colds contract cancer and even have heart problems, it just depends on the breed, age and innoculations you provide for your pets.

Answer 10

Some of them do get sick. It depends on the dog. I know that many dogs and cats have allergies, that is quite common. My cat Goldie is allergic to certain plants, food, and dust.