Dear Dr. John,

There has been a fair amount of news lately regarding the Zika virus and its effects on women and babies. I have a King Charles spaniel that I am planning to breed and wonder how concerned I should be. I have done some basic internet research, and it seems that dogs cannot get Zika, but why not? Isn’t it possible for this virus to mutate and affect dogs?

Substantial research has been done on the Zika virus, and I do not believe that your dog has anything to worry about. Breeding her should not be an issue as far as the virus is concerned. While in women, there is a risk of giving birth to children with micro­cephaly, there are no cases in the literature where puppies are concerned. Dogs are not known to transmit or contract the virus despite the transmission by mosquitoes.

However, mosquitoes do carry other problems for dogs, the most obvious being heartworm disease, so be sure to have your dog tested and then have her on preventative medication. West Nile virus can also infect dogs but does not seem to cause signs of illness.

Most parasite-transmitted viruses and diseases are affected by climate and the environment. Here in the Northeast, we worry about Lyme, anaplasmosis, ehrlichia and heartworm, to name a few.

Earlier this month, an experimental DNA vaccine for Zika virus was approved for clinical trials for the first time in the United States. While any virus can mutate, Zika has not at this point in time, so I think you can safely proceed with your plans.