Dogs Worldwide

Part of this blogs mission is to keep our readers informed about canine related issues, as a result we are providing the following information about “kennel cough” and on how you can help your dog or newly adopted dog to recover from this condition and lead a long and healthy life!

Kennel Cough is a type of upper respiratory infection in dogs. It is extremely contagious to other dogs and very common in kennels (especially in a shelter because resident animals may not have a good vaccine history).

Kennel cough takes 3-4 days to show signs after exposure and can last for about 2 weeks. Like a common cold it is usually self limiting but in some cases secondary bacterial infections can cause prolonged symptoms. In older (>8 years) and very young (<4 months) animals the disease may progress to pneumonia which is much more serious.

If your dog is coughing, sneezing, hacking and/or coughing up white foamy material up he or she may have kennel cough. If he/she is exhibiting these signs but is still bright, alert, active and has a good appetite you should take him to your veterinarian for antibiotics but it is not an emergency situation. If your pet has a greenish or yellowish nasal discharge, is lethargic (decreased energy), has decreased appetite or is having problems breathing you should get to your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Rarely, an immunocompromised person (with AIDS or undergoing cancer chemotherapy, for example), could be infected with Bordetella bronchiseptica, one of the bacteria involved in kennel cough. If someone in the family is severely immunocompromised, please discuss kennel cough with your physician.

Kennel cough is manageable in a home. The best thing to do for a dog with kennel cough is provide them with a warm, stress-free home. In this environment most dogs will recover within a few weeks.

There are vaccines that either prevent kennel cough or reduce the severity, but giving these vaccines to an animal who is already infected will not help the animal recover any quicker.

Sometimes cough suppressants and antibiotics are used in treating kennel cough, and may help the dog deal with the disease. These medications can be obtained through your regular veterinarian.

Severe, untreated cases of kennel cough can develop into pneumonia, so it is important to discuss kennel cough with your veterinarian.

To be safe we recommend that all newly adopted dogs be seen by a veterinarian within a few days of adoption, for a routine health check.

Tags: kennel cough

This entry was posted on Friday, February 13th, 2009 at 00:14 and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.