Downlands Boarding Kennels and Cattery

Westfield Road, Cholsey, Wallingford, OX10 9JW

Tel : 01491 651053 Email : Downlands-Kennels@Supanet.com

Canine Contagious Bronchitis or Kennel Cough (as it is more commonly known) is a highly infectious disease of the respiratory tract. This disease is more common in kennels and places where there are a lot of dogs like training classes, parks or even vet’s surgeries.

Symptoms

Typically the dog will develop a harsh dry cough and may retch at the end of a coughing episode. Often owners will contact their vet worried that dog has something is stuck in its throat.

These signs can be caused by a number of infectious organisms but canine parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bronchiseptica (a bacterium) are often responsible for the most severe forms of the disease.

In most dogs, coughing will usually last for 10 to 14 days before the signs resolve. In the very young, the elderly or dogs with compromised immune systems more serious complications can develop such as pneumonia.

Dogs do usually remain bright in themselves and retain their appetite

Where Does It Come From?

Kennel cough is endemic in any large dog population. It is highly contagious and is easily spread between dogs via sneezed or coughed airborne droplets. Wherever and whenever numbers of dogs are gathered together for a period this problem can rapidly spread through that population, a kennelled group of dogs is an obvious example. However even transient contact between your dog and an infected animal at a dog show or even in the local park can result in an infection.

The infection is transmitted by direct contact with infected dogs and by airborne transmission. The incubation period is 3-10 days (average 6 days) so a dog may not show signs for several days after it has left the kennels. Also, an animal that has picked up the disease in it's home environment may not show any signs until several days after it has entered a kennel environment. If a dog starts coughing once it is in a kennels it should be isolated away from other dogs to prevent transmission. Infected dogs act as carriers and may shed the Bordetella organism for 3-4 months after apparent recovery from the disease. The vets recommend isolation for three weeks.

Treatment

For most healthy dogs kennel cough is a self limiting problem which resolves after a period of time. Medication will often do little to get rid of the primary signs but palliative treatment can alleviate the distressing harsh cough.

Where complications develop a more aggressive veterinary treatment of the secondary signs will be required.

Prevention

Due to the numerous types of organisms that can give rise to the signs of kennel cough it is impossible to provide protection that will guarantee completely against the occurrence of this problem. However the vaccination should alleviate the symptoms and shorten the course of the disease.

Dogs will already receive protection against the canine parainfluenza virus when their veterinary surgeon gives them a vaccination at their annual health check.

Further protection against Bordetella bronchiseptica is possible using an intranasal vaccine.