Any time that you need to board your dog at a care facility either doggie daycare or when you are on vacation, the facility will usually require that the dog be vaccinated for kennel cough. So, what is kennel cough? Kennel cough or tracheobronchitis is a highly contagious canine illness characterized by inflammation of the upper respiratory system. It can be caused by viral infections such as canine distemper, canine adenovirus, canine influenza or bacterial infections such as bordetella bronchiseptica.

The symptoms of kennel cough in dogs include a dry, hacking cough that lasts approximately three to seven days after the dog is infected.  The cough may be triggered by exercise or activity.  Many dogs with kennel cough will cough every few minutes, all day long.  Dogs usually do not have a fever or lose their appetite with kennel cough.

Kennel cough is rarely life threatening and most dogs will recover even without medication. The damage to the tracheal lining is fairly superficial, but exposes nerve endings that become irritated simply by the passage of air over the damaged tracheal lining. However, remember that kennel cough is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS.

It is always a good idea to have your dog examined if you notice a frequent cough because some very serious respiratory diseases display similar sounding coughing. Your veterinarian will be able to establish if the dog's respiratory signs are from kennel cough or some other respiratory disease. Treatment is generally limited to symptomatic relief of the coughing with non-prescription or prescription cough suppressants.

If the dog is running a fever or there seems to be a persistent and severe cough, antibiotics are recommended to assist the dog’s recovery.  There are vaccines available that are quite effective in preventing kennel cough. So, if your dog is going to be exposed to other dogs either at a kennel, a dog show, or field trials, you will probably need to have them vaccinated.

Posted by Barbara.