Kennel Cough

This season we have been seeing A LOT of kennel cough cases. A quick note for your reference here. This is an umbrella term for a complex disease process with several potential causative organisms.  It is HIGHLY contagious and spreading like a Monchique inferno at the moment!

Causes

• 3 types of viruses (adenovirus type 2, parainfluenza virus, canine canine coronavirus(!), 
• 1 type of bacteria (Bordetella)

Signs 

• Dry, goose-honking cough
• Paroxysmal cough. This means the cough is repeated over and over, several times 
• Gagging at the end of the cough – they appear as though they want to ´bring something up´
• Sensitive to tracheal pinch. If you put pressure over the trachea in the throat region you can easily elicit a coughing response (often parosymal)

Treatment

Speak with your vet about this. There are antibiotic considerations and several cough suppressants that can help.  One thing to say is that mostly it is a self-limiting infection and coughing should stop in 2-3 weeks (cases can become more complicated, of course).

VACCINATION !!!

An intranasal vaccination and an injectable vaccination are both available.

As a point of care at the Lagos Vet Clinic, we routinely (yearly) include parainfluenza virus in our core vaccinations.  As regards to specific Kennel Cough vaccination, we recommend the one that goes into the dog´s nose – it works faster- taking 4 days for efficacy and it lasts for one year. 

The type of antibody (IgA) attacks infectious organisms more effectively as well.

Contact us at the clinic if you have any questions about kennel cough in your dog or if you want to book your pooch in for a covering vaccination.