Kennel Cough is Like the Common Cold

Kennel cough, also known as infectious tracheobronchitis, is like the common cold in that it is generally a mild respiratory disease that most dogs will come in contact with sometime within their life. Just as every person can look forward to mild battles with the common cold. Coughing is the most common clinical sign of Kennel Cough and the primary reason for its name. Kennel cough is also like the common cold in that it is a syndrome of a variety of viruses and bacteria working together to compromise your dog and make it sick. Bordetella bronchiseptica is the most common bacteria that makes up the kennel cough syndrome and a large variety of viruses help get this bacteria into the trachea and lungs where it thrives. The most common viruses are parainfluenza, adenovirus type 2, herpes, canine distemper, and reovirus. And finally Kennel cough is like the common cold in that with most cases it is a mild disease that is self limiting but in rare occasions it can advance to a serious pneumonia. Pneumonia is more likely to occur in dogs that are young, immunosupressed, or with infections involving the distemper virus. Kennel cough and the canine flu are transmitted in the same way and often have the same signs initially. Canine Flu is much more likely to lead to serious pneumonia.



Dog Vaccinations 2 – Lifestyle Vaccines – Flu and Kennel Cough

Transmission

Kennel cough is passed between dogs as respiratory secretions and in times of stress the dogs immune system weakens slightly which suppresses their ability to fight off the germs in other dogs respiratory tracts. Coughing is an obvious way of transmitting this disease but simply breathing or rubbing a dripping nose will also spread the disease. Times of stress and times of being in contact with other dogs often occur hand in hand. Boarding, playing at dog parks, getting groomed, dog shows & trials are all conditions where you can expect your dog to come in contact with both bacteria and viruses that cause kennel cough. This is primarily a disease of dogs but cats can also get the bordetella bacteria into their systems and the signs and treatment are the same.

Treatment

With most cases of kennel cough the Bordetella bacteria is involved and while the dogs can usually fight the infection off without any help we find that by adding antibiotics to their treatment we weaken the bacteria, make the disease run its course quicker and decrease the chance that it will be spread to other dogs.
We can also give some cough suppressants to help the dog be more comfortable. The deciding factor for me if the pet needs cough suppressants is if the cough is productive or not. A productive cough helps the dog remove excess mucus from its lungs and actually makes them more comfortable. A non-productive cough irritates the trachea leaving compromised tissues that provide a prime living environment for bacteria and viruses. I will certainly give suppressants to a non-productive coughing dog to help them be more productive.

Prevention

Of course the best way to prevent kennel cough in your dog is to keep your dog away from other dogs. For many that is about as feasible as keeping your child out of school to prevent them from getting the common cold. For those that have dogs that circulate among other dogs the best option is vaccination. Vaccination has 2 different options for preventing this disease.

Injectable

Like most vaccines you are used to getting for your dog, there is a vaccination that is given as an injection which protects against kennel cough. This form of vaccination tends to wane off fairly quickly and it is commonly recommended that you get the vaccine boosted every 6 months.

Intra-Nasal

The same diseases can be protected against with a vaccine that is dripped into the nose. It only takes a drop or two getting to the inside of the nose to protect your dog with this vaccine. The cons of this type of vaccine compared to the injectable form are that your dog is more likely to have a reaction to the vaccine which usually consists of a mild sneeze or cough for up to a week after the vaccine is given. Also the intranasal Bordetella vaccine can produce an abscess if it is misgiven as an injection. The pros for intranasal vaccination are that it protects at the respiratory tract rather than waiting for the disease agents to get to the blood stream and it is protective for about twice as long which allows us to re-vaccinate every 12 months instead of every 6. So in other words intra-nasal vaccination against kennel cough is more protective for longer periods of time.