Canine Cough

One of the most common ailments to strike our canine counterparts is often referred to as kennel cough, or canine cough (also tracheitis or infectious tracheobronchitis) It is most often characterized by a deep throated cough, which many dog owners describe as sounding as though the dog has something stuck in its throat. And the hack can include the expulsion of a foamy mucous. It can be bacterial or viral and is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS amongst dogs. So a social dog is almost certain to come into contact with kennel cough at some point.

Just like kids going to school, germs go right along with them. It’s basically inevitable. The price of socialization- which trainers and veterinarians will tell you is invaluable to the long term well-being of your dog-is likely exposure to disease. This includes a visit to your veterinarian, a walk through the animal supply store, a spa day at the groomer, a day of daycare, etc.

So for our social dogs there is the Bordetella vaccine. But like our flu vaccine, no vaccination can cover every strain. The term Bordetella is derived from the name of a bacterium, Bordetella bronchiseptica, a chief causative agent in MOST cases of canine cough. But there are many strains that cause coughing in dogs.

How it spreads is the infected dog sheds infectious bacteria and/or viruses in respiratory secretions. These secretions are then transmitted through the air via a cough or sneeze, or are transmitted directly to another dog through nose-to-nose or mouth to mouth contact. The tricky part is that a dog can have canine cough, but not yet be coughing or can even remain asymptomatic all together. That means a dog can come to dog daycare, play and act completely normal, but another dog may catch a bug from that dog and develop full symptoms.

So yes, your dog can be fully vaccinated and healthy, but still contract canine cough. Even if the vaccine doesn’t totally protect your dog, it can help boost your dog’s immunity and hopefully lessen symptoms and duration of the infection if your dog does become ill.

So what do you do if your dog develops a cough? First, isolate the affected dog from other dogs. That means no walks, no trips to the groomer, no training class, no daycare or dog park. A mild case of canine cough will often go away on its own within seven to 10 days.

If your pet’s coughing is excessive, accompanied by a fever, loss of appetite or nasal discharge, you should call your veterinarian to have your dog assessed. Antibiotics are not always necessary in the treatment of kennel cough, just as they are not generally used in treating a cold in humans.

The good news is that in healthy dogs with uncompromised immune systems, it appears that regular socialization helps to build natural immunity to many of the common strains of kennel cough. Yes, interaction with other dogs is still a good thing.