Kennel Cough (Infectious Tracheobronchitis) is a very common, typically honking or gagging sounding cough, which sounds as if your dog has something stuck in its throat. It usually comes on very suddenly, often in the evening, or at night, keeping you and your dog awake.
Making friends is easy. Unfortunately, so is catching Kennel Cough…
Caused by a combined viral and bacterial infection, Kennel Cough is very infectious and is easily spread between dogs. It is more often picked up from anywhere that dogs come together – such as parks and popular walking spots – so your dog can get it even if they’ve never been in kennels.
The condition irritates the main airways in the neck and lungs and can be particularly serious in very young or very old dogs, or those with pre-existing lung or heart problems, where it can cause permanent damage.
In most dogs, the worst of the cough will be over within a week, although they may then still have an occasional cough for a couple of weeks after that.
As the cough is so infectious, and may be made worse by exercise, a dog with kennel cough should not be exercised or worked hard, or attend training classes or competitive events. If you have a dog walker, they may be not be able to look after your dog while it is coughing or for some time afterwards. Finally, if you have several dogs, they may come down with it turn, prolonging the inconvenience.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent these problems, for up to 12 months. The Kennel Cough vaccination is given as a small dose of liquid down each nostril, to stimulate immunity directly where it’s most needed. Most dogs don’t mind this way of getting vaccinated, although it does tickle a little and make them sneeze.
Premium Pet Care Plan
As most of us socialise with our dogs, particularly in parks, or just when passing others in the street, we believe that vaccinating against Kennel Cough is equally as important as all other preventative treatments – which is why we now include the Kennel Cough vaccine in our Premium Pet Care Plan as standard!
