What Is Kennel Cough In Dogs?

Causes And Treatment Of Kennel Cough

This website is primarily about how humans can stop coughing. But kennel cough is one of the most frequently searched terms related to coughing on the Internet, so we'll give some attention here to the question of "What is kennel cough in dogs?"

Kennel cough is something of a generic term for a number of diseases or infections in dogs. It's called "kennel cough" because very often it's a canine form of bronchitis, and the dog is likely to catch it during a stay in a kennel where it's around a lot of other dogs. Germs from infected dogs float in the air and are "caught" by a new host. In other words, a dog is infected much in the same way a human "catches" a cold.

The kennel cough sound Kennel cough usually appears in the form of a course, dry hacking sound, 3-7 days after the dog is infected. The cough may occur irregularly and infrequently, or it may happen every few minutes all day long. It can be especially apparent after the dog has exercised.

Kennel cough doesn't affect temperature or appetite. General health, energy and alertness seem to be normal.

Causes of kennel cough Kennel cough is an infection that irritates and damages the lining of the dog's windpipe and upper bronchi (air passages leading from the trachea which allow air to move in and out of the lungs).

The infection is caused by several types of bacteria and viruses including parainfluenza, Bordetella bronchiseptica bacterium, and mycoplasma. Several others may be factors, including canine adenovirus, reovirus, and canine herpes virus.

Any one of these can trigger kennel cough symptoms, although many cases are the result of more than one.

Treatment of kennel cough Most cases of kennel cough are mild, so vets usually just let it run its course. Sometimes however, your vet will suggest prednisone, which helps reduce the severity and frequency of the cough. Bronchodilators and cough suppressants may be appropriate for treatment of kennel cough in certain cases.

Some cases are more severe, and antibiotics may be in order. This is usually true when the dog seems unusually listless, is not eating normally, and may have a low grade fever. The most common antibiotics are tetracycline or trimethoprim-sulfa. Bronchodilators and even aerosol therapy may be appropriate, as may veterinary care.

Kennel cough can sometimes trigger pneumonia, so it's extremely important to monitor your dog for kennel cough symptoms when you suspect he or she may have contracted it.

Prevention The best prevention, of course, is not to expose your dog to other dogs, especially puppies. Naturally, this is not always possible.

Vaccinations are currently available which help reduce the severity of the symptoms but may not keep your dog from contracting kennel cough in the first place. If your dog gets regular care by a veterinarian, he or she has already gotten a standard 5-way or 7-way vaccine which protects against several of the agents that cause kennel cough.

Can humans get kennel cough? The short answer is yes, but when humans have it, it's not called kennel cough. It's simply called an upper respiratory infection. You get such an infection when germs spread from your dog to you. Individuals with lowered immune systems are at higher risk.