Important Tips About Kennel Cough

Dog kennel cough, also known by names such as canine cough, bordetellosis and infectious tracheobronchitis, is a condition in which a dog's windpipe and upper bronchi are irritated and damaged due to an infection caused by either bacteria or viruses.

Nature Of Dog Kennel Cough

A dry, hacking cough that lasts appears within a week of initial infection is the main symptom of kennel cough. This is caused by the bacteria or viruses that line the windpipe and bronchi in the dog. This exposes the nerve endings. These are irritated when the dog breathes, due to the air passing over them. This is what results in the persistent cough.

Severity And Duration Of The Disease

The majority of dog kennel cough cases tend to be mild and aren't detrimental to the dog's overall well being. Typically it does not present a fever or cause loss of appetite; however the cough presents itself throughout the day with the dog coughing every few minutes. Most cases will clear within one to three weeks without using medication, though antibiotics can often speed the healing process.

How is the Disease of Kennel Cough Transmitted

Dog (bichon frise) kennel cough can be transmitted like a cold in humans. This means that the germs causing kennel cough can be carried in the air, inhaled by another dog causing infection, especially if the recipient dog is susceptible to the microbes. If more than one dog shares a dog kennel the illness spreads among the dogs (this is where the name kennel cough comes from). But it can be acquired anytime and anywhere from an infected dog.

What is the Best Thing to Do About Kennel Cough

Although the majority of dogs recover from kennel cough without treatment, in most cases the irritating cough that one associates with this disease is cured with cough-suppressing drugs, prescribed by a vet. In a few cases, antibiotics may also be prescribed to help dogs recover from the infection.

A dog that is not frequently in contact with other dogs already has a low chance of catching kennel cough. It is important to have the dog examined by a vet because symptoms similar to kennel cough are also caused by other serious respiratory diseases. In case of vaccination, the dog should be given the vaccine at least a few weeks before taking it to a dog show or out in the company of other dogs. Vaccinating the dog against infectious organisms may prevent dog kennel cough.

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