What's Kennel Cough?

Our canine friends can cough for a number of reasons, but infectious agents often rank near the top of the list as a possible cause and currently at our hospital we have seen a number of cases this month in particular!  It is a common misconception that only dogs that have been boarding in a kennel can contract "kennel cough". Any dog that has nose-to-nose contact or is exposed to aerosolized viral or bacterial particles from an infected dog can contract kennel cough.  This means that other places besides boarding facilities such as doggy daycares, grooming facilities, obedience & agility classes, or even if you have a friendly dog who likes to say hello to another dog on a walk with a nose kiss can be potential sources of exposure!      

Many people associate "kennel cough" with one organism in particular, which is the Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria. Part of the reason for this association is that when visiting a veterinary clinic, you are often asked whether or not you want the "kennel cough vaccine" which in the majority of Saskatchewan clinics, is only for Bordetella or Bordetella + Parainfluenza depending on vaccine type. However, there are a number of infectious agents besides Bordetella that can be a primary or secondary cause for kennel cough such as canine adenovirus type 2, canine parainfluenza virus, canine herpes virus, canine respiratory corona virus, canine distemper virus and of course canine influenza virus which has emerged just this past year in an outbreak in the U.S.  Additional bacterial causes can also involve Mycoplasma sp., Streptococcus zooepidemicus, and Chlamydophila sp. just to name a few. In many cases of coughing dogs, there is often a mixed infection involving both viral and bacterial agents at the same time.   For this reason, many practitioners now view infectious causes of canine cough as a multi-factorial syndrome called Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease (CIRD) complex.

If your dog does happen to become infected, the majority of the time in young healthy animals, despite which type of agent or agents may be the cause for infection, the disease will eventually run its course over a 7-14 day period and the cough will resolve.   Depending on the case, your veterinarian may recommend exercise restriction, canned food and potentially the use of an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory or cough suppressant to help make your dog more comfortable during this time.    In some cases, particularly with mixed viral and bacterial infections, the disease can progress to something more severe such as pneumonia and potentially be fatal.  Older animals, immuno-compromised animals, or animals with underlying additional systemic diseases are more at risk for these complications.  

When you do notice your dog is coughing, it is always advisable to see your veterinarian who can help determine the best course of treatment; especially since a cough that might be presumed to only be kennel cough, could be caused by something else entirely non-infectious.  Avoid allowing your dog to be in contact with other animals while they are coughing if possible until the cause has been determined. Unfortunately many times before you even notice a cough or nasal discharge in your dog, they have already been "shedding" the infectious particles and infecting other dogs along the way.  This is why infectious causes of respiratory disease can spread so quickly!  In addition, vaccination against Bordetella and Parainfluenza (particularly with an oral or intra-nasal vaccine) as well as adenovirus type 2, are currently recommended to help protect your dog's respiratory tract against these diseases.  Our veterinarians are always available to discuss which vaccinations are most appropriate for your dog's level of exposure to help prevent disease.