What Is Dog Kennel Cough

Kennel Cough is one of the leading causes of death in dogs. Kennel cough goes by the scientific name tracheobronchitis. It’s a very contagious upper respiratory illness that can quickly move through a kennel. It’s a deadly illness that can be difficult to treat, if not dealt with early. Kennel Cough is spread from dog to dog by coughing and sneezing. In a closed and close environment like a kennel, this disease can spread very rapidly.

Kennel cough comes in both bacterial and viral versions, depending on the underlying infection. Kennel cough is high contagious. In fact, even several weeks after symptoms have subsided, a dog may still be contagious. Kennel cough symptoms usually begin within a few days to less than a week after exposure to the contagion.

Viral Kennel Cough can be prevented by ensuring that your dog’s immunizations are up to date. The viral version can be deadly in extreme cases and is one of the biggest reason why it’s so important for your dog to keep his immunizations up to date. The alternative is not acceptable to any dog lover. Bacterial Kennel Cough can be treated with antibiotics. As long as antibiotics are started early then the prognosis is good. To help calm a cough that can be irritating for your dog, your vet may prescribe a cough suppressant to keep the cough from getting out of hand.

Prevention is still the best cure for kennel cough. Keep clean areas where your dog frequent in your house and boarding kennels, in particular, need to be hygienic too. If your dog requires interaction with other dogs in places such as parks, kennels or training schools, this is a call for you to vaccinate your dog against kennel cough.

The veterinarian will typically prescribe cough-suppressing drugs to reduce the annoying cough. They will occasionally prescribe antibiotics to help manage the recovery from the infection, though most dogs will recover from the cough without medication.