Kennel Cough Vaccine

Choosing to give your dog a kennel cough vaccine is the best step to keeping your pet healthy and avoiding the trip to vet. Determine when to give the vaccine and what symptoms to look out for.

You have heard of kennel cough and know that if you ever want your dog groomed or be able to board him you need to make sure that he has all of his shots.

The kennel cough vaccine is one of the annual shots your dog should have if you want him to have the best chance at a healthy year.

The kennel cough vaccine can be given either through injection or intranasally.

If your dog has received the 5 way or 7 way vaccine then he should be protected against several of the pathogens that can cause tracheobronchitis like parainfluenza and adenoviruses.

These vaccines can not completely prevent your dog from contracting kennel cough but if your dog gets the disease the symptoms will be milder than they would be if he did not have the vaccine.

In this case you would probably not need any additional treatment and your dog would be better in less than two weeks with no treatment at all.

The best protection is achieved with a kennel cough vaccine of Bordetella and parainfluenza introduced intranasally.

This creates a localized immunity and can be used with puppies as young as three weeks. Only one dose is needed and immunity is achieved within three to four days.

Boarding kennels that are mostly indoors with limited outdoor facilities need to have a twelve times per hour air turnover rate to make sure that any pathogens are flushed from the area and the kennel area itself needs to be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis.

This disinfection should extend to the food and water containers not just the living area for the dogs.

Kennel cough is more properly referred to by veterinarians as infectious tracheobronchitis and as such needs to be treated carefully due to it being easily spread and the lengthy time that a dog who has contracted is still able to infect other dogs.

Even getting the vaccination can spread the disease to susceptible dogs.

It is recommended your dog get vaccinated at least seven days before boarding or entering a dog show so as to have reached immunity and reduce the risk of shedding the vaccine and infecting other dogs.

Some symptoms of kennel cough are coughing (sounding like something is stuck in their throat), retching, nasal discharge, weeping eyes (ocular discharge) and respiratory distress.

Most often kennel cough will run its course in ten to fourteen days.

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DISCLAIMER

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.