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Your pet has been in the best of health and has always received
his “annual shots”. One day he escapes and ends
up in the pound. You go and retrieve him, but after getting
home you notice that he is beginning to cough continuously.
Your dog has contracted “Kennel Cough” or Infectious
Tracheobronchitis.
Kennel Cough is
a disease complex, caused by several factors including bordetella
organisms, stress, crowding and other environmental
factors. When pets contract Kennel Cough, they are generally
active, alert, but have an annoying, repetitive cough.
Can Kennel
Cough be prevented?
Yes, maybe. While
we do encourage owners to vaccinate their dogs for Kennel
Cough, the vaccine is not perfect and some pets will contract
the disease if they undergo a severe exposure several months
after being vaccinated. If your pet is vaccinated and subsequently
contracts the disease, they will probably have a more mild
infection. Most boarding facilities require that dogs be current
on their Kennel Cough vaccine prior to admitting them to be
boarded. We support this policy, since your pet will have
more protection while being boarded.
How is
Kennel Cough treated?
It takes several
days up to 2 weeks to recover from Kennel Cough. We usually
prescribe a combination of antibiotics and cough suppressants
to assist our patients in recovery and reduce the risk of
secondary infections (i.e. pneumonia).
Can my
other dogs get Kennel Cough from each other?
Yes. It is highly
infectious. We recommend that all other pets receive a booster
for Bordetella if one pet in the family becomes infected.
©2004 Oasis
Animal Clinic. All Rights Reserved.
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