The correct name for kennel cough in dogs is tracheobronchitis. It is mostly commonly caused by contact with another infected dog or dogs. Kennel cough usually rights itself through the dog’s own immune system but it is uncomfortable and sometimes painful.

Prevention is better than cure as always but in a weak, unhealthy or older dog it can lead to pneumonia. Fortunately the symptoms of kennel cough are easy to read while treatment is simple and readily available.

Prevention

Limiting exposure to other dogs is the simplest precaution but of course that may not always be possible. If your dog mixes with others frequently, goes showing, to sporting events or into a boarding kennel for example, you are advised to have your dog vaccinated.

Your dog will ordinarily be vaccinated with a standard 5-way or 7-way kennel cough vaccine. These will protect against the common viruses, namely parainfulenza and adenovirus as well as a bacterium known as bordetella bronchiseptica, an added complication to kennel cough in dogs.

Symptoms

A dry cough, sneezing, snorting, snoring and occasionally some nasal discharge, are all symptoms of kennel cough. This is caused by inflammation of the respiratory tract. There is no need to panic just soothe it.

Rarely is it necessary to take blood samples for effective treatment even though isolating the bacteria from the virus is useful information. The symptoms combined with the knowledge of recent contact with other dogs and your dog’s history is enough to obtain a conclusive diagnosis.

The dry “hacking cough” or “honking sound” is the most obvious symptom of kennel cough. It is one of those coughs where you think there must be something stuck in the poor animal’s throat. In fact I have known quite a few clients who have gone looking for that elusive object.

If you are undecided as to whether this is canine kennel cough or not, push on the throat gently with broad pressure, just where the collar sits and if it is kennel cough it will induce coughing.

In bad cases the coughing fits can be body wrenching and may continue for a few minutes only to be repeated a few minutes later. It is often accompanied by a watery discharge. While this is uncomfortable for your dog the symptoms will soon disappear in normal cases and there are some excellent kennel cough remedies.

However, if instead of the watery discharge, mucus is being expelled then a visit to your veterinarian is called for.

In severe cases, if left untreated, the cough can progress and can cause lethargy, fever, loss of appetite and escalate to pneumonia. In extreme cases, kennel cough in dogs can also lead to death.

Treatment

Kennel cough or tracheobronchitis is highly contagious. Compare kennel cough in dogs to common colds in humans and you know that isolation is required, something soothing for the throat, some TLC and little more, in most cases. When caused by common viruses, time will be the healer, normally up to ten days.

However, instances of kennel cough that involve the distemper virus are considered to be serious. Such cases need veterinary attention to arrest the progression of the disease.

Kennel cough is also caused or complicated by bacterial infection. This is also self correcting so treatment is limited to cough suppressants to provide relief while nature takes her course. However, some veterinarians may recommend or even insist on prescribing antibiotics to kill the bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria.

Healthy dogs will normally have a strong enough constitution to withstand an attack. Prevention using a kennel couch vaccine is a wise choice if your dog is a social creature,  otherwise it is not generally considered necessary.

A boost to your dog’s immune system will help to prevent kennel cough and you may feel it is a worthwhile precaution. Vitamin C supplements and herbal tinctures like Echinacea and Goldenseal can greatly improve the body’s immune system.

Homeopathic kennel cough remedies containing Colt’s Foot and licorice provide health benefits in both treating and increasing the body’s ability to heal itself and protect from several infectious diseases including kennel cough.

I hope your dog never has to suffer from kennel cough but at least now you will know how to prevent it, know what to look for and what to do about it if necessary.

I hope you found these tips about kennel cough useful, if so, please share them with your friends.