Pets at the Park
Understanding Canine Cough
Canine Cough, also incorrectly referred to as Kennel Cough, is a very much misunderstood respiratory infection caused by an airborne virus.
What is it?
Canine Cough is known as Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis. It is an extremely contagious, upper-respiratory infection which causes tracheobronchitis (inflammation of the lining of the airways) in dogs.
How can my dog catch it?
As an airborne virus, dog’s can pick it up anywhere. These viruses can be present anywhere and travel considerable distances through the air. A dog can even pick it up from their own backyard. However, it can be likely to occur in an area with a greater concentration of dogs. This includes at the park, dog show, beach, boarding facilities, daycare facilities, veterinarian clinics, groomers, dog training areas, shelters and wherever else dogs may have access to. Dogs can also be exposed while running loose or while being walked near other dogs. Thus your dog doesn’t necessarily have to have been in kennels to contract it. Any contact with an infected dog can lead to the development of clinical signs, up to 7 days later. Also, unbeknown to owners, their dog may have picked up the strain and transmitting it to other dogs before showing any symptoms.
My dog has been vaccinated against canine cough, how can they catch it?
Canine Cough for dogs is similar to how we immunise ourselves against the flu, yet we are still susceptible to picking up the common cold or a strain that was not part of the immunisation. The KC in the C5 vaccination provides protection against two organisms, Parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bronchiseptica. These two organisms are included in the vaccine not only because they are highly contagious, but they also result in very severe forms of the disease. Like a human flu vaccine, though, the canine cough vaccination does not provide protection against every single respiratory infection that is out in the environment, and your dog does remain susceptible to these less serious organisms.
Vaccines against parainfluenza and adenovirus type 2 (in combination with other vaccines) are routinely used as part of an adult dog’s yearly check-up. Puppies are usually vaccinated for these in combination with distemper, hepatitis, and parvovirus in a series of immunisations. It is important to note that the vaccines that are used to prevent this viral disease are made from one strain of more than 100 different strains of the virus and therefore are not as effective against some strains as others. Intra-nasal vaccines are also available for Bordetella bronchioseptica (another cause of canine cough). Although some veterinary practices do not use this intra-nasal vaccination routinely, it should be considered for pets that board or for those whose veterinarian recommends it. Your veterinarian is in the best position to recommend a program of preventive health care management depending on your pet’s needs.
Why is it sometimes referred to as Kennel Cough?
The common name is something of a misnomer, since your dog doesn’t necessarily have to have been in kennels to contract it. Any contact with an infected dog can lead to the development of clinical signs, up to 7 days later. The organisms responsible for the disease are spread through the air, so some dogs will get the infection even without leaving their own backyards. No difference with us picking up a common cold while travelling in a train during flu season, or a child bringing it home from day care. Yet we do not refer it to as “train cold” or “daycare cold”. However, due to the nature of the virus in areas of greater concentration of dogs the name has stuck.
What should I look out for?
The incubation period of the disease is roughly 3-7 days. The main symptom is a gagging cough, sometimes accompanied by sneezing and nasal discharge, which can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Although this coughing is very annoying, it does not usually develop into anything more serious. However, just as with the common cold, it can lower the dog’s resistance to other diseases thus increasing susceptibility to secondary infections, and so the dog must be observed closely to avoid complications.
Canine Cough tends to occur in bursts. There may be scores of cases over a period of a few weeks when there is an outbreak, then we may not see a case for months. It is not always the case that every dog in a household will contract the infection, however, because some dogs may have innately better immunity than others.
Due to the nature of the virus, it is highly recommended to isolate your dog from spreading the disease to others and establish a hygiene set up for yourself to prevent the spread in case you interact with other dogs.
Treatment.
If you suspect your dog may be showing signs, we highly recommend you booking an appointment for your dog to see your vet. Although treatment cannot cure or eliminate, it is simply aimed at controlling the symptoms while your dog recovers over time. Systemic signs such as fever, depression or lack of appetite usually only develop if secondary bacterial infections take hold. Just as in the case of the common cold, tracheobronchitis is not “cured” but must run its course. Many times antibiotics will be prescribed to prevent secondary infection. Sometimes cough suppressants will be prescribed to reduce excessive coughing, but these medications do not attack canine cough itself.
Does tracheobronchitis occur only in kennels?
No. Since these viruses can be present anywhere, and can travel for considerable distances through the air, they can affect any dog…even one which never leaves its own back yard. But tracheobronchitis is more likely to occur when the concentration of dogs is greater such as dog shows, kennels, veterinarian clinics and hospitals as well as pet shops. Dogs can also be exposed while running loose or while being walked near other dogs
What do pet boarding facilities do?
Most pet boarding business follows many steps to help prevent the spread of canine cough but as you will read no amount of supervision, sanitation or personal care can prevent a dog from catching an airborne virus. Kennels do everything they can by sterilising and some facility’s even fog kennels with F10 that is designed to prevent and kill off a virus like canine cough. But at the end of the day, the virus is spread from pet to pet, not from the kennel. This can also be hard to detect, as you cannot see an airborne virus, and it can take up to 5 to 10 days to show any signs, which means a dog can come into a kennel with canine cough and go home before any signs have shown in the pet. Just like if your child came home from school with a cold it’s no more the fault of the school than it is the fault of a kennel should a pet get canine cough. Canine couch is much like a common cold.
No amount of supervision, sanitation, or personalised care can prevent a dog from “catching” an airborne virus. All that a good boarding kennel can do is to strongly recommend immunisation against tracheobronchitis, refuse to board any obviously sick dog, listen and watch for any signs of sickness, and make sure that any dog requiring veterinary attention receives it as quickly as possible. (Strangely, the dog with parainfluenza alone may not appear ill, yet is contagious).
Are these viruses a constant problem?
No. Tracheobronchitis, like the flu, is often seasonal. It also
tends to be epidemic. When veterinarians begin to see cases, they normally come from every kennel in the area, as well as from individual dog owners whose dogs are not kennelled at all. When the outbreak is over, they might not see another case for months.
Can my dog be vaccinated to protect him against tracheobronchitis?
Yes! Vaccines against parainfluenza and adenovirus type 2 (in combination with other vaccines) are routinely used as part of an adult dog’s yearly check-up. Puppies are usually vaccinated for these in combination with
distemper, hepatitis, and parvovirus in a series of immunisations. It is important to note that the vaccines that are used to prevent this viral disease are made from one strain of more than 100 different strains of the virus and therefore are not as effective against some strains as others. Intranasal vaccines are also available for Bordetella bronchioseptica (another cause of canine cough). Although some veterinary practices do not use this intra-nasal vaccination routinely, it should be considered for pets that board or for those whose veterinarian recommends it. Your veterinarian is in the best position to recommend a program of preventive health care management depending on your pet’s needs.
Can’t the kennel prevent my dog from catching tracheobronchitis?
Unfortunately, no….no amount of supervision, sanitation, or personalised care can prevent a dog from “catching” an airborne virus. All that a good boarding kennel can do is to strongly recommend immunisation against
tracheobronchitis, refuse to board any obviously sick dog, listen and watch for any signs of sickness, and make sure that any dog requiring veterinary attention receives it as quickly as possible. (Strangely, the dog with parainfluenza alone may not appear ill, yet is contagious). Professional
boarding kennels would justifiably expect owners to accept the financial responsibility for such care. Your Pet Industry Association member is devoted to your pet’s well-being. Look for his membership certificate proudly displayed.
Vaccination Certificates
Vaccination certificates MUST be presented EACH time you enter this
facility and they will be copied by the facility for our records. If you cannot provide this document your pet may not be allowed to enter the facility. This is to protect your pet and the other pets in this facility.
Further reading and references:
PIAA-Lets-Talk-About-Canine-Cough
https://www.gladesvillevet.com.au/kennel-cough/
https://www.walkervillevet.com.au/blog/kennel-cough-in-dogs/
https://bowwowinsurance.com.au/pet-care/diseases-conditions/kennel-cough/
http://allpetsvet.com.au/blog/2014/08/15/kennel-cough/
https://www.vetproductsdirect.com.au/blog/kennel-cough-in-dogs-what-is-it/
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Great in depth article, thanks for this. I’d be interested to know if there’s any website showing for example the current number of cases (of this and other conditions) in WA (or nationally) each month? For example like the department of health website with flu season statistics, but for dogs.
Hi Harvey, that is a great question! Unfortunately, I am unaware of and unable to locate any official site in regards to these statistics. I certainly agree it would be good to see all the vets in Australia provide data for this to be organised. At this stage, I can only recommend speaking to your local vet to gain insight into the number of cases they have seen over the last couple of months. Hopefully, in the near future, this type of data will become more easily accessible.