Bordetella vaccines treat kennel cough.
The Bordetella vaccine is administered to dogs to prevent kennel cough and is recommended if your dog will be socializing with other dogs. Kennel cough will rarely lead to death, but the vaccine can prevent breakouts of the infection and it can lessen the worry of owners. The vaccination is given two ways, and it's usually grouped with other vaccinations and given in multiple doses over time to gradually build up your dog's immunity. There is a fringe group of people who claim that the vaccine is overused and actually quite harmful to dogs.
Function
Kennel cough is a bacteria that spreads through the air and infects dogs who are in proximity with other dogs. The scientific name is Bordetella bronchiseptica, but it's commonly referred to as a cough because it sounds similar to a whooping cough. It's a dry, hacking cough where your dog seems to constantly be trying to clear his throat. The cough can last up to a month. While your dog seems healthy otherwise, it can be frightening for the owners. If your dog has not been vaccinated, you will need to see a vet and administer antibiotics for your dog until the cough clears up. In the meantime, you will have to quarantine him from other dogs so that he does not spread the infection.
Significance
Your dog will need to prove he's been vaccinated against kennel cough if he's going to be mingling with other populations of dogs. Most puppy obedience classes require proof of vaccination. If you will be boarding your dog at a kennel, your dog needs this shot. If you have a show dog, you will definitely need this vaccine because your dog will frequently be in contact with many other types of dogs. Remember the vaccine can take four to six days to fully work, so vaccinate your dog at least a week before introducing him to these other populations.
Ways of Administering
The vet will typically give young dogs the vaccine in the form of drops that go into their nose. This should provide immunity for possibly a year and it will be given again. The benefit to this nasal method is that the vaccine is taking root at the spot where the infection would begin its attack. Some immediate side effects would be sneezing or discharge as the dog adjusts to what has just been put into his nose.
For dogs who resist doctors getting close to their faces, the other option is a shot. When the Bordetella vaccine is given as a shot, it's commonly combined as a booster with other vaccines taken over the course of one month to gradually build up the immunity.
Warning
The Bordetella vaccine side effects can include soreness at the injection site (similar to humans and shots), hives, nausea, diarrhea or even death. There is a school of people who argue vaccines cause unnecessary inflammation at the injection site and that this chronic inflammation is the biggest cause of cancer in dogs. However, many more people believe that if your dog will be sequestered for any length of time with other dogs, the vaccine against kennel cough is necessary.
Theories/Speculation
As with all vaccines, the dose for the Bordetella vaccine contains a weakened strain of Bordetella bronchiseptica. The purpose of any vaccine is to introduce the body to a mild version of it and teach it fend off the bacteria. In the future, when your dog's system confronts a more heavily armed strain of Bordetella bronchiseptica, it will be able to successfully ward it off and stay healthy. Some people speculate this vaccine is actually quite harmful because they think the dose is too strong for dogs. They argue that otherwise healthy dogs contract powerful amounts of the bacteria and it's too strong for their immune systems to attack it. Thereby, the dog becomes sick and, in some cases, dies.
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