Dogs in kennels are vulnerable to highly infectious sicknesses like kennel cough.
When you own dogs, some of the most important responsibilities are getting care for the dog in your absence and caring for their health. Sometimes these two responsibilities overlap, and other times they interfere with each other. When owners are away, they often board their dogs at kennels, where the dog receives food, water and exercise. But because kennels have such a high concentration of dog life, they can become sources of germs and sicknesses like kennel cough.
Kennel Cough Facts
According to Pet Education, the term kennel cough refers to the most common upper respiratory problem in American canines. Also know as infectious tracheobronchitis, kennel cough is a worldwide problem and is prevalent in any environment that houses many dogs. The popular name, "kennel cough," stems from the fact that dogs often catch the sickness during their stays in kennels.
Transmission
As a viral disease, kennel cough is spread through air, shared food and shared environment. The virus is also transmitted through any physical contact between dogs, or through human contact with the infected dog and then healthy dogs. In crowded situations like kennels and homes, transmission is virtually guaranteed.
Contagion
Pet Education states that kennel cough is highly contagious in dogs. This means that a dog that has kennel cough is virtually guaranteed to share it with any other dog in the area. If one of your two dogs has kennel cough, the other likely does as well. A dog remains contagious for 6 to 14 weeks after it has stopped showing symptoms and can pass kennel cough to any other dog at that time.
Symptoms
Kennel cough lasts from six to 20 days, depending on the causal virus. Symptoms may show up 14 days after exposure, or immediately. They may show up in one dog earlier than in the other. This does not necessarily mean that one dog is healthy while the other is sick. These symptoms include dry, hacking cough, retching, watery nasal discharge, lethargy, fever and lack of appetite. In severe cases, kennel cough can lead to pneumonia and death.
Prevention and Treatment
Vaccines are available for kennel cough and are generally given as part of a dog's yearly inoculations. Any dog going into a kennel should receive vaccination for kennel cough. If one of your dogs has kennel cough, isolate it and take the other dog for a kennel cough vaccination and exam. Understand that if both of your dogs were in the same infected environment, there's a good chance that they both have the virus already. Vets treat kennel cough with antibiotics, cough suppressants, steroids and sometimes hospitalization.
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