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Kennel Cough is also referred to as Canine Cough,Bordetellosis and Infectious Tracheobronchitis
Kennel Cough in dogs will stimulate a coarse, dry, hacking cough about three to seven days after the dog is initially infected. It sounds as if the dog needs to "clear it's throat" and the cough will be triggered by any extra activity or exercise. Many dogs that acquire Kennel Cough will cough every few minutes, all day long. Their general state of health and alertness will be unaffected, they usually have no rise in temperature, and do not lose their appetite. The signs of Canine Cough usually will last from 7 to 21 days and can be very annoying for the dog and the dog's owners. Life threatening cases of Kennel Cough are extremely rare and a vast majority of dogs that acquire the infection will recover on their own with no medication. Cough suppressants and occasionally antibiotics are the usual treatment selections.
WHAT IS KENNEL COUGH?
Actually, clinical cases of Kennel Cough are usually caused by several infectious agents working together to damage and irritate the lining of the dog's trachea and upper bronchii. The damage to the tracheal lining is fairly superficial, but exposes nerve endings that become irritated simply by the passage of air over the damaged tracheal lining. Once the organisms are eliminated the tracheal lining will heal rapidly. The most common organisms associated with Canine Cough are the bacteria called Bordetella bronchiseptica and two viruses called Parainfluenza virus and Adenovirus and even an organism called Mycoplasma.
HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED?
The causative organisms can be present in the expired air of an infected dog, much the same way that human "colds" are transmitted. The airborne organisms will be carried in the air in microscopically tiny water vapor or dust particles. The airborne organisms, if inhaled by a susceptible dog, can attach to the lining of the trachea and upper airway passages, find a warm, moist surface on which to reside and replicate, and eventually damage the cells they infect.
The reason this disease seems so common, and is even named "Kennel" cough, is that wherever there are numbers of dogs confined together in an enclosed environment such as a kennel, animal shelter, or indoor dog show, the disease is much more likely to be spread. The same is true with the "colds" spread from human to human... they are much more likely to occur in a populated, enclosed environment such as an airplane, elevator, or office. All it takes for contagion to occur is a single source (infected dog), an enclosed environment, and susceptible individuals in close proximity to the source of the infection. Infected dogs can spread the organisms for days to weeks even after seeming to have fully recovered!
NOTE: Even in the most hygienic, well ventilated, spacious kennels the possibility of a dog acquiring Kennel Cough exists. Kennel Cough can be acquired from your neighbor's dog, from a Champion show dog at a dog show, from the animal hospital where your dog just came in for treatment of a cut paw... Try not to blame the kennel operator if your dog develops Kennel Cough shortly after that weekend stay at the kennel! There may have been an infected dog, unknown to anyone, that acted as a source for other dogs in the kennel.
Many dogs will have protective levels of immunity to Kennel Cough via minor exposures to the infective organisms and simply will not acquire the disease even if exposed. Other dogs that may never have had immunizing subtle exposures will be susceptible to the Bordetella bacteria and associated viruses and develop the signs of coughing and hacking.
HOW IS IT TREATED?
Many dogs that contract Kennel Cough will display only minor signs of coughing that may last seven to ten days and will not require any medication at all. The majority of dogs with the disease continue to eat, sleep, play and act normally... except for that annoying, dry, non-productive coughing that seems so persistent. It is always a good idea, though, to have any dog examined if coughing is noticed because some very serious respiratory diseases such as Blastomycosis, Valley Fever, Heartworms and even cardiac disease might display similar sounding coughing. Your veterinarian, through a careful physical exam and questioning regarding the dog's recent environment, will be able to establish if the dog's respiratory signs are from kennel Cough or some other respiratory insult.
Treatment is generally limited to symptomatic relief of the coughing with non-prescription, and occasionally prescription, cough suppressants. If the dog is running a fever or there seems to be a persistent and severe cough, antibiotics are occasionally utilized to assist the dog in recovering from Kennel Cough. It can happen that secondary bacterial invaders will complicate a case of Kennel Cough and prolong the recovery and severely affect the upper airway. Therefore the use of antibiotics is determined on an individual basis.
HOW IS IT PREVENTED?
Many dogs, exposed to all sorts and numbers of other dogs, will never experience the effects of Canine Cough. Some dog owners, though, prefer to take advantage of the current vaccines available that are quite effective in preventing the disease. Usually these dog owners will have to board, show, field trial, or otherwise expose their dog to populations of other canines. Since the chances of exposure and subsequent infection rise as the dog comes in close proximity with other dogs, the decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate varies with each individual circumstance. Generally, if your dog is not boarded or going to field trials or dog shows, you may not have a high level of need for vaccinating your dog against Kennel Cough. If your dog happens to acquire Kennel Cough, it will then have some immunity to subsequent exposures. The length of time these natural exposures and the vaccinations will produce protective immunity will vary greatly. How often to vaccinate seems to have a subjective and elusive answer.
Be aware that vaccinating with just the commercial Kennel Cough vaccine alone (contains only the Bordetella agent) may not be fully protective because of the other infectious agents that are involved with producing the disease. Some of the other agents such as Parainfluenza and Adenovirus are part of the routine vaccinations generally given yearly to dogs. The intra-nasal Bordetella vaccine may produce immunity slightly faster than the injectible vaccine.
Here is some info on the canine influenza(canine flu) a newly emerging viral infection:
Canine Influenza, also called Canine Flu, is a newly identified disease of dogs. It can infect any breed of dog and appears in dogs to be similar to Canine Cough (also called Kennel Cough or Infectious Canine Tracheobronchitis). However, early studies of Canine Influenzaindicate that the disease has adapted in the dog from a common infection in horses. It is a highly contagious and sometimes deadly canine flu that is spreading in kennels and at dog tracks around the country. It has been reported in Greyhounds at tracks in Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Texas.
NOTE From Dr. Dunn at ThePetCenter.com...Currently there seems to be as much hysteria and misinformation about this emerging infection in dogs as hard scientific evidence. Rumors of hundreds of dogs being affected in kennels across the country are unsubstantiated. The best source of information about your local area regarding the facts about Canine Influenza will be your local veterinarian and your state's veterinary medical association. The information presented on this page is meant to be strictly that... an update on recent information. Your veterinarian must be consulted for proper diagnosis, patient evaluation, and individualized therapy for any disease or disorder your dog may have acquired. There are a multitude of disorders and diseases that will cause a dog to cough and gag and hack. That's why individual assessment for your dog is imperative to discern the true cause of the dog's difficulties.
How Is It Spread: According to immunologist Dr. Cynda Crawford who is studying the virus at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, it spreads most easily where numbers of dogs are kept in close proximity but could also be passed "on the street" or in kennels. It has been reported that kennel workers have carried the virus home with them and infected other dogs. The fatality rate seems to be between 1 and 10 percent. Since it is such a new disease of dogs is difficult to forecast about the spread of the disease, severity in individual dogs, and what future numbers of cases may be seen . Dr. Crawford indicates about 80 percent of dogs that are exposed to the canine influenza virus will develop some signs of illness. Because the dog population has such little natural immunity to this virus, potentially every dog exposed could be infected.
Dr. Crawford first began investigating greyhound deaths in January 2004 at a racetrack in Jacksonville, Fla., where 8 of the 24 greyhounds who contracted the virus died. "This is a newly emerging pathogen," she said, "and we have very little information to make predictions about it. But I think the fatality rate is between 1 and 10 percent. Because dogs had no natural immunity to the virus, virtually every animal exposed would be infected. About 80 percent of dogs that are infected with the virus will develop symptoms", Dr. Crawford said. She added that the symptoms were often mistaken for "kennel cough," a common canine illness that is caused by the bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria. Both diseases can cause coughing and gagging for up to three weeks, but dogs with canine flu may spike fevers as high as 106 degrees and have runny noses. A few will develop pneumonia, and some of those cases will be fatal. Antibiotics and fluid cut the pneumonia fatality rate.
The virus is an H3N8 flu which is related to an equine flu strain, however, it is not related to typical human flus or to the H5N1 avian flu that killed about 100 people in Asia. ESo far there are no known cases of the canine flu infecting humans. "The risk of that is low, but we are keeping an eye on it," said Dr. Ruben Donis, chief of molecular genetics for the influenza branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is tracking the illness. But with the approach of the human flu season and fears about bird flu in Asia, there is much confusion among some dog owners who have heard about the disease. Dr. Crawford said she was fielding calls from kennels and veterinarians across the country worried that they were having outbreaks.
Signs Of Canine Influenza: The signs in an infected dog are similar to Bordetella bronchiseptica bacterial infection commonly called Kennel Cough, Canine Cough and Infectious Canine Tracheobronchitis. Coughing and gagging for up to three weeks is seen in Canine Cough and in the newly emerging canine disease Canine Influenza. Fevers as high as 106° can occur. Increased signs of cough may be triggered by exercise or excitement. Nasal discharge may be evident, as well. The dog may act much quieter than usual or seem depressed and display a disinterest in its environment.
Treatment For Canine Influenza: Keep in mind that viruses are not usually affected by antibiotics used against bacterial infections. Antiviral drugs such as amantidine and Tamiflu have been used but are not licensed for use in dogs... the information base on the success of antiviral therapy is still small. Antibiotics for both Gram negative and Gram positive organisms may be needed due to secondary invasion of damaged lung tissues from opportunistic bacteria. Fluid therapy for debilitated dogs could be required to give support to these patients while their own bodies create defensive immune factors to assist in warding off the infection. Older dogs and young puppies may be at greatest risk for treatment failure. X-rays may be needed to evaluate the severity of pneumonia. In spite of vigorous in-hospital therapy, some dogs simply will not respond and will succumb to the disease.
Tests For Canine Influenza:
Veterinarians can send blood samples to the Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Health Diagnostic Center, which is the only laboratory doing blood tests on Canine Influenza at this time. Nasal swabs may be submitted to a veterinary pathologist for evaluation and virus isolation but the sample must be taken very early in the course of the infection... usually within 72 hours after signs develop in the dog. Any dog that displays a persistent coughing, hacking or gagging should be evaluated by a veterinarian. Coughing, hacking or gagging are actually non-specific signs and therefore cannot be used to identify any single cause. Do not assume your dog has Canine Influenza just because it is showing signs of a respiratory disorder. These signs may be due to a variety of disorders such as tonsillitis, fungal disease such as Blastomycosis, Congestive Heart Failure, Heartworms, tumors, infiltrative immune disorders of the bronchial structures, foreign body obstruction and other disorders. A diagnostic workup may be needed to positively identify the cause of the dog's difficulty. Ask your veterinarian about vaccinating your dog against the Bordetella organism that is associated with Infectious Tracheobronchitis (Kennel Cough), the common and familiar respiratory disorder affecting unprotected dogs. Will a vaccine be developed for this new and emerging disease of dogs called Canine Influenza (Canine Flu)? Scientists are already studying this disease and the chances of immunization being a reality are assured if this infection continues to spread. Contact your veterinarian for more information.
More about... TESTS FOR CANINE FLU (INFLUENZA)
I hoped I helped.
Unless a dog has a seriously comprimised immune system it is usually not fatal. In many cases it will run it's course in a week or so.
The cough can be supressed with children's cough syrup. (give a child's dose.)
Your dog can be vaccinated against Bordatella yearly and should be part of your pet's regular treatment.
Cris
07Jan09 | edit