Kennel Cough or Dog Flu?
Most of us who have boarded our dogs have, at one time or another, dealt with kennel cough. According to local veterinarians, in the Winnetka (IL) area, kennel cough has been on the rise this summer and fall.
Kennel cough is an upper respiratory illness caused primarily by a bacteria called Bordetella bronchiseptica. However, kennel cough can also be caused by viruses, such as canine distemper, canine adenovirus, canine parainfluenza virus, or canine respiratory coronavirus. Kennel cough is marked by a severe chronic cough, usually dry and hacking, sometimes with nasal discharge. Sometimes there’s a fever associated with the cough.
It’s highly contagious and is spread through the air by dogs coughing or sneezing near other dogs, such as in a kennel, pet store, shelter, grooming facility or doggy daycare. It can be treated with antibiotics and cough suppressants. Vaccination can prevent some strains of it.
However, not all of the cases turned out to be kennel cough. They’re actually a dog flu, a more serious viral infection.
Dog flu, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, is caused by the same virus that causes equine influenza. Greyhounds at a track in Florida were the first to be diagnosed in 2004, and cases have been turning up in other states since then, including Illinois this summer. It’s spread the same way as kennel cough.
Symptoms of mild dog flu are the same as kennel cough, such as either a dry, hacking cough or a moist cough, which last 10 to 30 days, according to the AVMA.
But, severe dog flu, according to the association, can lead to death. Symptoms of severe dog flu include a high fever, trouble breathing and pneumonia. Pneumonia may also be caused by a secondary bacterial infection, according to the AVMA.
All dogs exposed to it will become infected, according to the AVMA, with 80 percent developing clinical signs. However, according to the association, the other 20 percent, although not showing signs, can still spread it.
Unlike kennel cough, there isn’t a vaccine for dog flu. Although antibiotics don’t work against viruses, they’re being prescribed anyway to help fight off the bacterial infections.
Serena came home from the pound about a month ago. She wouldn’t stop coughing and sneezing. Thankfully, with the medicine the vet prescribed, she’s recovering and no longer coughing/sneezing.
The Camp I go to sent out a warning regarding this too. It is a shame that so many pups are getting sick.
Last summer I caught an upper respiratory infection while away. No coughing just discharge and feeling icky. The medicine cleared it up and mommy made sure to tell the camp I came home sick.
It is still a pawsome place but just like kids going to school when one gets sick usually it spreads.
Moxie got a bronchial infection that the vet chose not to specifically identify, but was coughing fits that ran 10-20 minutes usually ending with hacking up of whitish fluid. She have about 5-6 fits a day. She was put on antibiotics and recovered in about 10 days, though she was never scary-sick or really out of it.
We live in Northern California.