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| iheartteacups |
What is Kennel cough and what does it mean for you and your dog? Here at Iheartteacups, we’re asked this question very often. Kennel cough, or infectious tracheobronchitis, is a hacking sounding cough that is common among dogs. It is not life threatening and will go away on its own most of the time. It sounds much worse than it actually is.
You may think your dog is choking or trying to work
something up from their stomach. This is not the case. Just as humans come down
with a cough, due to a cold, so do dogs contract Kennel cough. Over time, it
passes through their body and goes away on its own. It’s just rather annoying
for both you and your dog. The cough is
also known as Bordetella bronchiseptica m, and is sometimes referred to as
Bordetella.
It’s just easier to say Kennel cough rather than
Bordetella cough. The only real concern with kennel cough is the virus that
comes with it. Although the virus itself poses no real threat, the virus makes
dogs more susceptible to other viruses such as reovirus and distemper. Kennel
cough is spread through the air. Your
dog breathes it in, and there you have it. The virus is found more often in
dusty or poorly ventilated environments.
Also cold weather and stress can make your dog more
susceptible. Kennel cough can be difficult to spot. Dogs like to cough to clear
their throat. Yorkies love to do their reverse sneeze. Kennel cough has a
hacking ring to it. It is also, usually, accompanied by facial symptoms such as
mucus from the eyes or nose. There won’t be any signs of fatigue or
restlessness. Your dog won’t stop eating because of Kennel cough either.
The cough usually takes about three weeks to run it’s
coarse and eventually go away. If it doesn’t go away within that time period,
there are a variety of cough medicines and antibiotics that can be used to help
aid the recovery process. If your dog is showing signs of fatigue or sudden
loss of appetite, you should take him or her to the vet immediately, as this
could be a sign of a more serious illness.
Kennel cough, however, is not a big deal and no
cause for alarm. With that being said, it’s important to keep an infected dog
away from other dogs because the virus is extremely contagious. It’s only for a
few weeks. Once you stop hearing the
cough, Fido is good to go, we at iheartteacups know this from experience!
If you really want to speed up the process, you can
administer some cough medicine or antibiotics that your vet will proscribe you,
however, it’s not recommended to medicate your dog unless it’s very necessary. Since
Kennel cough goes away on its own in most cases, it’s easier on the dogs system
to let it run its course. So if you hear your dog coughing and suspect it could
be a case of Kennel cough, ask yourself a couple questions. Is my dog coughing
once in a while, or is it coughing often throughout the day and does the
coughing sound like hacking?
Does my dog have a runny nose or watery eyes? Has my dog been around another dog that could
have had Kennel cough recently, or was he exposed to lots of dust or cold
weather? Have there been stressful circumstances like travel or negativity
around him or her? Or, you can just take your dog to the vet and they’ll
know.
Remember, Kennel cough is very common and doesn’t
mean your dog is unhealthy. It will go
away on its own soon, so don’t worry so much.
You’ll stress your dog out and make him more likely
to catch Kennel cough!
