Kort and Lync have kennel cough, so far, Ash seem to be ok other then a few sneezes, he doesn't have the bringing up of foam and mucous every 10 to 15 minutes.
Below is the best article I found on the condition, it does however say, "it is an unproductive cough", I beg to differ on that point!
It is a great inconvenience to everyone, my entire circle of friends dogs seem to be coming down with it. It started from what I know at a dog show and an agility trial. Some of those dogs came to the Red Deer dog show before showing symptoms, then some of those dogs came to the Lethbridge show where my dogs went.
Poor Kort was only there 1 day and he is the one having the most problems, Lync and Ash were there all 3 days. At any rate I am very tired, I don't do tired very well, I woke up this morning before 4 am. Kort kept me up all night, with the occasional hacking from Lync, so I figured I should just get up as I wasn't getting any sleep anyway.
I couldn't feed Lync yesterday as he kept vomiting, even some bread of the I tried wouldn't stay down . He had a bit of food this morning and so far so good, I will feed him again at lunch then supper again if he keeps it down.
Some of my friends dogs have not gotten the cough and I certainly hope it stays that way for them, I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
What is Kennel Cough?
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.
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 his 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.
How is Kennel Cough 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 Even a chance encounter with a carrier of Kennel
Cough can transmit the disease. 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!
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. So 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 Kennel Cough 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, however, always a good idea 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 Kennel Cough 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.
Conversely, if you plan to board your dog, or protect it from
exposure, remember to vaccinate a few weeks prior to potential exposure
to allow full protective immunity to build up.
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 multivalent
vaccinations generally given yearly to dogs.
The intra-nasal
Bordetella vaccine may produce immunity
slightly faster than the injectable vaccine if the dog has never been
previously vaccinated for Kennel Cough.
It is generally assumed that the intranasal route of inoculation
works the fastest in getting protective levels of immunity established.
However, studies have indicated that in dogs that have been previously
immunized by either the intranasal or injectable route and that have
some level of immunity already present, vaccination by the injectable
route actually boosts immunity faster than the intranasal route.
When the injectable vaccine is given as an annual booster (to boost
any immune levels already present) the maximum effects of the vaccine
will be achieved five days after the vaccination.
So when should the intranasal route be utilized? Some veterinarians
suggest that it be used only in unvaccinated dogs and in young pups
receiving their first vaccination. In these unvaccinated animals the
first immunization would be via the intranasal route and then two
additional inoculations by the injectable route are given. Then yearly
injectable inoculations are given to enhance the protective levels of
immunity.
