Kennel cough is a common and easily spread dog disease. How is it transmitted, what progress does it have and how is it treated? Even though it cannot be transmitted to humans, it may endanger other pets in the household.
The technical term for kennel cough is infectious tracheobronchitis. In fact, it is a common name for acute and contagious dog diseases that affect lower respiratory tract and are accompanied by coughing fits. The cause of kennel cough might be bacteria or virus and it is a common disease among dogs. It is transmitted by droplet infection and therefore, it is spread quickly. It’s enough when two dogs in a park sniff each other.
If the course of the disease is normal, it lasts a week or two. However, dry cough may be present even for several weeks. It looks like something got stuck in the dog’s neck and it chokes. It can also cough mucus or white foam out. It gets worse when a collar is pulled or with another neck irritation, but also with strain.
Besides the cough, dogs don’t usually have other symptoms or there are only minor signs of cold, such as nasal or eye discharge. If the disease is more serious, also fever might occur, the dog is sad, feels blue and it can progress to pneumonia. The risk is the highest in young puppies, older dogs and immuno-compromised dogs or dogs with auto-immune diseases.
As it is usually a viral infection, there’s nothing else that can help than relax. The dog should be kept calm and warm. Recovery can be supported by plenty of fluids. The dog should be motivated to drink, we can also give it diluted broth or add a part of a meat can into its water bowl. However, don’t forget to change the water often in this case. Otherwise, bacteria will replicate in the bowl. The dog may refuse to eat dry food because of the sore throat. Sometimes, it’s enough to soak them but in other cases, it might be necessary to switch to complete high-quality cans.
It’s usually not necessary to go to a vet if the dog is otherwise healthy and you can treat it at home on your own. If you need to be assured it’s okay, call the vet and discuss the dog’s condition with him/her. (S)he might also tell you to try ribwort syrup which helps with coughing up. However, let him/her always advise you on the dosage.
The kennel cough cannot be transmitted to humans. However, some of its originators, for example, bordetella, may cause cats’ or rabbits’ runny noses. It may even cause fatal pneumonia of guinea pigs.
Has your dog ever had kennel cough? Or to be more specific, have you ever treated it with this disease? Vaccination against the most common originators is a part of commonly combined vaccines which do not prevent the transmission but reduce the symptoms so much that you might not even notice them.
Doing yoga with a dog, or doga in other words (the combination of “dog” and “yoga”), has become popular in the United States of America, but it has not become so popular in the Czech Republic yet. What is it about and what benefits does this sport have...
Earlier, this heart disease was attributed only to certain pure-blood breeds. Nowadays, it can even occur in cross-breeds. Another disease which reminds us of how important regular preventive check-ups at the vet are.
Days are getting colder and it is time again to prepare our furry friends who live outdoors for winter. All cats (whether they live outdoors or only go outside occasionally) need our greater attention in this season.
A Somali cat is a long-haired version of Abyssinian cat, one of the oldest cat breeds in the world. But it does not have an interesting or long history itself. Even though it is named after an African country, first Somali cats were born in the United...
Until recently, Cairn terriers were the most popular terriers in Great Britain (until they were overtaken by Westies). It comes from Scottish island Skye and it used to hunt foxes and otters here already in the times of Mary, Queen of Scots. That’s...
A team of Swedish athletes one of whom is Mikael Lindord regularly attends one of the most difficult races in the world to challenge other teams – the Adventure Racing World Championship. When Mikael and his friends stopped in the middle of an...
Each dog is an individual and has different needs. When it comes to diet, it depends on its health condition or physically demanding activities. However, we can generalize these needs to a certain degree according to a breed, age and mainly the size of...
Adopting a dog senior might save his life. They also need stable home and love which unfortunately can never be fully provided in the shelter. Nevertheless, most people who are considering adoption as an option automatically look for a puppy or at...
The International Rabbit Day is celebrated on the fourth Saturday or Sunday in September. This year, it was 22 September. This annual celebration of a cute mammal with long ears, short tail and a velvet coat is not only meant for the million of rabbits...
Do you also follow the recent trend which encourages us to come back to our roots and mind our planet more? I am personally very happy about that. More and more households live according to zero-waste and non-toxic principles and we don’t forget about...
Cats enjoying themselves in a doll house are a hit on Iceland. Their creators probably didn’t expect so much fame and first of all, they didn’t create the whole project for money, fame and for a short-time amusement. There is a much more noble purpose...
Your furry friend might get poisoned in a minute, only a few seconds of carelessness or a slow reaction is enough, especially if your dog is similar to mine and “eats everything he finds on the way”. Fortunately, my dog hasn’t been poisoned yet but I’m...
