Your Dog 202003

22 Your Dog March 2020

It

’

s a vet

’

s life!

I

feel like I’ve seen a lot of coughing dogs over the

past month, but it may be that I’m just more aware of

the cases, after attending a great evening talk given

by a local referral hospital.

Kennel cough, also called canine infectious

tracheobronchitis, is the most common reason why

dogs come to the clinic with a cough.

We always ask owners to keep coughing dogs outside

until their appointment,

as kennel cough is

very contagious. It can

have a number of causes,

including parainluenza

virus, adenovirus, distemper,

and Bordetella bacteria. Dogs

may also get secondary

bacterial infections after

an initial viral attack.

In most cases, kennel cough

is self-limiting, with dogs getting

better in 7 – 14 days. Despite the name, it can be

caught anywhere that dogs interact, so we recommend

vaccination for adult dogs who go to dog walkers,

home boarders, doggy day-care, training classes,

competitions, and groomers, as well as kennels.

Ted, a lufy, 10-week-old German Shepherd puppy

came in for his second vaccination. After a chat about

how Ted was settling in, and a check over, I gave the

vaccine against distemper, hepatitis, and parvovirus.

Next came the kennel cough vaccination. I explained

to Ted’s owner that we include this in our puppy

course because puppies are at high risk of contracting

kennel cough, and although it is not usually

dangerous, it can signiicantly interfere with their

training and socialisation.

Ted was very brave during the vaccination, which is

given as a drop into the nostril, and he was rewarded

with a dried sprat (our clinic treat of choice).

I saw Bobby, a four-year-old Poodle, later that week

for a cough. As always, I started my clinical examination

ABOUT VICKY

Holistic vet Vicky Payne

BVetMed MRCVS is

based in East Sussex,

and qualiied from the

Royal Veterinary

College in 2001.

She uses a range

of complementary

therapies alongside

conventional medicine

and surgery.

Get it off

your chest!

Canine coughs are often more complex

than they seem, as Vicky Payne explains.

Coughing can have

many causes.

It is recommended that dogs who

come into close contact with others

have the kennel cough vaccination.