Kennel Cough: It Can Take Your Breath Away

It is that time of year when the North Carolina Mountains beckon you to come and take a leisurely drive to absorb the fall vistas. On Friday, I traveled up Highway 321 to Blowing Rock and then completed the circle going back via Morganton on Highway 220. It was a journey I last completed with my grandmother, Helen Finken, in 1983. She was 95 at the time and remarked as we saw majestic Grandfather Mountain that she loved the mountains as their age made her feel so YOUNG. Her daughter, my mother, had recently passed away. In a reflective mood she said that it was not natural for a daughter to pass away ahead of her mother.  Then she lapsed into recollections of her father, a Presbyterian minister in Brooklyn with a German congregation. Once World War I broke out, he came home and announced that German would no longer be spoken in the house hold; they were Americans.   Lots of memories embraced me of that lady as I stopped at the overlooks, hiked Linville falls, and drove on Linn Cove Viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

 Funny that as the cold, crisp air at times took my breath away that canine respiratory issues come to my mind. Thus, today’s blog subject is infectious lung disease.

I THOUGHT THAT ONLY DOGS AT KENNELS GOT KENNEL COUGH?

Bordatella, a highly contagious upper respiratory bacterial infection, affects one in 50 dogs and one in 36 under one year of age. More accurately called Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease (CIRD), it is also seen with casual contact with other dogs in the neighborhood, at training classes, dog parks, on walks, and grooming parlors.

IS BORDATELLA BACTERIA THE ONLY COMPONENT OF CANINE INFECTIOUS RESPIRATORY DISEASE?

No, there are as many of 14 other bacterial and viral infections that are grouped in this same syndrome. A Bordatella vaccination is a good starting point, but it does not completely protect against all agents grouped in CIRD: Canine Influenza, Mycoplasma, Parainfluenza- 2, Adenovirus-2, and Herpes Virus among others.

WHAT OTHER FACTORS PLAY A ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT OF RESPIRATORY ILLNESS?

Patients already debilitated by other illnesses, undergoing chemotherapy, young/old age, anatomical issues (think bull dog with tracheal defects), and environmental factors (poor air circulation, poor hygiene, overcrowding) have all played a role in the development and the severity of the disease.

ARE THERE TESTING AND HANDLING GUIDELINES FOR PATIENTS WITH SUSPECTED CIRD?

Besides avoiding direct exposure to other dogs (ask receptionist for side entrance to the clinic if you suspect infectious respiratory disease), some patients with mild signs will receive simply supportive care. Others may need a specialized culture of suspected organisms, bloodwork, chest radiographs, and even hospitalization in an isolation ward.

WHAT IMMUNIZATION GUIDELINES ARE RECOMMENDED BY CREATURE COMFORTS for CIRD?

Vaccinate all puppies starting at seven weeks of age for bordatella, repeat in six months, and then once a year for all dogs that get out of the house and around other dogs (even casually). Influenza vaccine is an optional vaccine based on risk assessment of the region (travel to states close to horse/dog racing tracks, documentation of outbreaks in kennels in the area), or requirement of the boarding/training facility.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Widmann of “Molly” the retired squirrel dog

Betsy Sigmon DVM, Diplomate American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, canine & feline

Hospital Director, Creature Comforts Animal Hospital