The name?

You will often hear people say ‘Kennel Cough’, but we prefer to call it ‘Canine Cough’.

As the virus is airborne, it can travel for some distance. This means that it can be anywhere, including parks, homes, backyards, kennels, veterinary clinics & cinemas (just kidding).

Admittedly, more dogs in close proximity can increase the likelihood of spread, which is probably why it earned the name ‘Kennel Cough‘. However, because the virus isn’t strictly confined to Kennels, we prefer to call it ‘Canine Cough’.

The sound?

A coughing dog doesn’t sound particularly pleasant.  It might sound like this:

1. When a piece of food lodges in the throat. (You know, those times when they ‘breathe in’ the food instead of chewing slowly and delicately?) As a result, they retch to dislodge it.
2. When they pull too hard on the lead. Wheeze, cough, choke, cough, relax, pull, repeat!

Each individual (much like humans) will display varying degrees of symptoms; however, in all cases (again, much like humans), the cough and/or tiredness is worse in the morning and evening.  

The Vaccine?

ALL dogs who board or play with us MUST have up-to-date vaccinations (including influenza). This is a legal requirement to board with us. However, the flu vaccine (much like the human flu shot) covers only certain influenza strains. In particular, the high-end, nastier ones.  

Therefore, many flu and cold viruses are circulating and ready to be inhaled.

Canine Cough’s incubation period (5 to 7 days) makes it tricky to know whether we are checking in a carrier. Obviously, if they show signs of illness, we can ask customers to make alternate arrangements. Conversely, depending on the length of stay, a guest may not show symptoms until after returning home.

Historically, we have not had many cases of Canine Cough at NBKC, but we take coughs very seriously and have a system in place to keep our customers informed of any possible problems as, and if, they arise. This includes pre-board (and some post-board) emails and openly discussing anything of concern at check-in or out. This enables our customers to make informed choices about whether to cancel (pre-board) and what to watch for (post-board).

What to do?

Now that you know what the cough sounds like, and that vaccines simply do not cover all strains of the flu, what do you do if you suspect that your dog has Canine Cough?  

First up, symptoms are self-limiting, meaning your dog will recover in 5 to 7 days (though they remain contagious for up to 14 days). However, elderly, infirm or very young dogs are at high risk of complications, so we recommend a precautionary vet visit.  

Secondly, please let us know (so that we can inform other boarders).

Thirdly, monitor carefully. If your dog is behaving ‘normally’ (aside from a little bit of post-board tiredness), we recommend that you ignore the cough (as much as you can) and, instead, watch for the following:

• Are they eating and drinking normally? Good.
• Are their faeces and urine normal? Good.
• Are their gums pink (not pale or blue)? Pink is good. Pale is meh! Blue is a vet visit.

Coughing symptoms will dissipate over 5 to 7 days – the coughing will ease, and your ‘normal’ pooch will return.

On the other hand, if you witness lethargy, vomiting or diarrhoea – this is NOT healthy. Therefore, we recommend a visit to your vet.

Finally

Keep in Touch!

It is extremely important to us that our customers let us know of any post-board issues, as this helps us manage communications efficiently and effectively.  

As with the human cold or flu, where some people will get it and others won’t, dogs are pretty much the same. Only a small handful will succumb to a virus, while others will bounce around without a care.  

If you want to learn more about Canine Cough, Wikipedia has a great explanation. (However, please excuse them for calling it ‘Kennel Cough’!) Canine Cough.