Kennel Cough – What Is It?

Kennel cough, or as we call it scientifically – infectious tracheobronchitis, is a disease we encounter with particular intensity twice a year – in autumn and in spring.

If your dog is making wheezing sounds, if you find whitish secretions on the floor, if it sounds as though it is constantly choking on something, then you are very likely dealing with kennel cough!

This in itself is a collective name for a group of pathogens that cause the same set of symptoms. Dogs become infected by inhaling a bacterium (most often B. bronchiseptica).

Normally the wall of the airways is lined with a layer of mucosa that "traps" and, with the help of the immune system, neutralises any harmful agents.

It is very important, if you think your dog has kennel cough, to book an appointment for an examination and in the meantime not to socialise it with other animals.

The good news is that there are vaccines! The even better news is that these vaccines are now available in a form given by mouth. Immunity lasts one year.