The Common Cold Of Dogs: Kennel Cough

If you have a puppy or a grown up dog which you had purchased from the pet shop and it has bouts of constant coughing at regular times. It is highly possible that the new pet is suffering from the kennel cough.

The symptoms of kennel cough shall be bouts of severe persistent coughing which can end up in vomiting. You might feel that these coughing spasms are too much for your dog to bear, but the fact is that the dog is not affected much by the kennel cough. It'shall seem to have enough energy and might look alert and cheerful even after an intense coughing attack.

The Kennel cough is known to be very contagious and is considered to be a mixture of various mycoplasma, viruses and bacteria. Its medical term is infectious tracheobronchitis . Here, the respiratory system malfunction and is common among the dogs that have been holed up at the pet shops with other pets and dogs. Thus, if you see the signs of intense coughing bouts, you should consider the possibility of the dog having contracted kennel cough.

The most common sign of the dog having kennel cough is when it coughs in a dry manner and a rough rumbling sounding cough which seems to come from the windpipe. Your dog might choke or retch in order to clear its air pipes.

The Kennel Cough is almost like the ours common cold which we suffer from time to time and can last between five to ten days. The dog might get relief from the kennel cough after a period of 5 10 days which can always return to infect your dog again just as humans get common cold again and again.

There a few things you can do to aid your dog while it is suffering. Just as we visit a doctor when unwell, you need to take the dog to the veterinarian whenever it begins to cough constantly. The veterinarian shall examine the dog, check out the extent and seriousness of the symptoms and give you guidance and solutions to assist your dog out.

The veterinarian might advise the use of cough suppressants as a remedy and can also administer antibiotics according to severity of the coughing. At times, kennel cough can be an indicator of a more serious health problem, for instance pneumonia which itself is painful and can be fatal. Pneumonia is a condition caused whenever the bacteria enter the air sacs of the dog (or human).

You can make use of preventive measures so that your dog does not fall prey to Kennel Cough. Whenever, the dog needs to be kept in a kennel for sometime, it is recommended to give intranasal vaccines which are more effective and provide better immunity than the vaccines given through injections. It is so as the intranasal vaccines actually stimulate the airways (both upper and lower ones) and help the airways develop immunity. The next time, you notice your dog having a bad cough, suspect kennel cough to be the cause of its cough.