Advice regarding mild respiratory infection (e.g. Kennel cough)

Note – In the event of a pet being concurrently unwell or persistent fever or difficulty breathing = ACUTE referral.

OTHERWISE use the procedure below:

As we discussed earlier, the evidence suggests that your dog may have an upper respiratory infection also called "kennel cough".

It is common in dogs, and the most common symptoms are: Strong persistent cough - which may include vomiting of mucus afterwards - and the symptoms are typically worsened by physical activity. Often dogs appear quite well between episodes of coughing and eat normally.

Kennel cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection, often a combination of a number of infectious organisms. It can take between 2-10 days from the time your dog has had contact with infected dogs until it itself shows symptoms. There are two types of vaccine against kennel cough - which can reduce the risk of infection. But your dog may well get kennel cough despite being vaccinated - usually just with less symptoms than in non-vaccinated dogs. Your dog can also, despite vaccination, be a symptom-free carrier of infection.

It is therefore important that you keep your dog isolated from other dogs, avoid participation in dog training and other dog to dog contact. Only take short walks to minimize activity which can worsen the symptoms and try to exercise far away from other dogs. Keep your dog isolated from other dogs for 14 days after symptoms resolve, as your dog can still pose a risk of infection to other dogs during this period.

Using a harness when walking is generally a very good idea, and in a dog with kennel cough this is even more important instead of using a collar - as any pressure on the neck region/throat - can trigger and worsen coughing symptoms - which is why this should be avoided.

In addition, you may give your dog softened food and avoid chewing bones and other hard food elements that can cause further irritation to the upper airway. You may continue this feeding routine as long as your dog has coughing symptoms.

Kennel cough will typically resolve on its own over a period of 7-14 days.

If your dog does not improve after a few days or appears to be increasingly unwell alongside the coughing then seek the advice of your normal veterinarian as coughing may be a sign of other respiratory illnesses in addition to kennel cough. Most dogs with kennel cough are still happy eat normaly and to go out for exercise. If this is not the case then ask your local vet for advice.

The following may suggest a different cause.

-lethargy

-  fever

- Difficulty breathing

- poor appetite

If your vet wants to examine your dog they may suggest some precautions to reduce the risk of infecting other pets at the clinic so make sure to the the reception staff that you suspect possible kennel cough.

Your vet may suggest some investigations to see if there are any other reasons for the persistent cough, such as chest Xrays.