We have recently seen several cases of tracheobronchitis, better known as “Kennel Cough.” This highly contagious disease has recently been reported on TV and in newspapers. South Florida has reported a large number of cases. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, we saw many cases in dogs that had recently been in boarding kennels. No vaccine was available, and the treatment was a cough suppressant and antibiotics. Research at that time identified a bacterium, called Bordetella, as a common cause of the cough. A vaccine was developed and is in use today. Most kennels require the Bordetella vaccine for boarding your pet. Most kennels require the vaccine to be renewed every six months, although the companies that develop the vaccine label it for twelve months.

Several years ago, a second form of kennel cough emerged, which is caused by a canine influenza virus. The first cases were discovered in New England. The cases began appearing in Florida as people began traveling with their pets. This flu virus was equally as contagious as Bordetella, producing similar symptoms. We were also seeing that the virus led to pneumonia more frequently than the Bordetella infection. At the University of Florida veterinary hospital, it was so serious that if a dog was suspected of this virus, the doctors would treat the patient in the car and now allow the dog into the hospital. Eventually, a vaccine was developed, and we started immunizing against the canine influenza virus. Another strain of canine influenza was discovered in Chicago, and a bivalent vaccine was developed that was combined with the original vaccine.

This past November and December, we started seeing the symptoms of kennel cough in several dogs seen in our hospitals. The classic symptom is a loud “honking” cough that can be mistaken for an attempt to vomit. The cough is prolonged once it starts, and it can come up almost overnight. The incubation period is 7 to 10 days. Dogs acquire the disease from droplets in the air from another dog coughing. It can also be transmitted on clothes that an owner may have, or a dog toy, that was exposed to a coughing dog. When walking down the street, your dog can be exposed to some phlegm on the ground where another dog had coughed. The most likely exposure would be in a kennel, at a dog park, or anywhere that dogs gather. Although vaccines help, we have seen two dogs within the last week that had been vaccinated for both the viral and bacterial kennel cough that got the disease and then developed pneumonia. Both cases survived and recovered with the proper treatment.

Our recommendation is to vaccinate for both Bordetella and for Canine influenza if you plan on boarding your dog, going to dog parks, day care, and/or other places that dogs frequent. If your dog is exhibiting signs of coughing, get to your veterinarian’s office soon to start treatment, and thus avoid pneumonia. Remember that your dog is highly contagious to other dogs! Do not allow interaction with other dogs until the coughing subsides.