Kennel cough is a highly contagious disease, one of the most common infections that your dog will face, it is found world wide, and can affect all breeds of dogs. Some of the progressive damages this disease can cause are mild to severe fevers, lethargy, pneumonia, and in the severest of cases, death.
However, do not panic, as it most cases your dog basically has what we, as owners, would refer to as a common cold. most of the cases of this highly contagious disease are not serious and can be corrected in a couple of weeks, but in some cases dogs can develop into some very serious complications.
The term “kennel cough” has been applied over time to a condition that affects dogs in their upper respiratory system and is actually referred to today as “tracheobronchitis canine infection”.
Most dog owners associate this disease with dogs that are boarded, or kenneled, and although it is easily caught this way because it is so contagious, it can attack your dog even if you have never had your dog kenneled.
Any time your dog is even in the vicinity of another dog that has this disease, they are at risk, as it is an airborne virus. The incubation period for this disease is somewhere between 8 and 10 days, and this means that you’re dog may not show any symptoms at all for a week or so.
As with any other type of disease or infection, the best prevention for your dog against this threat is to have a strong immune system to start with. with a well built immune system, your pet is much less likely to catch this highly contagious disease.
There are herbal and homeopathic remedies that can help with this disease, but by far and away the best way to build your dog’s immune system is with Vitamin C. Vitamin C emulates the immune system itself, as it reaches into every cell of your dog’s body.
Your pet’s immune system will benefit tremendously with Vitamin C supplementation as this nutrient plays a major function of the immune system.
This nutrient will help in the immune system fight against this disease as it helps to manufacture defensive mechanisms in your dog’s connective tissues which are an elaborate system that holds the body together, and is the primary ingredient of collagen, which is a glue-like substance that binds cells together to form tissues.
Vitamin C is vitally important to your dog and helping to prevent kennel cough as it helps to ward off foreign invasions such as air born diseases, which is what this is. it also will help to support your dog’s tissues from free radical damages that viruses can cause.
There is a vaccine for kennel cough known as Bordatela, but it is not especially effective with this disease simply because there are so many strains and different mutations of this virus out there.
The simulation can be made with a human flu shot which prevents a certain strain of flu only based on speculation that that particular strain will be what is prevalent in that time frame. If it is a different strain, the flu shot is ineffective.
The primary cause of this disease can be numerous airborne bacteria, viruses, or even mycoplasma, which is an organism that lies somewhere between a bacteria and a virus. it basically lacks a cell wall, and without a cell wall, this organism is unaffected by most common antibiotics.
The most common symptoms that indicate that your dog has this disease will be a very dry “hacking cough’ that may dog owners say sounds like geese honking, and there also may be a watery discharge that is present.
If this infection is not prevented, caught, or treated, the symptoms may progress.
Some of the progressive damages this disease can cause are mild to severe fevers, lethargy, pneumonia, and in the severest of cases, death, with most of the very severe cases occurring in immune-compromised dogs or puppies that have not been vaccinated.
With this disease, the pathogens that induce the inflammation of the windpipe, or the trachea, and the air passages into the lungs are, are battling against this infection.
Quite often, after a coughing spell, your dog will make sudden retching movements and actually cough up a white to yellowish-white discharge. with some dogs, the nasal mucous membrane may also be affected, causing nasal drip to occur.
If you do suspect that your canine friend has suddenly developed this disease due to these symptoms, you will need to notify your veterinarian immediately. However, in most cases with this condition other than the severe exceptions, again, do not panic.
Treatment of this disease will depend entirely on how severe your dog’s case is. in most of the cases, antibiotics will be used, much like the common cold, and cough suppressants may also be recommended. However, it is important to remember that this is in most cases a virus, and not bacteria. with the proper treatment, most cases of this infection will go away in a couple of weeks.
Some ways to help sooth your pets cough during this time will be by using honey. The recommendations with vary, ranging from a teaspoon for smaller dogs to a tablespoon for larger dogs, and by all means, keep your infected dog away from second hand smoke.