Keep Your Pup Safe from Kennel Cough

A recent development of Kennel Cough has spread rapidly and become highly contagious among dogs on Marco Island. Kennel Cough is a highly contagious, common airway infection in dogs that can be caused by various viruses and bacteria. Kennel Cough is common in places where many dogs congregate. Marco Veterinarian, Carrie Portu, shares that “places like grooming centers, kennels, and dog parks are a concern…people were urged to avoid the dog park for a couple of weeks to control the spread.” The most distinctive symptom is a loud, hacking cough. 

With the number of Kennel Cough cases on Marco Island rapidly increasing, the City of Marco Island’s Parks and Recreation had made the decision to temporarily close Canine Cove. The park’s main priority is to ensure the safety and health of our local pets. The Canine Cove was reopened recently, however there are various warnings regarding kennel cough on each of the entrance gates. Owners are advised to take precautions in protecting their precious pups as Kennel Cough is still very prevalent and highly contagious among dogs. 

The best way to prevent kennel cough is to vaccinate your dog annually. The Marco Vet Clinic offers the vaccine for Kennel Cough, the Bordetella Vaccine. Dr. Portu describes the vaccine’s benefits, “The vaccine works similar to the flu vaccine in people. Vaccinated dogs usually have no clinical signs or a shorter, milder course of disease.” Dogs who receive the Bordetella vaccine may have a mild to moderate cough for seven to 10 days but don’t usually run a fever.

An unvaccinated dog’s exposure to Kennel Cough can have much more serious consequences and severe symptoms. The severity of these symptoms “can be present for three to four weeks and include a moderate to severe cough, fever, lethargy, poor appetite and loss of body condition as a result.” Kennel Cough, like many other diseases, puts younger and older dog populations with weaker immune systems at a higher risk. 

The procedure for taking care of unvaccinated infected dogs is administering antibiotics as well as cough medication. These dogs require very close monitoring and rechecks to ensure that they are recovering well. These dogs can also become at risk of “developing secondary pneumonia which is a serious concern.”

The Marco Island Veterinary Clinic is working very hard and doing the best that they can to ensure that everyone’s pups are in good health. Dr. Portu shares that, “Of course, any dog can become more compromised than expected with any disease, which is why we urge clients to bring a sick dog in to be assessed, treated if necessary and monitored properly. Hopefully, this will pass quickly and people can get back to socializing with their pooches as they want to!”