Infectious Tracheobronchitis (Kennel Cough)

Today I’m gonna write about Kennel Cough…an infection that has been prevalent at times in our city. Read on to know some more about the symptoms, causes and possible resolutions to this common disease.

Kennel Cough is a fairly common ailment in dogs and is mostly seen in spring and summer. A talk with the vets confirms that the virus is “in the air” in Bangalore. If your dog does develop kennel cough, don’t panic! The way this illness operates is analogous to the common cold that we humans sometimes catch. Although kennel cough can sound terrible, most of the time it is not a serious condition.

What is Kennel Cough?

Kennel Cough is caused by an airborne virus (parainfluenza) or bacteria called Bordetella which is highly contagious. Transmission of both the Parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bacteria occurs primarily by dog to dog contact or contact with aerosolized droplets (airborne transmission). The Bordetella bacteria resides in almost every dog, however a good immune system keeps the bacteria under control. A low immune system or stress can trigger bordetella to take hold and causes infection. Anytime your dog is in the vicinity of an infected dog, there is a potential for infection. The incubation period is 4-10 days, meaning your dog will not display signs of illness for 4-10 days following exposure to the virus. However, after the infection has been resolved, the affected animal will continue to shed the bacteria for 6 to 14 weeks and can spread the disease to other susceptible animals during that time.

People tend to associate it with dogs that have been in a boarding kennel. But your dog need not be in a kennel to catch the cough. The healthier the dog the best chance he has of getting rid of the disease fast, or not getting it at all. That is why the best thing is to build your dog’s immune system with a healthy diet. This is also the reason for not every dog in the kennel (or house) getting infected if there is an outbreak.

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptom is a dry hacking cough. Your dog will start coughing a lot, with a sound that seems as if he has something stuck in his throat. He will usually cough up phlegm after rounds of cough. As long as the colour of the phlegm is light and he seems to be in good spirits, the disease will probably take its course and go away in about 10 days with good care. A watery nasal discharge may also be present. With mild cases, dogs continue to eat and be alert and active. If the dog still shows the symptoms of kennel cough after 3 weeks and if he becomes weak or has dark phlegm, then he will need to be treated immediately, as he has probably developed a secondary bacterial infection which could be fatal if left untreated.

What precautions do we take at Petspace?

• Kennels have very good ventilation and are disinfected with germicide daily.


• Any dog that is found having the symptoms is quarantined immediately.


• Food/water bowls are kept separate for each dog, in their kennel.


• No common water bowls or balls or toys in the play areas.


• If the owner so chooses, there is an option of not socializing the dog, but is given adequate time out in the open alone.

Please feel free to contact us on advice or inputs regarding Kennel Cough: info@Petspace.in

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Infectious Disease in Michigan

I received a newsletter from the State Veterinary Office this week. It contained some interesting data on infectious diseases in Michigan. We strongly recommend vaccinating against two of these diseases. I get a fair amount of pushback from clients on these recommendations, surprisingly. I’d like to share some of the data with you.

Leptospirosis

(details here in a prior blog post)

There were 74 cases of Lepto reported in Michigan in 2011. Keep in mind that these are only the cases that veterinarians actually called the state to report. (Reportable diseases are those which require a vet to call the state when diagnosed.) Of those 74 cases, 13 were in Macomb county; 10 were in Oakland county; and 33 were in Wayne county. So, our tri-county area accounted for 56 out of 74 cases. That’s about 75%!

A very wide variety of breeds were affected, but many were small dog breeds. In my experience, these are the dogs that owners insist don’t have exposure because they only go outside very briefly. They’re also the breeds that breeders frequently tell clients should not have lepto vaccinations.

Three quarters of the strains of lepto that caused illness in these cases were strains we can vaccinate for. This means that the affected dogs probably did NOT have the vaccine. (It is possible for a vaccinated dog to still get sick. It’s just unlikely.)

The take-home message here is that dogs in Oakland county need to be vaccinated for Lepto.

Rabies

From January 1 to August 8 of 2012, there were 45 confirmed cases of Rabies in Michigan. Of those 45 cases, 37 were bats. Eight were skunks. In all of 2011, there were 65 confirmed cases. For 2012, Oakland county has had 2 positive bats and 3 positive skunks. There’s a neat map at this link showing where the positive cases have come from.

Michigan law requires all dogs be vaccinated for rabies. However, there is no law regarding cats. There really is no reason to avoid vaccinating a healthy cat. If a bat gets into the house, the cat will be the first to find it. Cats that go outside are also far more likely to come into contact with other wild animals than the average stay at home dog, so a cat’s risk is high enough to warrant vaccinating for rabies.

Finally, as rabies is frequently a fatal infection in people, the need to protect people by keeping our pets vaccinated is simply the smart thing to do.

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