A Word About Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease: AKA Kennel Cough

July 17, 2019 by Trina Eddy

You take your energetic two-year old to the park to play and several days later you hear a subtle cough, throat clearing sound or the unmistakable dry, hacking cough, which is often more noticeable at night and in the mornings. You are perplexed because your dog is fully vaccinated, so assume it cannot be “Kennel Cough”, and chalk it up to gagging on something and go about your day.

You drop him off at daycare and an hour later you get a frantic call from the kennel owner asking you to pick up your dog because he’s coughing. You’re shocked, because he is up to date on all his vaccinations and are quite annoyed by the inconvenience. Two weeks later, your daycare is closed temporarily due to Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease (CIRD) or more commonly Kennel Cough. Your canine had caught an airborne disease, usually seen 7-14 days after exposure and it is now circulating to all his buddies.

This exposure can happen anywhere. As dog parks become popular, more dogs are exposed to and become carriers of diseases. Dog daycare, classes, shows, kennels, even a simple trip to the vet or groomer can all lead to exposure of infectious diseases. A dog that never leaves his home or yard is also at risk for airborne diseases. Days before showing symptoms of canine cough, a dog can transmit germs.

It is important to keep your dog away from other dogs if they have any abnormal coughing. To be on the safe side, you should wait several days after the last cough was heard before allowing contact with other dogs. The coughing can last up to 3 weeks.

Pet facilities need the help of each owner in keeping pets healthy. We can’t always avoid illness, but we can try to prevent it from spreading. It is very important that you notify your boarding, training or daycare facility if your dog has knowingly been exposed to or has come down with any illness. Signs of illness such as diarrhea, fever, lethargy, green mucus, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and vomiting should also be reported and discussed with your vet. Because CIRD is so highly contagious, any dog who has knowingly been exposed should take a two week break from dog communal areas to see if any symptoms occur. If symptoms do occur, keep your dog home until several days after the last cough.

For a better understanding of CIRD, read the letter below from Dr. Koenig DVM.

Dear Dog Owners,

We have recently been seeing an unusually high number of patients with Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease (CIRD). What does this mean? CIRD is the medical name for “Kennel Cough” and is essentially any contagious respiratory disease in dogs. This can be viral or it can be bacterial. We typically think of Bordetella bronchiseptica as the cause of this disease, and this is a disease that most pets have been vaccinated against. Due to pets being well vaccinated against Bordetella it is unusual to see pets with this specific form of respiratory disease and they typically will have a disease that they have not been vaccinated against.

There are several different contagious respiratory diseases that can occur in dogs. These include the following:

Parainfluenza virus
Bordetella bronchiseptica (bacteria)
Adenovirus type 2
Canine distemper virus
Canine influenza virus
Canine herpesvirus (very young puppies)
Mycoplasma canis (a single-cell organism that is neither virus nor bacterium)
And others

As mentioned, CIRD can be bacterial or viral. Viral causes of CIRD do not typically need direct treatment, however they do affect normal respiratory barriers making your dog more susceptible to bacterial infections at the same time. Bacterial infections sometimes do require treatment with antibiotics, however in mild cases the pet’s immune system may be able to clear this without medical treatment.

What to watch for: Coughing (dry or wet sounding), runny nose, eye discharge or redness, increased respiratory rate, lethargy, inappetence, fever. If your pet is suddenly experiencing these symptoms please contact your veterinarian to determine the treatment plan most appropriate for you and your pet. Some pets may only develop mild symptoms, while others may develop more severe conditions such as pneumonia. Typical treatment of CIRD includes cough suppressants and antibiotics when indicated. More severe cases may require hospitalization and more advanced care. Your veterinarian may recommend bloodwork, a respiratory panel, x-rays and other diagnostics. When contacting your veterinarian please tell them about your pet’s symptoms and ask if they have a special entrance they would like you to use or if they would like you to keep your pet in the parking lot to reduce the risk of disease transmission to other pets in the hospital. Your pet may be contagious from 1-3 weeks and should be kept at home during this time.

Who is at risk? All dogs can potentially develop CIRD. However, typically young dogs and dogs that are immuno-compromised (geriatric, pregnant, being treated with immunosuppressive medications such as chemotherapy, steroids, etc.) are more at risk. Additionally, pets that are being boarded, going to the dog park, doggie day care or other areas with many dogs have a higher risk of exposure to these diseases. If your pet will be in any of these settings I encourage owners to ask if there have been (or are currently) any pets that are known to be ill. Also, the boarding/day care facilities are encouraged to ask about any know symptoms to prevent exposure to other pets.

Thank you,

Jennifer R Koenig DVM

Snohomish Station Animal Hospital 2705 Bickford Ave Suite 5A Snohomish, WA 98290