2017-05-31
Dogville friends, in the past two weeks, we have been made aware of three cases of Canine Cough (used to be called Kennel Cough) in dogs that spent some time at Dogville. One of the three dogs belonged to an employee. None of these dogs are currently in our facility, and the ones that came to daycare will not return until they no longer have symptoms. While we do not have an outbreak at Dogville, we have heard that Canine Cough is making its way around the area. In order to keep you informed about the latest information on Canine Cough, we thought we would share the following article in this month’s newsletter from our friends at Catoosa Small Animal Hospital. All dogs that attend our daycare and board with us must be up to date on vaccinations, including Bordetella.
You will find the below article both informative and helpful. As always, don’t hesitate to call the Dogville team at (918) 949-6070 if you have any questions. – Delana McNac
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Reprinted with permission from the Spring Issue of the Catoosa Small Animal Hospital Newsletter:
Over the last month or so, it seems that canine “cough” is running through the dog population in Northeast Oklahoma. This is what you need to know about this disease.
1. This infection is more of a “nuisance” that a life-threatening disease. Ninety-nine percent of the dogs that develop canine cough never feel bad, they just sound bad when they cough.
2. Canine cough is not caused by one bug. We vaccinate against 3 of the common causes and yet some dogs contract the “cough” anyway. When we board animals we require that dogs are vaccinated against everything possible in this area, but it is not a guarantee that the cough may not show up. A vaccine for every organism that causes it is not currently available.
3. Canine cough is highly contagious. It is impossible for your furry friend to not be exposed to canine cough unless they never go anywhere. Canine cough spreads wherever dogs go which includes grooming facilities, boarding facilities, dog parks, across the fence in your neighborhood and even veterinary hospitals can be a source of infection. In comparison, it is just like a doctor’s office or hospital being the source of contagious disease.
4. You should never be upset or angry with your groomer, boarding facility or veterinarian if your pet begins coughing after visiting one of these facilities. It is impossible to be 100% safe. The main problem is the a dog that is exposed to cough will incubate the bug and spread it to other dogs days before they every start coughing themselves. They are “typhoid Marys,” and it is impossible to know they are contagious!
5. We at Catoosa Small Animal Hospital do the following to try and control this bug. First, we require all boarding dogs to be vaccinated for all the cough bugs we can vaccinate for. Second, we will never board a dog that has cough. Second, we will not board a dog that has cough. (Note from Delana: We also follow both of these guidelines at Dogville). Third, if a client calls with a dog that has obvious canine cough from the owner’s description, we will have them pick up meds and not even bring the pet in for an exam to minimize the spread of the cough. Many times an owner will describe the symptoms as the dog having something caught in their throat, hacking to remove it, and possibly vomiting a foamy material.
6. Fortunately, the disease is rarely serious and is easily and inexpensively treated in most cases.
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Again, call us at (918) 949-6070 if you have any questions about this or would like to learn more about Dogville Daycare & Boarding. Have a great day!
