Local dog owners in West Easton and surrounding communities are suffering with concern for their pets, as their dogs cough. It’s a respiratory ailment commonly referred to as Kennel Cough that is affecting their companions. It can also infect cats that may come in contact with the bacterial infection.
Kennel Cough (also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis) is a highly contagious respiratory infection among pets. Dogs commonly contract kennel cough at places where large amounts of canines congregate, such as boarding and daycare facilities, dog parks, training groups, and dog shows.
Though it is most commonly contracted among large groups of dogs, the highly contagious nature of the infection allows for it to be transmitted easily between neighborhood pets that are friendly toward each other.
An infected pet that shows symptoms will hack and cough, as if choking on something. Coughing fits will occur often and last minutes at a stretch. It’s a scary experience for parents of their beloved companion.
Although kennel cough can sound terrible, most of the time it is not a serious condition, and most dogs will recover without treatment. Kennel cough often resolves on its own in 10-14 days, but pets with more serious cases might need antibiotics to clear the infection.
While it’s rare, dogs do occasionally die from kennel cough – but these are usually young puppies or dogs with compromised immune systems.
Today, I spoke to my dog’s care provider, Alpha Veterinary Care, located in Alpha, NJ. Their representative told me that they are seeing more cases of Kennel Cough coming through their doors recently and are treating the animals with antibiotics. It was noted that a veterinarian can provide a pre-treatment to ward off an infection from another animal.
Examples of common antibiotics used in serious cases are Doxycycline, Trimethoprim-sulfa, Clavamox, or Baytril.
If your pet has the symptoms described above, or has recently recovered from what you may suspect might have been Kennel Cough it is recommended that you keep him isolated from others people’s pets for awhile. Even cured pets may still be contagious to other pets, since pets infected with Bordatella can shed bacteria for 6-10 weeks.
According to health experts, humans too can get affected by kennel cough, though it is extremely rare, as it is people with a weak immune system who are more prone to this ailment, which can cause an upper respiratory infection.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
