Kennel cough

[ajandjjmum]

On the first day of our holiday (typical!), we got a call to say that our 3 yr old lab had kennel cough. He wasn't in a kennel, but at home with the people house-sitting.

The vet treated him with injections and tablets, and now (we got home yesterday) he seems fine.

But we're a little confused as he had his regular kennel cough jab in May, so didn't think he could get the illness. I shall talk to the vet when they re-open after the holiday, but beforehand thought I would ask for the experiences of others - ie. is it correct that the jabs don't always work?

Thanks for any help.

The kennel cough vaccine is up the nose, not an injection. If he had this, it doesn't cover all strains so they can still catch it. Different vets I've spoken to have said different things, but the only one with no financial interest in encouraging me to have it said she wouldn't bother as it is not very effective. Happy to come on and be contradicted by a Doghouse resident vet though as I have no qualifications!

Kennel cough is really a misnomer. What your dog had was an upper respiratory infection, which can be caused by any number of bugs. The 'kennel cough' vaccination is a squirt up the nose and protects against one specific, nasty, bacteria. Unless your lab had a nasopharyngeal swab which was positive for this bacteria, then I would say he had another, more minor, viral infection which he has now fully recovered from. HTH

The kennel cough vaccine is a bit like a human having the flu jab - it doesn't cover all strains ,but hopefully if you catch it you don't get as badly affected . IMO it is well worth having the vaccine just for that reason - my dog came to us as a puppy with the Battersea strain of KC and is very susceptible to it ,despite having the vaccine ,he has also got a longstanding tracheal issue probably due to having KC so badly as a small pup .

I've never had a vet who encouraged you to have the drops tbh and the only time mine have had them is if the were going into kennels (rare) and the kennels insisted, though they caught it once from kennels even after having them.

I didn't realise it wasn't a jab - but a spray. Now it's been compared to the flu jab it makes loads more sense that the vaccination doesn't cover every strain.

He certainly seems bright enough, and I haven't heard him cough since we got home, so he should be well on the mend.

Thank you all!

The kennel cough vaccination which is liquid up the nose covers two of the three cases of kennel cough Bordetella and Parainfluenza it does not cover for rhinotracheitis.
Some injectable vaccinations cover for parainfluenza.
Bordetella tends to be the bit that makes dogs the most ill.
Dogs who have had the vaccination tend to get a milder, short case of kennel cough if they get it.
I do vaccinate my own dog as he spends a lot if time in the surgery and goes to regularly dog classes so s at quite high risk of catching it.