What exactly is “kennel cough?”
“Kennel cough” is a common term for Canine Bordetella, a bacterial infection that is easily spread through populations of dogs in close proximity to one another. For this reason, most Veterinarians require a Bordetella vaccination prior to kenneling your dog. With several dogs in a kennel, show or grooming shop situation, they all like to bark…and bark…and bark. This can cause the dog’s throat to become raw or inflamed, just like a person who’s been at the baseball game, screaming and hollering all day. This leaves the throat open for infection. And if one of the dogs in that population is harboring Bordetella, those germs are going to be spread very quickly to the susceptible victim. “Kennel cough” can be treated successfully with antibiotics, but it’s a slow and expensive routine. This is a good example of “a ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure”. If you’re planning to board your dog, or take him to a show, etc., have your Veterinarian give him a Bordetella vaccination
