Whooping cough: in dogs too! : the chronicle of veterinarian Laetitia Barlerin

It is nicknamed “kennel cough” because it is common after a stay in a boarding or shelter. But any dog ​​is potentially exposed during simple contact, nose to nose, with a fellow dog. Thus, more than 800,000 doggies are infected each year in Europe!

DOG WHO COUGH

The disease is caused by different microbes, including a virus, Parainfluenza, and a bacteria, Bordetella bronchiseptica, from the same family as the whooping cough agent, but which is not transmissible to humans. A dry, hacking cough, which persists for two to three weeks, is the most classic manifestation. The animal is tired, eats little, its nose and eyes are running. The risk, high in puppies and older dogs, is lung damage, which is fatal and requires no treatment. Vaccination is the most effective way to protect it. It is recommended for young people and whatever the age, before any situation where contact increases: boarding, pet-sitting, dog park, agility sessions, education classes, etc. It can be done nasally, the veterinarian instilling the vaccine into one nostril, for one year of protection.