How Can I Prevent Kennel Cough?

How can I prevent kennel cough? Our country vet, Dr. Rob Sharp of Hillsboro, Ohio, answers your pet questions.

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I'll be boarding my golden retriever over the holidays, and I'm worried that he'll catch kennel cough. What causes the illness, and how can I prevent it?

A.W., Pittsfield, Massachusetts

We all know what happens when a kid with a cold walks into kindergarten: In no time, everyone in the class has a case of the sniffles. It's the same scenario with dogs and kennel cough, a catchall term for bronchitis that spreads quickly among canines in close quarters. Although the illness can be caused by a host of organisms, the bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica and the parainfluenza virus top the list of common culprits. Once infected, pups develop a dry, hacking cough that sounds horrible but generally clears up on its own in a few weeks. A quick vet visit can determine if antibiotics will help and rule out anything serious, especially if the pet in question is elderly or has an underlying condition.

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Of course, you're hoping to prevent the illness. And there's good news on that front: A simple vaccine can lower your dog's risk of contracting the pesky cough by targeting the two most common bugs. Puppies as young as three weeks can get inoculated, and an annual booster keeps older animals' immunity strong. Have the vaccine administered at least two weeks before your retriever's boarded and request proof of inoculation, as many kennels require it. Not surprisingly, they don't want to send home a bunch of coughing dogs any more than you want to pick up a sick pooch after the holidays.

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