Canine Cough

 

Cases of canine cough, commonly known as kennel cough, are being reported throughout Birmingham. Canine cough is airborne and can transmit through contact or surfaces.

Symptoms of canine cough include: a dry non-productive cough, gagging or retching, rapid breathing, lethargy, lack of appetite, sneezing, runny nose and runny eyes

A dog can be contagious without showing any symptoms. Canine cough is typically spread through Veterinarian Offices, dog daycare and boarding facilities, dog parks, pet stores, walking trails where dogs frequent, homes and yards with an infected dog

What To Do When You Think Your Dog Has Kennel cough

Call the vet to set up a time for treatment and advise them you think the dog has kennel cough.  They may ask you to wait with the dog in the car until they are ready to see you to prevent exposure to the other animals in the waiting room.

Call any boarding/training/play care/grooming facility you have visited in the last week to let them know–this can help them keep other doggies healthy.

As a courtesy to others, keep your dog away from boarding/training/play care/grooming facilities and dog parks until your dog is finished with ALL the medicine and cough free for at least 72 hours.

WTD Cleaning Policy – WTD disinfects the entire building twice daily. All bedding and suites for borders are disinfected each morning. WTD uses a product called ProVet Logic which we believe is the best product on the market.

While we maintain the cleanliness of our facility, we cannot guarantee another dog won’t bring an illness into it.  The dogs are under constant observation and as soon as one exhibits any kind of abnormal symptoms, the dog is removed from the group and isolated. Owners are immediately called to pick up their dog and in certain cases, we will transport the dog to one of our local veterinarian partners.

Again, our veterinarian partners equivocate this to a common cold or flu. With proper education, the current WTD procedures and proper veterinary treatment of our dogs, we can reduce exposure as much as possible.  However, please note that even though your dog may be fully vaccinated, there are still several strains of upper respiratory viruses it does not cover.