Health & Medical

It usually starts at two in the morning. A harsh, dry, honking cough — the kind that sounds like your dog is trying to bring up something lodged in the throat — repeated every few minutes until you are wide awake and convinced something is stuck.

Nine times out of ten, nothing is stuck. That distinctive goose-honk cough is the calling card of canine infectious tracheobronchitis, better known as kennel cough, and it is one of the most common respiratory conditions in dogs.

What it actually is

Kennel cough is not one disease. It is a syndrome caused by any of several pathogens, often working together. The bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica is the one everyone names, but canine parainfluenza virus, canine adenovirus type 2, canine respiratory coronavirus, and Mycoplasma species all contribute.

These organisms damage the lining of the trachea and upper airways. That lining normally carries a layer of tiny hair-like cilia that sweep debris upward and out. When infection strips them, the airway becomes inflamed and hypersensitive, and anything that touches it — air, dust, a collar pressing on the throat — triggers coughing.

Transmission is airborne and by direct contact. A single infected dog coughing in a boarding kennel, daycare, grooming salon, shelter, dog park, or training class can seed a dozen others. Contaminated bowls, toys, and human hands spread it too. The name comes from where outbreaks get noticed, not from where it exclusively occurs.

Recognising it

The signature sign is a loud, dry, hacking cough that often ends in a gag or a retch, sometimes producing a small amount of white foam. Owners frequently describe it as the dog choking or trying to vomit, and many first calls to the vet are about a suspected foreign object.

Coughing typically worsens with excitement, exercise, and pressure on the neck. It also tends to be worse at night.

Otherwise, a dog with uncomplicated kennel cough usually seems fine. Normal appetite, normal energy, bright and interested. Some have a runny nose, mild eye discharge, or occasional sneezing.

Incubation runs roughly two to fourteen days after exposure, so think back a week or two when trying to work out where it came from.

When it is not just kennel cough

This is the part worth reading carefully, because the difference between a nuisance and an emergency shows in a handful of specific signs.

Call your vet promptly if the dog is lethargic, off food, running a fever, breathing rapidly or with visible effort, coughing up yellow or green material, or if gums look pale or bluish. Those point toward pneumonia, which is the main complication and needs treatment quickly.

Puppies, senior dogs, brachycephalic breeds, and dogs with existing heart or lung disease or suppressed immune systems are at higher risk of progression. For those dogs, do not adopt a wait-and-see approach.

Also worth remembering: coughing has other causes. Heart disease, collapsing trachea, lungworm, allergic airway disease, and inhaled foreign bodies can all produce a cough. A dog that coughs for more than a couple of weeks, or whose cough sounds wet rather than dry, deserves proper investigation rather than assumption.

Diagnosis

Most cases are diagnosed on history and physical examination. A vet who hears the classic cough, learns the dog was at daycare last week, and can reproduce the cough by gently pressing the trachea has a strong working diagnosis.

Chest radiographs come into play when pneumonia is suspected or when the cough is not resolving. PCR testing on a swab can identify specific pathogens and is useful in outbreak situations or in complicated cases, though it rarely changes treatment for a straightforward one.

Treatment, including the part where you do nothing

Most uncomplicated cases resolve on their own in one to three weeks. The immune system handles it. Antibiotics are frequently unnecessary and are increasingly reserved for dogs with signs of bacterial complication, persistent illness, or higher risk profiles.

Supportive care is the mainstay. Rest — genuinely rest, meaning short lead walks and no running around for the duration. Switch from a collar to a harness so nothing presses on the trachea. Run a humidifier, or let the dog sit in a steamy bathroom for ten minutes a couple of times a day, which loosens things and soothes the airway.

Keep the environment free of smoke, aerosols, strong cleaning products, and dust. Encourage fluids and offer palatable food.

Cough suppressants are sometimes prescribed for dogs whose coughing is exhausting them or preventing sleep. Do not give human cough medicine without veterinary advice — several common ingredients, including xylitol as a sweetener, are dangerous to dogs.

Keeping it out of the neighbourhood

An infected dog stays contagious for one to two weeks after signs resolve, and shedding can continue longer with some pathogens. Keep the dog away from daycare, parks, classes, and other dogs during that window, and tell any facility your dog recently attended so they can warn others.

Wash bowls, bedding, and toys. Wash your hands after handling — you will not catch it, but you can carry it.

Vaccination

The Bordetella vaccine comes in intranasal, oral, and injectable forms. Intranasal and oral versions produce local immunity in the airway and tend to work faster, with protection developing within a few days.

Be clear about what it does. It reduces severity and likelihood of illness; it does not guarantee prevention, partly because so many different pathogens cause the same syndrome. A vaccinated dog can still get kennel cough, and usually gets a milder version.

Most boarding facilities, daycares, and training centres require it, typically every six to twelve months depending on exposure risk. Combined with parainfluenza and adenovirus coverage in the core vaccines, it covers the main players.

For a healthy adult dog with a normal immune system, kennel cough is an unpleasant fortnight and nothing more. Rest it properly, watch for the warning signs, and it passes.