Kennel Cough Vaccine Effectiveness

The kennel cough is an infectious disease that has cold like symptoms. The kennel cough has no treatment, but the cough should typically go away even without treatment in up to 3 weeks. Puppies and immunocompromised dogs may have a more difficult time fighting the infection. There is however a kennel cough vaccine that may be administered to dogs. This vaccine can be effective, but not in 100% of cases.

The Kennel Cough in Dogs

The kennel cough is a bacterial infection that may be contracted from infected dogs and is often transmitted in canine environments such as kennels. The bacteria is airborne and may be transmitted through direct contact or being in environments with infected dogs that cough or sneeze and release the bacteria. The disease will manifest through symptoms such as sneezing, dry coughing, lack of appetite, lethargy or breathing difficulties. The symptoms may be more severe in puppies; some dogs may not show any symptoms.

The condition doesn’t have a treatment, but you can keep your dog in a warm and humid environment to promote the healing. Anti tussives may also be administered. The dog must also avoid exercise.

The Kennel Cough Vaccine

The kennel cough can be prevented through the administration of a vaccine. There are actually 2 types of vaccines that can be administered to dogs to prevent the occurrence of the kennel cough.

One kennel cough vaccine is administered through an injection; there is also an intranasal vaccine.

The injectable vaccine will take 2 to 5 days to become effective, so the pet must be kept away from other dogs during this period.

The intranasal vaccine will be effective from the moment it is administered

These vaccines may be administered in dogs as young as 4 to 6 weeks. These vaccines need to be administered once when the dog is young and then he should get an annual booster. Some vets will recommend a booster kennel cough vaccine shot 2 times per year.

Kennel Cough Vaccine Effectiveness

The kennel cough vaccine is not 100% effective. Regardless if you opt for the intranasal vaccine or the injectable shot, a vaccinated dog has a 40% chance of getting infected with the kennel cough.

Consequently, some vets will not recommend the kennel cough vaccines, as these may have side effects and can also be costly.

The kennel cough is difficult to prevent; your pet may be exposed to different dogs that may not even show symptoms of the kennel cough, but are carriers of the bacteria causing the infection. Not even the kennel cough vaccine can guarantee that the dog will not get infected.

Getting a kennel cough vaccine is optional; however, you should get informed on the kennel cough and get some effective remedies that can relieve the cough symptoms, so that your dog can easily get over this infection without developing complications.

 

Comments