Kennel Cough Vaccine

Recently, your dog has been suffering from a harsh, hacking cough, which sounds like something is stuck in its throat. Your dog shows no signs of fever or loss of appetite and is still the same old active dog. But the coughing seems bad. This can be a case of kennel cough. Kennel cough is almost like the cough which we humans have when we get a chest cold. If your dog is suffering from the same, then you should give it the kennel cough vaccine. Want to know what this vaccine is all about? Want to know whether or not this will have any side effects on your dog? Here is some more information about this vaccine. But before that let us first see what exactly we mean by kennel cough.

Causes and Symptoms

This is a highly contagious common health problem. This is a viral infection which is characterized by the upper respiratory system inflammation. There are several agents which are responsible for this infection. The most common, however, are the parainfluenza virus, Bordetella bronchiseptica and mycoplasma. The former is an air borne virus which is present in almost every dog. This infection usually spreads from one dog to another, specially in a place such as a dog show or in a kennel where there are many dogs staying. The infection that is present in the lungs of the dog, are released in the air when the infected dog coughs or when it sneezes. If another dog is present nearby, then that dog becomes infected as well. Some of the major kennel cough symptoms are:

• Harsh and dry hacking cough
• Sneezing, snorting and retching
• Watery discharge from nose
• When the case becomes severe, then the dog might become lethargic and have fever
• Pneumonia might also occur in extreme cases which might lead to the death of the dog.

But not to worry as there is a vaccine for this illness. Now that we have seen what are the various causes and symptoms of kennel cough, let us now see what are the best ways to prevent kennel cough.

Vaccine

Keeping your dog away from other infected dogs and also taking the necessary preventive actions, is the best way to prevent it form suffering from this infection. You can also give your dog the vaccine shot. Ask your vet to give your dog this shot. This is a homeopathy shot which gets rid of the dry and hacking cough and which improves the respiratory system and increases the dog's immunity.

Types of Vaccines
There are two types of vaccines which you can try out; one that has to be injected and the other that has to be taken intranasal. The vaccine starts working few days after it has been injected. Once the dog is four weeks old, you can vaccinate it. If the kennel vaccine only contains the Bordetella agent, then it might not be that effective. Hence, it's important that it includes some of the other agents like Parainfluenza and Adenovirus. Intranasal vaccine starts taking effect slightly faster than the injection.

Side Effects of the Vaccine

The common side effects are given below. If you notice any of these effects then there is no reason to worry. But if your dog shows some allergic reactions to the vaccine, then you have to talk to the vet about it. The common side effects are swelling at the place where the injection was given, the dog becomes lethargic and suffers from slight temperature. The dog will also lose its appetite for a few days. Some of the serious symptoms that you need to watch out for after your dog has taken the vaccine are:

• Vomiting
• Pale Gums
• Increase in the heart rate
• Diarrhea
• Seizures.

If your dog shows any of these side effects after taking the vaccine, then you should take it to the vet and follow what the vet says. If, however, your dog does get the kennel cough, then there are some kennel cough treatment which you can try out.

Frequency and Costs

Coming to the frequency, after the main dose has been given the booster vaccination needs to be taken after nearly 3-4 weeks. The next dose will be decides by the vet. If you want to know about the cost, then it will cost you around USD 26 to USD 36. The price might vary from one locality to another, though.

If you now ask "is kennel cough contagious to humans", then the answer is no, we are not contagious to this virus, although the Bordetella is slightly closer to the virus Bordetella pertussis, which causes whooping cough in humans. Thus, now that you know about the kennel cough vaccine, give your dog a shot today so that it is never infected by this virus. After the shot, give it proper dog care, so that it can recover fast from the side effects of this vaccine.