Kennel Cough

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3Britts
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Kennel Cough

Post by 3Britts » Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:32 am

Okay, I normally don't have problem with kennel cough as my dogs rarely live away from me. During those times with I have sent my dogs to travel or train with another person, I have simply taken them to the vet before traveling and had my vet vaccinate them against kennel cough. I never thought about the cost, and still don't.

What I am wondering is, what vaccine are you currently using and has it done the job for you? I give all the other shots, excluding rabies as that must be given by a vet in Utah, and have decided that I might as well do kennel cough too.

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mcbosco
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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by mcbosco » Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:40 am

if you do it, use the nasal version, it is safer and supposedly more effective

the musher i leave my dog with doesn't require it so I don't do it, i think that vaccine is a waste

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3Britts
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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by 3Britts » Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:45 am

Nasal is fine too. I am just wondering what is being used.

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mcbosco
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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by mcbosco » Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:58 am

oh the brand? I think most use Schering's product but cant be certain. You can typically get it without a script.

MikeB
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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by MikeB » Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:05 pm

Many feed stores sell puppy booster shots and Bordetella nasal or injectable too.

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Sprig
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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by Sprig » Sat Apr 17, 2010 9:29 pm

kennel cough is a lot like the flu. the vaccine doesnt always work. i have had my own dogs vaccinated and they still came down with kennel cough and they never were kenneled anywhere or around a lot of other dogs. the treatment is easy so it really aint a big deal if you catch it early enough and get the dog on the antibiotics.

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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by HouseCallVetNY » Mon Apr 19, 2010 10:23 pm

I recommend Schering's IntraTrac-3 Intranasal Vaccine which provides protection against Bordetella, CAV-2 and Parainfluenza, 3 of the most common causes of kennel cough. I do recommend 2 doses 3 weeks apart at 8 and 11 weeks (only 1 dose is recommended by manufacturer but I have seen better results with 2) and every 6 month dosing thereafter. It is more costly but not as much as treating kennel cough should it occur. On that note, NO kennel cough vaccine is 100% effective but this brand provides the best protection across the board and any cases that still occur should be short and mild. Good Luck!

John T. Shokoff, DVM
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www.AllPetsVeterinaryHomeCare.com

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mcbosco
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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by mcbosco » Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:46 am

Sorry doc, there is no reason to give that vaccine every six months willy nilly. If the dog or pup is going to be boarded one can make an argument to use it, otherwise the is no reason. Outside of young puppies, immune comprised dogs KC is a mild self limiting infection.

I live in the NYC area and its shameful how some vets push uneeded vaccines. I have heard vets recommend vaccinating dogs for kennel cough for trips to the groomer.
Last edited by mcbosco on Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

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GrayDawg
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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by GrayDawg » Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:01 am

What he said............
HouseCallVetNY wrote:I recommend Schering's IntraTrac-3 Intranasal Vaccine which provides protection against Bordetella, CAV-2 and Parainfluenza, 3 of the most common causes of kennel cough. I do recommend 2 doses 3 weeks apart at 8 and 11 weeks (only 1 dose is recommended by manufacturer but I have seen better results with 2) and every 6 month dosing thereafter. It is more costly but not as much as treating kennel cough should it occur. On that note, NO kennel cough vaccine is 100% effective but this brand provides the best protection across the board and any cases that still occur should be short and mild. Good Luck!

John T. Shokoff, DVM
Twitter: HouseCallVetNY
Facebook: All Pets Vet Housecalls
http://www.AllPetsVeterinaryHomeCare.com
May all your dog's points be productive & your arrows avoid all timber

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Re: Kennel Cough

Post by HouseCallVetNY » Tue Apr 20, 2010 9:04 am

I assumed it went without saying that not EVERY DOG would receive the kennel cough vaccine "willy nilly", or ANY vaccine for that matter. That said, kennel cough is a pathologically under-used vaccination considering the prevalence of the disease and safety of the vaccine. For any dog AT RISK, the vaccine should be given EVERY SIX MONTHS. This goes for any dog with exposure to other dogs (healthy OR NOT as healthy dogs can still carry very "hot" strains of the disease without their own body showing signs of illness and pass it on to unknowing, unprotected dogs). In fact, dogs can even pick up "kennel cough" from animals other than dogs as Bordetella (one of the bacteria on the long list of bacteria and viruses that can cause "kennel cough") can be carried and transmitted by many animals. Therefore, if your dog is at risk for contracting this disease you should consider vaccination every 6 months. If NOT at risk, then do not vaccinate at all if you feel comfortable with that and deal with an issue only IF you need to.

As for not vaccinating dogs who go to the groomer (probably the 2nd most likely place to contract the disease, boarding kennels being first) that is VERY IRRESPONSIBLE. A good groomer should REQIURE all pets be vaccinated within 6 months for kennel cough (and all diseases prevalent in that area inthe past 12 months) and do all they can to keep sick patients out. This helps the healthy AND sick pets because we keep the healthy ones healthy and keep the sick ones from picking up anything new while their immune system is compromised. I recently diagnosed one of the worst cases of kennel cough in years AT A GROOMING SHOP (I am a house call vet so I go to my patients) and it was the groomer's own dog! It was an otherwise OUTWARDLY healthy 6 month old Pug who the owner thought would get over the disease on its own. When it didn't after 2 weeks (every day of which it spent at the shop) I was called. When I arrived the dog had thick green snot dripping from its nose as it ran from cage to cage with its tail wagging greeting the other dogs who were there for the day while the owner/groomer worked on another dog without a care in the world! These pets' owners had NO IDEA their dog was being exposed to such a severe case of the disease when they dropped them off at this APPARENTLY SPOTLESS facility that morning (I also diagnosed the groomer's other dog with coccidia the same day) and I would venture a guess that more than half of them came down with it within 10 days. And even though it SHOULD be a self-limiting disease in a healthy pet that is not always the case. Some infections are more virulent than others, sometimes dogs have something else going on without the owner knowing it that its immune system is "focused" on (even after a long hunt that leaves a dog "down a rung" from its normal self) and in cases like this an otherwise healthy appearing dog CAN develop a serious case of kennel cough. While it may not be life-threatening in the high majority of cases WHY let your dog go through that if there is a safe, economical and JUSTIFIED alternative? Blame the groomer for this because it is obviously her fault without question but again, looking at the place NOBODY woulld have had a reservation about leaving their dog there for the day. It is for these UNKNOWN times that vaccines are MOST important-otherwise we could just avoid all disease altogether!

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