“Kennel cough” (now more conventionally termed “canine infectious respiratory disease complex’) is a fairly common problem in dogs that can be caused by an array of bacteria and viruses. We commonly see it in outbreaks, often linked to kennels, but sometimes we see higher levels of disease in the broader community. What we’re more concerned
Canine and Feline Respiratory Infection Treatment Guidelines
The latest set of clinical treatment guidelines from the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases have been published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Lappin et al 2017): Antimicrobial Use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Tract Disease in Dogs and Cats: Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious
Canine respiratory disease precautions
If you’re one of the many (many) people asking about what to do in the midst of a canine respiratory disease outbreak, or someone who just wants to know what to do to reduce everyday risk of CIRDC, here are some basic pointers:
The microbes that cause respiratory disease in dogs are primarily
Increased canine infectious respiratory disease: Ontario
Infectious respiratory disease isn’t exactly rare in dogs. A variety of viruses, bacteria and Mycoplasma can cause what we generically call canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC, formerly and still commonly called “kennel cough”). We see clusters of disease periodically and hear rumours of larger outbreaks, but usually there’s not a lot of additional information
From the kennel cough files….
Kennel cough, also (and more properly) referred to as canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), has been in the news lately. This condition is a syndrome, not a specific disease, being potentially caused by a range of bacteria, viruses and Mycoplasma, including canine parainfluenza virus, canine influenza virus, canine respiratory herpesvirus, canine adenovirus
Kennel cough and vets
An article from NBCMontana.com describes a kennel cough outbreak in dogs in Bozeman, Montana. It’s a pretty basic article that outlines a rather typical presentation of kennel cough (now largely referred to as canine infectious respiratory disease complex – a respiratory infection that can be caused by a range of viruses, bacteria and Mycoplasma).
Bordetella bronchiseptica infection in a cancer patient…kitten suspected as source
A paper in the Journal of Neurooncology (Redelman-Sidi et al, 2011) describes "kitten-transmitted Bordetella bronchiseptica infection" in a cancer patient. The patient in question had a brain tumour that was surgically removed. The 56-year-old man was then started on chemotherapy, which in addition to killing cancer cells can also cause significant
Kennel cough vaccination and boarding
It’s very common for kennels to require dogs be vaccinated against "kennel cough" before they are allowed in. There are two main reasons for this:
- Reducing the risk that a dog will bring kennel cough into the facility and spread it to other dogs.
- Reducing the likelihood that a dog will acquire kennel cough if
Another Ontario canine respiratory disease outbreak
Recently, I wrote about a potential outbreak of respiratory disease in dogs in Ottawa, Ontario. That "outbreak" seems to have died down (as is common, since outbreaks typically burn out over a period of time). However, I had a call today about a similar situation that might be occurring in the Whitby (Ontario) area.
Kennel cough clusters
I had a call from a colleague in Ottawa (Ontario) the other day, asking if I’d seen an increase in kennel cough in dogs lately. Kennel cough is a respiratory infection of dogs that can be caused by a variety of different viruses and bacteria, or combinations thereof, but is often associated with the bacterium