You know it makes sense

At our kennels and Cattery we want all our guests to remain in good health. For this reason we insist on all animals being up to date with all their vaccinations, including Kennel Cough for Dogs.

 

Vaccinations & Health

Dogs must be fully inoculated against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Para Influenza and Leptospirosis and must have had a booster injection within the previous twelve months.

 

Cats must be fully inoculated against Feline leukaemia, Feline infectious enteritis, Feline viral rhinotracheitis (Feline Herpes Virus) and Feline calicivirus, and must have had a booster injection within the previous twelve months.

 

The Animal welfare regulations 2018 requires that a current vaccination certificate must accompany every boarder on the day of its arrival; any boarder without a valid vaccination certificate will be refused boarding.

 

Kennel Cough Vaccinations

All our dog guests must be covered by current Kennel Cough vaccinations.

Infectious canine tracheo-bronchitis (Kennel cough) is a highly contagious upper respiratory tract infection found in dogs. It manifests itself when the dog develops a dry, harsh cough. The coughing often results in the dog retching which causes many owners to believe that their dog has something stuck in its throat.

 

The Canine Parainfluenza virus and Bortella Bronchiseptica are usually responsible for the most severe instances of Kennel Cough but many other viruses and bacteria can cause similar symptoms and they are all banded together as Kennel Cough. Coughing may persist for up to 2 weeks. More serious complications such as pneumonia can develop (albeit rarely) in very young or elderly dogs.

 

As Kennel cough spreads by airborne droplets from a dog sneezing or coughing, any large dog population is vulnerable to episodes of infection. When lots of dogs are grouped together in proximity over a period of time, such as in kennels, Kennel Cough can spread quickly, possibly infecting all the dogs. Despite its name Kennel Cough can be contracted meeting an already infected dog out on a walk, at obedience classes, at the vets, in fact anywhere that dogs get together. An infected dog will remain symptom free for up to 7 days before starting to cough; this is known as the incubation period. During this time your dog is highly infectious.

 

Kennel Cough does resolve itself after a period of time. Medication will often do little to get rid of the initial signs but treatment can alleviate the actual cough. As so many different organisms can bring about Kennel Cough it is impossible to completely guard against it occurring, but keeping your dog up to date with the annual vaccination and having them vaccinated against Kennel Cough reduces the risk of catching Kennel Cough by up to 80%.

 

If despite the vaccine your dog caught Kennel Cough, the vaccine makes it much less likely that your dog will be as poorly as they otherwise might have been. The Kennel Cough vaccines are given as an intranasal vaccine.

 

If you know your dog has been in contact with a dog with Kennel Cough, please let us know prior to bringing your dog to the kennels. The vet’s waiting room is one of the most likely places to pick up kennel cough.