What is Kennel Cough?
Kennel/Canine cough are broad term to describe an upper respiratory infection that affects dogs. It includes adenovirus, bordetella, distemper, influenza, reovirus, and strep throat.
How is Canine Cough spread?
Viral and bacterial causes of canine cough are spread through airborne droplets produced by sneezing or coughing. Canine cough can also be spread through contaminated water or surfaces such as bowls.
It can take up-to 72 hours before a dog starts displaying symptoms. Dogs can still contagious while asymptomatic.
Symptoms of Canine Cough:
• A persistent dry cough is the most common symptom, usually described as a "honking"
• Coughing in dogs throughout the night that keeps them awake
• Retching
• Sneezing
• Watery nasal discharge (no color)
If your dog displays any of these symptoms, please DO NOT bring them to camp. If your dog begins to display symptoms while at camp we will isolate your dog in our quarantine ward until you are able to pick them up. Your dog can come back to camp after 48 hours of no cough or after being cleared by a veterinarian.
What can you do to prevent the spread of Canine Cough?
Get your pup vaccinated with the Bordetella vaccine annually if your dog is going to be visiting a grooming facility, daycare, or even dog parks. The Bordetella vaccination helps protect against the most common bacteria that causes canine cough. Similar to the flu, strains of bacteria mutate and the vaccine does not protect against all strains. The version of the Bordetella vaccine your pup has received is determined by your veterinarian. Vaccines against Distemper and Influenza also aid in reduced chance of canine cough.
If your dog is experiencing any symptoms, please do not bring them to our facility or any other facility. Please do not bring them to the dog park. Please keep all sick dogs home.
What do we do to prevent the spread of Canine Cough?
At Scout’s Honor, your pets happiness and health is our top priority. We require the annual Bordetella vaccine and the 1-3 year Distemper vaccine (length determined by your veterinarian). In order to keep your pup safe, we do mid-day and end of day Wysi-wash of our outdoor yard. Wysi-wash is effective in eliminating multiple different viruses and diseases, including the vast different causes of canine cough. In our indoor yards, we do mid-day and end of day mopping and wiping down of the play equipment with Kennelsol. Our water bowls are cleaned daily, in addition, they are dumped and refilled constantly to ensure that your dog is only cleaning fresh, clean water. Our facility is deep cleaned every night after we close.
We want to do everything we can to reduce the risk of kennel cough. In addition to our cleaning regimen, we installed an ultraviolet lighting system in our HVAC.
UV lights have been proven to kill disease carrying microbes that make it past the air filter, lowering the risk of infectious spread and helping to prevent outbreaks. Before we began our build-out we invited animal control to come to our facility and give us feedback on our design. Our local animal shelter installed UV-light filtration during their expansion. From their experience, they believe it has cut down on their kennel cough cases by 90%. UV light filtration has also been proven to be an effective killer of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
While there is no system that is 100% effective, we are confident that with regular sanitation and our UV filtration system, we are providing the cleanest and safest possible environment at camp.
Should I let Scout's Honor know if my dog is displaying symptoms of illness?
YES! If your dog is displaying symptoms of communicable illness let us know at your earliest convenience.
Comentarios