Symptoms of Kennel Cough

People who keep their dogs or pets in kennels, board them, or have them at veterinary offices for extended visits run the risk of their canines getting kennel cough. Because bacteria and viruses cause kennel cough, it is easily spread among animals being confined together with other animals. 

Just like bacteria and viruses in humans, the symptoms of kennel cough present themselves in many different ways.  Obviously, one of the symptoms is coughing.

This may seem to be a dry, hacking cough, or a rough, harsh cough. It usually shows up about seven days after exposure, but may appear in as little as three days, or may wait until two weeks have gone by to present itself.

A swelling or inflammation of the animals’ airway causes the cough, and may even cause shortness of breath or wheezing. In the midst of one of the coughing spells, gagging may occur, and the dog may spit up phlegm and mucus. You may also be fooled into believing that the cough is getting better, because it has a tendency to be severe, and then almost stop for a while, only to re-occur again shortly after. Because it is an upper-respiratory problem, activities such as running and playing may make the coughing worse. Drinking water and a change in the animals environmental temperature may also cause sever coughing to occur.

Other symptoms of kennel cough are fever and runny nose. Some dogs may have a fever of up to one hundred and five degrees, but not always. Some animals may have no other symptoms than the constant coughing. 

Another symptom is loss of appetite. Just like in a human, the fever and inflamed throat may make your dog not be interested in eating. However, just like the fever sometimes accompanying this problem, it may not always be an issue. 

In mild cases of kennel cough, the problem may be solved by the animals’ natural immune system. If not, antibiotics or natural remedies may need to be used.  Do try to quarantine your dog as soon as you notice the coughing or other symptoms. A quick separation of the infected animal from the others in the group may keep the sickness from being spread to all of them.