[Jennifer]

Ahhh...we think Teddy might have kennel cough. He is vaccinated, but I know that doesn't always stop them from getting it.

I would assume he caught it from daycare which he goes to 2 to 3 times a week for socialization reasons.

This has been very frustrating because in September Teddy also had an upper respiratory infection...which we would assume he also caught from either daycare or his puppy fundamentals class.

We are kind of at a loss of what to do once this clears up (obviously he will not be going to daycare/training while he is contagious to other dogs), but since this happened twice it kind of makes us want to just pull him from daycare and training all together...

I mean does Teddy just have a low immune system or is it common for a puppy to get sick this often??

He definitely needs training and it makes me so disappointed to have to take him out of daycare...he loves that place sooo much and they are such nice people there. They keep the place very clean and are so helpful. I just wish this would stop happening. I haven't been hearing about any other dogs getting sick there, but that's the only place Teddy comes in contact with other dogs.

We will be calling the vet in the morning as of right now he has been coughing very far and inbetween (he had 4 little coughing/hacking fits throughout the whole day) and there has not been any discharge that I've seen.

I would appreciate any advice that can be offered on the whole daycare/training. Is he getting sick more than other dogs because he is still a puppy (almost 21 weeks)?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Bock]

does the daycare require bordatella?

I would chalk it up to just bad luck for now. You say it's really clean, and how much he enjoys it and needs training.

 

[Jennifer]

does the daycare require bordatella?

I would chalk it up to just bad luck for now. You say it's really clean, and how much he enjoys it and needs training.

Yes, they require rabies, distemper and bordetella boosters as well as a heartworm test, heartworm, flea and tick prevention within the last 12 months.

 

[Bock]

Good...like I said, I would really just chalk it up to bad luck. I work at a doggie daycare and things just happen sometimes.

 

[SF Golden]

Hi Jennifer,

I would definitely contact your vet to make sure everything is ok. It could be bad luck. We've had Biscuit in daycare or exposed to lots of dogs apx 3 days per week since he was old enough to attend. The place we go to is very clean and require all the shots, etc., however, when they're that young, it's tough to fight things off. Now (at 16 mths old), he's super strong and can fight things off much better than when he was a pup. We're huge fans of daycare for fun and socialization...he loves it, so best of luck! See what the vet says...

 

[Florabora22]

Hopefully it's just bad luck. Our daycare requires bordatella vaccinations every 6 months, and they really get on your case if you don't do it. Maybe there are some people sending their dogs to daycare without the vaccination and that's how your puppy got sick, or maybe your pup just has a bit of a cold! Keep us updated.

 

[hotel4dogs]

young dogs and young kids have immature immune systems, and they're much more likely to catch whatever is going around, even if the other dogs don't show clinical signs of it.
But the flip side is, it ends up strengthening their immune systems in the long run. When they are exposed to low levels of bacteria and virus when young, their immune systems develop nice and strong. Sort of like a natural, self-vaccination program.
It's better for them to get these things when they're young and healthy.

 

[Maxs Mom]

I was going to post the same thing Hotel4Dogs posted! My friend calls her son her little petrie dish. He comes home with everything, and of course passes to her and her husband.

Sorry about the KC it is not fun to go through. I went through it with my lab. However my golden in the same house never did contract it.

 

[pokey]

My 6 year old had kennel cough 3 times at a young age; I also assume she got it at daycamp. She also would come back sick every time she was boarded at her trainers home where there were several other dogs. If she went to camp or the trainers, I would just know she would get sick. After she was 2 years old she rarely got sick, so I think she built up her resistance.

 

[paula bedard]

young dogs and young kids have immature immune systems, and they're much more likely to catch whatever is going around, even if the other dogs don't show clinical signs of it.
But the flip side is, it ends up strengthening their immune systems in the long run. When they are exposed to low levels of bacteria and virus when young, their immune systems develop nice and strong. Sort of like a natural, self-vaccination program.
It's better for them to get these things when they're young and healthy.

This was my first thought too. He'll be healthier in the long run. Sam contracted Kennel Cough at 1yr old and he'd been vaccinated also...just happens I guess. I was told that he could have gotten the shot too soon before boarding, 3 weeks, but the same thing happened when my niece boarded her young Lab. He'd been vaccinated a month prior. I never boarded Sam again, so don't know if he'd have gotten it again. Ike's been vac'd, boarded, and came away fine....but he only had contact with 2 other puppies. My niece's Lab is boarded a few times a year and hasn't contracted Kennel Cough again. I think Teddy is safe to continue to have his playdates.

 

[Jennifer]

Thank you all for the advice. Teddy has an appointment at the vet this afternoon. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes.

We still have a lot to think about when it comes to daycare. I hope that this is all going to make him stronger in the long run.

 

[Jennifer]

Teddy does has suspected kennel cough. He is on an antibiotic. The vet said that they see it quite a bit with dogs his age coming down with multiple cases of kennel cough or upper respiratory infections in short periods of time when they are around lots of other dogs. She said that his immune system should get better and hopefully he will begin to be able to fight off these types of illnesses.

 

[Dallas Gold]

So what is the recommended time interval for bordatella vaccination now? 12 months or 6 months? Our vet now requires vaccination every 6 months for any boarding or doggie day camp in their facility. What are other vets or facilities requiring?

 

[Bock]

We require ever 6 months

 

[Jennifer]

So what is the recommended time interval for bordatella vaccination now? 12 months or 6 months? Our vet now requires vaccination every 6 months for any boarding or doggie day camp in their facility. What are other vets or facilities requiring?

The daycare Teddy goes to says it has to be done at least every 12 months. The vet said that we might even consider giving him another booster shot soon...even though he just got it done 2 months ago.

 

[hotel4dogs]

we require it every 6 months here, and never within 10 days of arrival.
recently vaccinated dogs (with the nasal form) can shed enough bacteria to cause other dogs to come down with kennel cough.

 

[pokey]

My vet gives it every 6 months. I don't remember what camp requires; it is either 6 or 12 months.

 

[sharlin]

Please do not think I am trying to be an alarmist or am second guessing your vet in anyway. I had posted something earlier in another thread about the increase in canine influenza that is starting to show itself. It is quite often misdiagnosed as kennel cough and I would be remiss if I didn't say anything. Maybe just a call to your vet to see if he has seen any cases would be all that is needed.

 

[Bender]

All four of my guys have gotten KC when they were younger (under 2). The worst was my border collie who is no longer with us, and he was vaccinated for it. He had the cough for weeks on end and it took a while for him go clear up. My youngest, who is raw fed and zero vaccines, had a very mild cough for a week and we just kept her home for a week after she stopped. She was going to dog parks, training buildings and work which is a boarding kennel since she was a baby. The one time there was a bad kennel cough in a friend's dog, she got homeopathic medication and the dog recovered very quickly and her other dogs got a dose as well, they never got sick.

Just food for thought, but yeah, they all seem to go through it. Humans too when they start daycare for the first time....

Lana

 

[Dallas Gold]

we require it every 6 months here, and never within 10 days of arrival.
recently vaccinated dogs (with the nasal form) can shed enough bacteria to cause other dogs to come down with kennel cough

The 10 day rule is a good thing. I never thought of it shedding like that, but they are now saying the same thing about the swine flu nasal vaccines.

A few years ago our Toby came down with kennel cough a few days after he got his bordatella vaccination. The vet was surprised, though there are cases where it's happened before. She suggested he got it elsewhere, but the only places he had been in contact with other dogs were walking outside (no visiting/socializing either) and the vet's office for the vaccination. My opinion was it was either the vaccination or he picked it up from another dog in the waiting area of the vet's office. Fortunately it didn't spread to our older golden, who had gotten his bordatella a couple of months earlier and was not present at the time of our visit. He's never had another reaction to it since, but it was disconcerting to have my little guy sounding like a goose for a while! Now that I think about it, after that episode I'm almost positive my dogs are now receiving it in injectible form, not nasal spray. Perhaps that's a good policy for any multi-dog home.