As a pet parent, it can be understandably distressing when your furry friend becomes unwell. One common condition in dogs is kennel cough, a highly contagious respiratory disease. Almost daily, we get asked the question: "How long is kennel cough contagious?" By knowing how long your dog can potentially spread the disease, you can implement appropriate measures to prevent transmission to other dogs. This guide will provide you with comprehensive and expert information on the contagious nature of kennel cough, helping you safeguard the health of your dog and those around them.
Kennel cough can be caused by different pathogens, each with varying durations of contagiousness. In most cases, Bordatella-based kennel cough remains contagious in dogs for up to 14 days after the symptoms have resolved. However, the duration can be longer depending on the severity and duration of clinical signs. Treatment, including the use of antibiotics, can help reduce the time your dog remains contagious.
When Can My Dog Go to Boarding After Having Kennel Cough?
The general guideline is that dogs are considered safe for boarding 7 days after their symptoms, such as coughing, have completely disappeared. This ensures that your dog is less likely to spread the infection and can enjoy their boarding experience without health concerns.
Interestingly and uncommonly, dogs may continue to spread the illness for several weeks or even months, depending on the specific pathogen causing the kennel cough.
As this number is just a guideline, different boarding facilities will have their own policies in place. If your dog has had kennel cough, it's best to contact the boarding facility directly and discuss the appropriate return date for your dog.
🚨 This is also assuming the boarding facility has very good disinfection, cleaning, and hygiene protocols in place for all boarding pets.
What Causes Kennel Cough in Dogs?
A common misconception among dog owners is that kennel cough is only caused by a single bacterium called Bordatella. In reality, kennel cough is a syndrome with multiple potential infectious causes.
Some of these include:
- Bordetella bronchiseptica
- Mycoplasma bacteria
- Canine Parainfluenza
- Canine Influenza
- Canine adenovirus-2
- Canine distemper virus
- Canine herpesvirus
- Canine coronaviruses
The kennel cough vaccine administered by your veterinarian typically will only protect against Bordatella bacteria. Knowing kennel cough can be due to different pathogens, this is why some dogs can still contract kennel cough even after being vaccinated.
Symptoms During The Contagious Period
Kennel cough can range in severity from a mild, hacking cough to a severe illness with systemic signs. Common symptoms include:
Why Does the Kennel Cough Vaccine Only Protect Against Bordatella?
While there are so many different pathogens that can cause kennel cough, Bordatella is amongst the more contagious and the severity of symptoms in an unvaccinated dog is very high.
In addition to protecting your dog against Bordatella, core vaccinations like the DA2PP vaccine also provide protection against other pathogens like Adenovirus and Parainfluenza, which can also cause or contribute to kennel cough.
How Long Is Kennel Cough Contagious After Starting Antibiotics?
Antibiotics can be beneficial in reducing the duration of clinical symptoms related to kennel cough, therefore limiting the transmission window of the infection.
When antibiotics are prescribed for kennel cough, the contagious period may be shortened by several days. This is especially true for bacterial forms of kennel cough, such as those caused by Bordatella.
How Fast Does The Kennel Cough Vaccine Work?
Intranasal or intraoral kennel cough vaccinations are the quickest to provide protection, often achieving immunity within just 3 days after administration.
Injectable kennel cough vaccinations take longer to achieve protection compared to nasal or oral vaccines and require an initial booster dose. Immunity with the injectable vaccines is around 7-10 days, following the booster dose 2-4 weeks after the first dose.
How Long Is Kennel Cough Contagious on Surfaces?
One of the reasons why kennel cough is so contagious is that most of the pathogens can survive on surfaces in an uncleaned environment for an extended period, sometimes for many weeks or even months.
It is also important to note that good cleaning and hygiene are important to remove all pathogens from the environment. Spraying surfaces with a good disinfectant would require 5-10 minutes of contact time to kill the pathogen. Therefore, a quick spray and wipe may not eliminate the issue completely.
In summary, kennel cough is a syndrome with more than a dozen potential viruses and bacteria. Some of those pathogens can cause dogs to be contagious for many weeks. Generally speaking, we can broadly say kennel cough is contagious for up to 14 days after symptoms have resolved. If you're considering boarding your dog, it's generally considered safe to do so 7 days after symptoms have completely disappeared as the risk of transmission is lessened. Most vaccines for kennel cough work by reducing symptoms and severity of the condition and therefore vaccinated dogs can contract and spread the disease. Lastly, maintaining good hygiene and following proper disinfection protocols are essential in preventing the spread of this highly contagious illness.
Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please contact your veterinarian.