Today I am writing about a condition that is highly infectious and can easily be spread by coughing – no, I am not talking about Covid-19 – I am talking about kennel cough in dogs.

In the last few weeks, we have seen an upsurge in cases of kennel cough in the area – and indeed nationally.

Kennel cough is an infectious cough spread not only in kennels but also by dogs meeting on walks, at training sessions and in any close contact circumstances; we really should re-name it “transmissible dog cough” as it is highly contagious and not just caught in kennels.

Dogs with kennel cough will often cough in a way that looks as though they have something stuck in their throat and they are trying to bring it up – indeed the cough will often end with a retch and swallow or retch and some frothy phlegm coming out.

The cough itself can last for a couple of weeks and dogs will feel poorly with it, but in most cases the cough will settle with time; however, in older, infirm or very young dogs the infection can be more serious. Once we see one of these cases, we recommend the owner rests and isolates the patient and we can give anti-inflammatories to help their throat, we tend to only give antibiotics if there is evidence of a secondary infection.

The cough itself is caused by various strains of virus and there is a vaccine which I highly recommend, because the vaccine will not necessarily protect against all strains even vaccinated dogs can get a mild infection, but it will not be nearly as severe as full-blown kennel cough.

Alice Moore is a vet at Castle Veterinary Clinic, Dorchester and Weymouth. Tel 01305 267083