Cough, cough... “CIRDC can be more dangerous for old dogs and those with heart or lung disease. ”
Since the start of summer last year, vet practices across the UK have seen a rise in coughing dogs. Vicky Payne advises. 22
In recent months, outbreaks of kennel cough (KC) have caused havoc with competition entries, training classes, and in boarding kennels. Nobody knows the exact reasons for this rise in cases, but in the break room my colleagues and I have wondered if dogs mixing again after their relative isolation during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and delayed vaccinations have been to blame.
Vets are now being encouraged to call kennel cough canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC) as
there are many different agents which can cause the symptoms, and any dog who goes to doggy places can catch it, not just those visiting kennels.
The most widespread symptom is a hacking cough, but affected dogs vary from bright to lethargic, may or may not lose their appetite, and can have additional symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose. The most common causes of CIRDC are Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza, and there are effective vaccines against these agents. The intranasal vaccine should be given three weeks before mixing with other dogs, and then every 12 months. The vaccination is very effective against Bordetella and parainfluenza, but it won’t prevent the many other causes of CIRDC. That said, in an outbreak, vaccinated dogs are usually unaffected or have mild symptoms. Recently an injectable Bordetella vaccine was launched. It requires three injections in the first 12 months, so few practices are offering it yet. Bordetella can cause
infection in immunocompromised people, and they should stay away from both dogs with CIRDC and recently vaccinated dogs.
QUARANTINE AT HOME
Dogs with mild CIRDC do not always need to visit the clinic. A client with several working gundogs called me for advice after some of his dogs started to cough. As they were all well in themselves and eating and drinking normally, I advised a warm environment, soft food, and prescribed anti-inflammatories to be given to a coughing dog for a week. The client wasn’t happy to hear that all his dogs would need to be quarantined at home and would be unable to work for two weeks after they stopped coughing, as some dogs can spread CIRDC without showing symptoms, and dogs can remain infectious for a while once recovered. These dogs were lucky to have an exercise paddock at home to use, but if your dog needs to go on the lead when he has CIRDC use a harness that won’t pull on his sensitive throat.
HEART AND LUNG TROUBLE
Our reception team is trained in identifying which cases are suitable for phone consultations and which need to be seen in person. They book in any dogs who’ve had a cough for over two weeks or those who are otherwise unwell.
We ask owners with a coughing dog to take a pager and wait in their car until the vet is ready, to avoid spreading the infection to other patients.
CIRDC can be more dangerous for old dogs and those with heart or lung disease. One patient who never misses his KC vaccination is Mac, an elderly Westie. He has idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung condition. His condition is controlled with a low dose of steroids, but his owners do everything they can to keep him healthy.
CIRDC can also be more dangerous for puppies, so I recommend vaccination for breeding bitches and all puppies with their primary vaccine course.