Many people confuse Bordetella and Kennel Cough, also known as “canine cough.” Although the two can show up together in a dog with a runny nose, sneezing, and a low-grade fever, they’re actually different illnesses. Here’s a quick rundown of the two canine diseases, as well as an explanation of how the bi-annual Bordetella vaccine works in preventing your pooch from picking up the bug. For more specifics on how Angie’s TLC Pet Boarding facility protects your fur baby, take a look at “Our Pledge to You.”
Bordetella
Bordetella is a specific strain of bacteria, Bordetella bronchiseptica, that can infect dogs in facilities with poor ventilation. Your dog could contract Bordetella at a vet clinic, dog park, kennel, or a doggie behavior class.
Just like humans, pets are more susceptible to contracting diseases when they’re stressed. The stress of boarding can compromise your dog’s immune system slightly, making them more prone to disease. This is why it’s so important to get your dog vaccinated and to choose clean, high-quality facilities for pet boarding.
Bacteria vs Virus
Unlike Bordetella which refers to a single bacteria strain, the term “Kennel Cough” is an all-encompassing term used for the multitude of contagious canine respiratory illnesses. The sure sign that your baby has kennel cough is a loud bellowing cough coming from their chest. In most cases, kennel cough will clear up on its own. To fight kennel cough, your vet may prescribe an aggressive treatment regimen and a couple of weeks of additional rest to prevent complications from secondary infections.
One of the most common causes of kennel cough is the Bordetella bacteria. This is why the two diseases are often confused. However, certain types of kennel cough can also be caused by viruses. Just like the human influenza virus, the viral strains that cause kennel cough morph and mutate quickly from year to year. This is why your pet needs to receive the Bordetella Vaccine twice each year.
Bordetella is a bacteria, and it can cause kennel cough. But kennel cough can also be caused by various viruses.
It can seem confusing! But it’s important to know that the Bordetella vaccine is made to take care of both the single strain of Bordetella bacteria and the multiple strains of viruses that can cause kennel cough. The Bordetella vaccine is a broad-scope vaccine that’s being constantly updated.
Because kennel cough can be caused by numerous viruses that are often morphing, the Bordetella vaccine operates much like the human flu shot. The vaccine is created to fight those viral strains which are projected to be the most likely strains of virus present in the dog world for that season.
It’s important to remember that the Bordetella vaccine is a precaution, not a guarantee against your pet getting sick. Here at Angie’s TLC Pet Boarding, we take many extra precautions to keep your pet healthy.
Not only do we have a very strict policy that each boarder must have an updated Bordetella vaccination, but we also utilize a high-end Pet Airapy ultraviolet filtration system that was created for our boarding space. Along with daily cleaning, this filtration system is constantly cleaning and sanitizing air molecules to prevent the spread of nasty bugs. For more on how we keep your pets happy and healthy, take a look at our pledge!
We hope this information has been helpful. Here’s to keeping our pets happy and healthy!