austen Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Was talking to a friend of mine whose dog caught kennel cough when he stayed at boarding kennels. She is furious she wasn't told that it was going around when she picked up the dog and also think it reflects on the quality of care provided. I don't know much about kennel cough but was interested in other's thoughts about whether this is a reflection on the kennel or is just one of those things and also whether she should have been told that her dog might have been exposed to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I think kennel cough is one of those things there's always a risk of in boarding kennels. I don't think it reflects in any way the quality of care. If she's so furious about it, she should've done whatever possible to protect her dog before putting it in the kennels. Or am I completely wrong? I think kennel cough can be caught at home too, it's not so likely to be caught at home, but it does happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austen Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 I think kennel cough is one of those things there's always a risk of in boarding kennels. I don't think it reflects in any way the quality of care. If she's so furious about it, she should've done whatever possible to protect her dog before putting it in the kennels.Or am I completely wrong? I think kennel cough can be caught at home too, it's not so likely to be caught at home, but it does happen. I don't think she was cranky that he caught it - but was annoyed because they didn't tell her when she picked him up, that he would possibly get it or had been exposed to it. Don' t know much about kennel cough but thougt i t was highly contaigous and you caught it off other dogs, so am not too certain if you would be likely to get it at home? She also said her dog was fuly vaccinated against kennel cough but apparently this doesn't necessarily stop them from getting it, they apparently just don't get it as badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I can understand she's unhappy that her dog's sick, but what would she have said if the kennel had told her (presuming they knew)? Would she have been any less angry when they said they won't be paying any vet bills? Kennel cough is aptly named . Highly contagious, flu-like illness. So, if you put any number of dogs together in close quarters, well .... Quite right that vaccination doesn't protect fully. Bit like the human flu vaccine - they can't cover every strain of flu and viruses mutate and evolve. One of my dogs had it after a short stint in a kennel, but really it's like kids catching colds/ nits and getting runny noses at day care. Just one of those things.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 This is a kennels worse nightmare simply because the average joe brings it in,many owners dont tell kennel owners there dogs have had it or been exposed to it. Canine cough has been rampant in australia this year . As to this person depends how long there dog has been in for,they could have been the carrier or the kennel may have had a dog for a few days that didnt do a thing but once there incubation time was up coughed at home.many owners dont call kennels to tell them so they cant inform the clients.If they did have it then ideally they should have informed the person that an infected dog had been in . Kennels only get canine cough from there clients & we also rely on there honesty & many people wont tell us to forgo there holidays or find late alternative arrangements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austen Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 I can understand she's unhappy that her dog's sick, but what would she have said if the kennel had told her (presuming they knew)? Would she have been any less angry when they said they won't be paying any vet bills? Kennel cough is aptly named . Highly contagious, flu-like illness. So, if you put any number of dogs together in close quarters, well .... Quite right that vaccination doesn't protect fully. Bit like the human flu vaccine - they can't cover every strain of flu and viruses mutate and evolve. One of my dogs had it after a short stint in a kennel, but really it's like kids catching colds/ nits and getting runny noses at day care. Just one of those things.. Look, I agree with you to a certain extent. Given that it's not really the kennel's fault, I can imagine that from a business point of view, they don't want to contact all their customers saying "yep - we've got kennel cough here, your dog might get it. Even though it's not their fault, it might not really be in their interests to broadcast it to the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Actually kennel owners have no probs calling all clients & infact when this process is done kennel owners soon find out that many people dont bother to call the kennels asap to let them now. Dogs can carry canine cough for 165 days & when the sitaution is right the symptons show up. It is an airborne virus so it travels around the suburbs very quickly even those dogs that dont leave home. How long was the dog in boarding for??Did they phone the kennel to tell them ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffles Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 so am not too certain if you would be likely to get it at home? Both my dogs ended up with KC about 1.5 years ago and they had only been walked along the normal paths and not come into contact with any other dogs for at least 3 weeks. As showdog said, KC has been rampant this year. Both my two go it again this year, the worst I have ever seen (due to one dog getting taken to the pound coz she escaped) but she was only there not even 24 hours and as I said, both had it very bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austen Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 so am not too certain if you would be likely to get it at home? Both my dogs ended up with KC about 1.5 years ago and they had only been walked along the normal paths and not come into contact with any other dogs for at least 3 weeks. As showdog said, KC has been rampant this year. Both my two go it again this year, the worst I have ever seen (due to one dog getting taken to the pound coz she escaped) but she was only there not even 24 hours and as I said, both had it very bad. Oh really - so it's common for them to keep getting it - they don't build up some kind of immunity to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austen Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 Actually kennel owners have no probs calling all clients & infact when this process is done kennel owners soon find out that many people dont bother to call the kennels asap to let them now.Dogs can carry canine cough for 165 days & when the sitaution is right the symptons show up. It is an airborne virus so it travels around the suburbs very quickly even those dogs that dont leave home. How long was the dog in boarding for??Did they phone the kennel to tell them ??? I think it was for about 4 days. Apparently when they took the dog to the vet, the vet said, have you been boarding the dog recently and when she said yes, the vet said they had had a number of cases from there. Yes - I think she did phone them to let them know and they confirmed they had had cases there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 (edited) I explain KC and kennels to clients as being like colds or flu in a nursery school. We have been very lucky, knock on wood, only two light episodes in four years. I don't think it has anything to do with good management. More to do with being relatively isolated . . . and perhaps having good clients who vaccinate properly and haven't brought the disease in. The difference between kennels with KC is not in whether they get it, but how they manage it. As I understand duty of care, it requires only that sick dogs requiring treatment get it . . . and the burden of cost of treatment can legitimately be shifted to the customer. I believe in accepting responsibility, even if I am not to blame . . . thus I'll have the mobile vet in and send dogs home with a course of antibiotics if required . . . or the confidence of a veterinary opinion that treatment is not required, though cough medicine could be used to ease symptoms. Owners of dogs not affected need to be told to watch out for symptoms. If the epidemic is really bad, the owners of incoming dogs need to be called . . . especially if the dogs are elderly. Note, Show Cough would be an equally good name for the disease. edited to include immediate afterthough. Edited October 23, 2007 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Its interesting you mention this topic as i recently had a clients dog go home from a kennel and we were called a day later to say he had cough. He had shown no signs to us or staff while boarding and there were no other cases at the kennel. Its very unfortunate but it does happen. Agree with sandgrubber and showdog :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanglen Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 The name was changed to "Canine Cough" about a year ago when too many people's dogs where getting sick from meeting dogs in the park etc, it just seems the name has never taken off!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Just to add- my OH was training yesterday when he walked past a park and there was a guy sitting with his dog on a bench who was warning people as they approached that his dog had cough! He didn't seem phased when OH told him that he was going to infect all the dogs that came near the park :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austen Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 Thanks for all your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoiltlabs Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 My 4 labradors have all just come down with kennel/canine cough which they have caught from the dog next door. I wish they had told me because I would have been alert and started them on Robert McDowell's Kennel Cough Mixture as soon as I knew it was around and my situation now may be different. The young feller (15 months old) and his mother have had a mild dose and seem to be fine. The 11 year old is coughing, but seems fine in every other way so not really worrying about him too much. Although, he has now been put onto antibiotics as a precaution. My 8 year old seemed to get it the worse and was put onto antibiotics last week, but the last 36 hours he has crashed and another trip to the vet tonight and he has been diagnosed as having pneumonia as a result of the secondary infection. He has been given a shot of antibacterial and another of antibiotics tonight and sent home for monitoring (as I refused to leave him unattended at the vet clinic overnight) but he will be taken back up there tomorrow morning for further monitoring and treatment during the day. He is off his food (which was the indicator that something was wrong) and his temp is around 40!! Thankfully, he is drinking water readily so is hydrated. All dogs have been vaccinated annually with C5 from their 12 week shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Hope your labs recover well. Temperatures aren't that bad in of themselves- actually help kill off viruses and bacteria. Great to hear he's drinking well while he has a fever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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