Kennel Cough Immunity

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Excuse the long post please. I know nothing and ask lots of questions.

My dogs were vacinated last Dec with a nasal type liquid for KC. One rescue dog is really developing promblems with this type of administration so this Dec I used the skin injection for KC at a new clinic.

Anyway my friends dog we walk with in a dogpark just called to say her GR has kennel cough. And she said it was immunised? I didn't know this could happen, vet said a different type of KC?

My friend wants to walk with me again when her dog stops coughing? In a day or so? I was wondering if this is safe. Too soon?

So I called my vet who said mine were good as the nasal vac last year would keep them safe. I queried how dogs could get it when immunised. He said the nasal vac causes IgA antibodies to occur amd is 100%. The skin injection vac will not and the dogs will not get as sick but they can still get sick.

I am surprised as I was told the skin vacination was as good as? What does everybody else use or have experience with?

And I was told infection risk from infected dog for 2 weeks ( as per vet). Not what my friend was told so she'll think I'm over re-acting. I am going on hols with dogs in 2 weeks and cannot chance infection. Beside the fact I don't want ill puppies. No social romps for 2 weeks I think.

And any suggestions to help the dog get used to nasal vacs. Is it worth trying to train this procedure? How could you? The vet said if he is getting that bad they wouldn't do nasal vac either as it is not worth it. The skin injection would have to do.

[Miranda]

The vaccine doesn't cover dogs for all the different strains of canine cough regardless of how it's given. I have never bothered to vaccinate against it, but decided to get two of my pups done recently, three months later they both contracted canine cough but none of my unvaccinated dogs came down with it even though they were mixing with the pups.

I won't be getting my dogs vaccinated against canine cough again.

[cavNrott]

If you were walking with your friends dog just prior to her dog showing signs of kennel cough then your dog has already been exposed to the virus. Time will tell whether or not she will actually develop kennel cough. She may not.

I used to have both the parainfluenza and the Bortadella nasal vaccine for my dogs but I no longer vaccinate yearly and when I do vaccinate again it will be only a C3 CanVac.

[Golden Rules]

One of my GR boys was 4 years old when I got him from the RSPCA and they just gave him a booster vaccination when I took him home, C5 injection.

My other GR boy was 6 months old when he came home from the Pound, he had a C5 with the nasal spray for KC.

8 months later, the Pound GR catches KC ( which occurred after a visit to the vet) and the RSPCA GR carried on life unaffected. I did not take any precautions at home as far as seperating them or their drinking water etc.

I did however not walk my dogs for a couple of weeks so as not to spread bugs.

I queried it at the time with the vet and was told there are 38 strains of KC and the vaccination covers the TWO main strains. So the vaccination doesn't necessarily mean your dog is safe from KC.

My pound GR had to go to the vet yesterday for a hotspot......the patient in the consult rooms before us was coughing away with KC - walked right past us in the waiting area, coughing away, poor thing.

The vet asked the owner to put her dogs in her car and then come back to pay the bill. They then vacuumed and mopped the consult room floor before my dog went in there.

I will be interested to see if anything comes from that visit as I have chosen not to vaccinate at all this year. I will only do so again if I need to board my dogs in kennels.

Titre tests meantime.

[Miranda]

I only vaccinate with C3, the puppy vaccs and then a booster at 16 months and that's it for my dogs. I am not recommending that you do the same, but I suggest that you do some research into the whole vaccination controversy and then make your own decisions.

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Thanks for your replies.

I will definitely look at what I do next in terms of vacs. I had KC vacs done as some kennels (on the rare time they do go to one) request this. And if each type of KC vaccination administration is as good as the other.

Spoke to somebody else today and apparently a different strain of KC is in town at the moment. Doesn't help if people continue to walk sick dogs in the dogpark either.

My friends dog got quite sick and I can't contact her today so I hope it is all OK. Mine seem fine thou.

Thanks

[Katdogs]

Both my dogs had C5 vaccination (needle) early last year, they both got KC just before Christmas from a visitor dog.

I know that visitor dog's owner walked him around Leichhardt, Cafe Bones, and on a bus trip to Canberra and back, walking around the city (the labbie boy has a certificate for trainee assistance dog). The guy just gave the dog extra cough medicine for the bus trip so he wouldn't disturb the other passengers. He says he didn't know he should have kept the dog quarantined.

Hundreds of dogs will have been exposed, this guy and his dog are very friendly!

Our vet said it was just a matter of chance, which strain of KC affected the dogs.

ETA I was told (by Vet and DOLers) to keep the girls quarantined until 7-10 days after last cough.

Edited January 14, 2008 by Stevie&Jodie