Coughing dogs arrive in waves each autumn. Kennel cough is a contagious airway infection spread by close contact and shared air, usually causing a harsh honking cough in an otherwise bright dog. Most cases are mild, some are not, and all of them are catching for longer than owners expect.
Why cases climb in autumn
The name is misleading. Boarding kennels are one source among many, and most dogs we see have never been in one.
What actually drives it is contact, and autumn increases contact in several ways at once. Daycare attendance rises when households return to work and school. Training classes restart in September. Grooming appointments cluster before the wet months. Walkers take out larger groups. And when it rains, everybody ends up at the same few sheltered spots at the same times rather than spread across the trails.
The organisms also survive better in cool damp air than in dry summer heat. Add indoor spaces with the windows shut and the heating on, and the arithmetic works out badly.
In the Tri-Cities, where a lot of dogs share a relatively small number of parks and off-leash areas, one dog incubating something can meet a great many others in a single afternoon.
What it actually looks like
The signature is the cough. Owners almost always describe it the same way: a harsh, dry, honking sound, often ending in a retch or gag that produces a little white foam. That last part is frequently mistaken for vomiting or for something stuck in the throat.
- A sudden, harsh, repetitive cough, worse with excitement, pulling on a collar or drinking
- Coughing fits that come in runs rather than singly
- A gag or retch at the end of the fit, sometimes bringing up white froth
- Otherwise bright, eating normally and keen to walk
- Sometimes a runny nose or eyes, or occasional sneezing
The classic mild case is a dog that sounds dreadful and behaves completely normally. That combination is reassuring, though it does not make the dog any less contagious.
The signs that change the picture
A minority develop something more significant, and puppies, seniors, flat-faced breeds and dogs with existing heart or airway conditions are more likely to. Contact us promptly for:
- Lethargy, or a dog that does not want its walk
- Reduced appetite or refusing food
- Fever, or a dog that feels hot and looks miserable
- A cough that is wet or productive rather than dry and harsh
- Faster breathing, or breathing that looks like effort at rest
- Blue or grey gums, which is an emergency
- A cough lasting more than a week to ten days without improving
- Any cough in a very young puppy, a frail senior or a flat-faced breed
Breathing effort at rest is the one to act on immediately. Count the breaths in a minute while your dog is sleeping and tell us the number.
It is not always kennel cough
A coughing dog gets labelled quickly, and some causes are quite different.
A cough can also come from heart disease, from a collapsing airway in small breeds, from something inhaled such as a grass seed, from lungworm, from allergic airway disease, or from a foreign body. Several of those are more common in older dogs and a few need urgent attention.
The distinguishing features are usually the pattern and the company it keeps. A dog coughing gradually more over a month, or mainly at night, or also tiring on walks, is telling a different story from one that started honking on Tuesday after daycare on Monday.
Our medical services team will listen to the chest and throat, check the temperature and look at the whole dog rather than only the cough. Where the picture is not straightforward, chest imaging tells us a great deal.
What to do if your dog starts coughing
- Phone before you come in. This matters more than usual. A contagious coughing dog in a full waiting room is how it spreads, and we will usually arrange for you to wait in the car and come straight through
- Keep your dog away from other dogs entirely. No daycare, no classes, no dog park, no grooming, no play dates. Walk somewhere quiet at a quiet time
- Switch to a harness. Pressure on the throat from a collar sets off coughing fits
- Keep things calm. Excitement triggers the cough, so short lead walks rather than running and games
- Humidity helps some dogs. Ten minutes in a steamy bathroom can ease a dry cough
- Tell the people who need to know. Your daycare, walker, groomer and regular park friends. It is not embarrassing and it stops the wave
- Do not give your dog anything from your own cabinet. Products intended for people are not suitable for dogs and several are dangerous. Ask us before using anything at all
How long it stays contagious
Longer than most owners expect. A dog can be shedding the organisms before the cough starts and for a period after it stops, which is precisely why outbreaks move through a neighbourhood before anybody realises there is one.
We will give you a specific timeframe. As a general principle, plan on keeping away from other dogs for a good while after the cough settles rather than returning to daycare the morning it stops. Facilities usually have their own rules and they exist for good reason.
It also survives on hands, clothing, leads and bowls, so wash your hands after handling a coughing dog and do not share water bowls at the park.
Reducing the risk
- Talk to us about vaccination. There are options covering the common causes, and whether they suit your dog depends on lifestyle, age and where your dog goes. Facilities often require it, and it needs arranging in advance rather than the week before boarding
- Choose facilities that ask questions. A daycare with clear vaccination requirements, sensible group sizes and good ventilation is doing you a favour
- Avoid shared water bowls at parks and cafes
- Give a new dog or puppy time before its first busy group setting
- Keep your dog home when it is coughing, which is the single most effective thing anyone can do
Group settings and busy trails are part of what makes life here good for dogs, and our guide to dog-friendly outdoor adventures in the Tri-Cities covers getting the most out of them. Our wellness program is where the preventive side gets planned before the season rather than during it.
Frequently asked questions
My dog is vaccinated. Why is he coughing?
Because several different organisms cause this syndrome and no vaccine covers all of them. Vaccinated dogs can still pick something up, though they often have a milder, shorter course. Vaccination reduces risk and severity rather than eliminating the possibility.
My dog sounds like something is stuck in his throat. Is it just kennel cough?
That description fits the classic cough well, but it also fits an actual foreign body, which is an emergency. If your dog is repeatedly gagging, pawing at the mouth, drooling heavily, distressed or having any difficulty breathing, treat it as urgent and phone straight away.
Can my cat catch it, or can I?
The organisms involved are largely dog-adapted, so this is mostly a dog to dog problem. Cats have their own respiratory infections that look different. A small number of the organisms can affect people with weakened immune systems, so wash your hands and mention it to your own doctor if anyone in the household is immunocompromised.
How long will the cough last?
A typical uncomplicated case improves over one to two weeks, with the cough often lingering after the dog is otherwise back to normal. A cough not improving after ten days, or getting worse at any point, needs re-examining.
Should I cancel daycare, or is that overreacting?
Cancel. Every good facility would rather you did. Sending a coughing dog into a group setting is how a handful of cases becomes thirty, and those thirty include puppies and seniors who cope with it far less well.
My older dog has been coughing for a month. Same thing?
Probably not, and it is worth being seen properly. A cough that has built up gradually over weeks in an older dog raises quite different possibilities, including heart and airway conditions, and some benefit a great deal from being identified early.
Speak to the team at Tricity Animal Hospital
If your dog has started coughing, phone us on (604) 942-2225 before coming in so we can bring you straight through and keep other dogs clear.
Published by the team at Tricity Animal Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact Tricity Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
Tricity Animal Hospital
26-2755 Lougheed Hwy, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 5Y9
Phone: (604) 942-2225
Email: info@tricityvet.ca
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Sunday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM