1. What is kennel cough

Kennel cough is caused by single or mixed infections such as viruses and bacteria. Kennel cough is characterized by sudden onset, sudden coughing, and irregular spitting. A highly contagious respiratory disease characterized by eye and nose secretions.

Kennel cough, also known as trachea and bronchitis, is caused by viruses, It is caused by infection by single or mixed pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria and mycoplasma. It mostly occurs in puppies and is common in dogs in kennels. The reason why it is called "kennel cough" is because if one dog in a litter is infected with kennel cough, Soon the whole litter will be infected and coughing.

2. Clinical symptoms of kennel cough

At the beginning of the disease, the sick dog's energy and appetite did not change significantly, and only a short and thick dry cough appeared. Later, the cough symptoms intensified, and a spasmodic dry cough appeared, showing the symptoms of tracheitis, followed by retching or gagging in an attempt to clear a small amount of mucus in the throat. During exercise The cough gets worse, especially at night.

As the disease progresses, dogs with kennel cough will develop symptoms such as coughing and wheezing when exposed to wind, coughing and wheezing after exercise, and coughing and wheezing when going up and down stairs. Sometimes dogs will cough during the eating process due to irritation to the trachea and throat.

Some sick dogs show paroxysmal inspiratory dyspnea, and coughing is easily induced when the larynx or trachea is touched. The body temperature is normal in the early stage. When secondary bacterial infection occurs, the body temperature will rise and fever will occur later. Symptoms: The body temperature will gradually rise to between 39 and 40°C. Open the mouth to check the tonsils and pharynx and there will be an inflammatory reaction; visual inspection will increase the respiratory frequency; auscultation will increase the breath sounds, rumbles will appear in the lungs, and some dogs will have mucus in the nasal cavity. Sexual and purulent discharge.

If the dog has these symptoms, the owner should take the dog to the pet hospital for examination in time and receive symptomatic treatment after diagnosis.

3. Key points of treatment and diagnosis

According to clinical Symptoms can only be used for preliminary diagnosis. The only way to confirm the diagnosis is through bacterial isolation, culture, microscopy, virus isolation and serological examination.

1. Make diagnosis based on medical history and typical clinical symptoms.

2. Bronchoscopy. It can be seen that the bronchial mucosa is congested, brittle, and thickened, and there is a large amount of secretions and excretions in the bronchus. Collect trachea cleaning fluid and throat disease materials to isolate, culture and identify pathogens.

3. X-ray inspection. In dogs with severe mixed infection, X-ray examination shows thickening of the lesions in the lungs.

4. Pathological examination. It was found that tracheal inflammatory exudation and mucus secretion increased, and the nasal cavity, throat, and tracheal mucosa were swollen, congested, and inflamed. Pathological sections were taken, and microscopic observation revealed a large number of hyperplasia and hypertrophy of mucus glands in the submucosal layer, an increase in mucosal epithelial goblet cells, the formation of mucus plugs in small and bronchioles, acinar atrophy, and pus cells in the bronchial lumen.

5. Agglutination test. Blood is collected from the affected dog, and the blood samples are placed in agglutination plates, and then serum containing specific antibodies is added and observed in an electrolyte environment. After a period of time, the serum agglutinates the red blood cells into visible clumps, indicating that an agglutination reaction has occurred and kennel cough can be diagnosed.

Dog owners should regularly vaccinate their dogs against rabies in accordance with relevant national regulations, and should also prevent and treat other dog diseases.

4. Can kennel cough heal on its own?

Kennel cough is caused by adenovirus type 2, and the symptoms of kennel cough generally do not heal on their own.

Kennel cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease in dogs. It is caused by a variety of causes. The main infection target is the entire litter of puppies. The clinical symptoms are high-frequency coughing and retching. and viral respiratory infections characterized by runny nose and other symptoms.

If you test positive for kennel cough, you need to take medication in time. It can be cured through certain drug intervention, such as broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory and antiviral or symptomatic treatment for symptoms, cough and phlegm reduction, fluid rehydration and injection, etc.

It is impossible to cure the kennel cough virus by relying solely on the puppy's own resistance. If the dog is older or has been vaccinated, the adult dog will not have any complications. It can heal itself.

5. Is there a mortality rate from kennel cough?

Under normal circumstances, kennel cough will not affect the life of dogs.

First of all, kennel cough refers to a respiratory disease caused by mycoplasma infection, and dogs themselves can resist mycoplasma infection, but it only takes a long time to recover based on the dog’s immunity.

Secondly, puppies (under 4 months old) have a higher incidence rate. Puppies are most susceptible to the disease shortly after weaning. If the dog develops minor and other serious symptoms during the period of being infected with litter-wide cough, Disease, and there is no timely intervention and treatment, there is a possibility of death. Puppies usually have an incubation period of 5 to 10 days, and generally die within 5 to 7 days.

Kennel cough is not seasonal, but it occurs more often in the cold season, and the main route of transmission is airborne.

6. Prevention and Control Measures

1. Do Good dog protection from the cold.

2. Disinfect in time. First use a gas blowtorch to flame sterilize the kennel, and then use bleaching powder or caustic soda to sterilize the excrement, urine, and pus within a few seconds. , nasal secretions and the purpose of bacteria and viruses in kennels and utensils.

3. Feed protein-rich foods to increase the dog’s resistance.

Sick dogs should be isolated, and healthy dogs should avoid contact with sick dogs. After the onset of illness, all dogs are prohibited from roaming to prevent contact with sick dogs. Healthy dogs should take drug prevention, such as oral tetracycline, compound isatis root tablets, cephalosporin and other drugs for prevention. Currently, there is a kennel cough vaccine, which can have a good preventive effect.

Treatment of kennel cough requires treating both the symptoms and the root causes, and actively carrying out anti-inflammatory and antiviral therapy to reduce secondary bacterial infections and kill pathogens.