Is there a preventative shot for kennel cough?

A vaccination is available to help protect your dog against these nasty signs. You can minimise the chance of your dog contracting infectious tracheobronchitis by having your dog vaccinated. This vaccination is given by a squirt up the nose, not an injection. Although the vaccination does a great job of reducing the risk of infection, it doesn’t completely prevent your dog picking up kennel cough as there are so many different pathogens that can cause it. In most cases however, if your dog does pick up kennel cough despite the vaccination, the signs are much milder than they would have been otherwise, and recovery time is shorter. It is important to note that your standard yearly booster does not protect against infectious bronchitis/kennel cough, so you’ll need to make sure you get this for your dog as well as their standard annual injection. Both can be done at the same time, so you don’t have to make an extra trip, and each kennel cough vaccination lasts a year. Having the vaccination is a quick and effective way to give your dog as much protection as you can from infectious tracheobronchitis.

Fortunately, there is a vaccine available to help prevent kennel cough and protect our beloved canine companions. Vaccination plays a vital role in preventing kennel cough and reducing its spread within the dog population. The kennel cough vaccine is typically delivered via injection, but occasionally by a nasal spray. When the vaccine is administered, the dog's immune system recognises these antigens as foreign invaders and mounts a response by producing antibodies specific to these pathogens. This immune response then helps to provide protection against future exposure to kennel cough, reducing the likelihood and severity of the infection. The effectiveness of the kennel cough vaccine can vary depending on the dog's age, overall health, vaccination history, but in general the vaccine is considered highly effective at reducing the risk of kennel cough. Coverage of the kennel cough vaccine lasts around 12 months, which is why we recommend that your dog receives a yearly kennel cough booster. If a vaccinated dog contracts kennel cough, they will typically experience milder symptoms and recover more quickly than unvaccinated dogs.

The best way to prevent kennel cough is to vaccinate against it, especially if your dog mixes with lots of other dogs or spends time in kennels. Vaccination is the best way to prevent kennel cough, and is especially necessary if your dog spends lots of time with other dogs or goes into kennels. Kennel cough vaccine lasts 12 months - so should be repeated every year. Like any vaccine, the kennel cough vaccine doesn’t give 100%, guaranteed protection, however, it does significantly reduce the chance that your dog will catch kennel cough and reduces symptoms if they do catch it. Most reputable kennels and doggy day care centres will request that every dog has the kennel cough vaccination two to three weeks before staying with them. Speak to your vet about adding kennel cough into your dog’s vaccine schedule.

No vaccine can offer complete protection, but vaccines are available to protect again the most commonly involved virus and the most commonly involved bacteria. Many dogs may have some protection from kennel cough from parainfluenza virus from the routine vaccines that your vet will review annually. Vaccines against Bordetella are also available and are given as drops up the nose. Many boarding kennels require Bordetella vaccination. If your dog has not received a vaccine against Bordetella in the last 6 months and is well enough to receive one from your own vet before your appointment here, this will reduce the chances of your dog getting kennel cough should they encounter it here. If they are still unlucky enough to become infected, the infection is likely to be less severe if they have been vaccinated.

The Bordetella vaccine is a safe and effective option to prevent kennel cough in dogs. It can be given orally, nasally, or by injection underneath the skin. It’s given to puppies starting between 6 to 8 weeks of age, and booster doses are given to maintain protection throughout a dog’s life. Adult dogs receive this vaccine at least yearly to maintain immunity. However, your veterinarian may recommend updating the Bordetella vaccine every six months in high-risk dogs who frequently spend time in group settings to ensure ample protection. The Bordetella vaccine is highly effective at preventing kennel cough. However, there’s always a risk of breakthrough infection—meaning that even when a dog is vaccinated, they may still develop kennel cough. This is very uncommon and, even in these instances, vaccination reduces the risk for severe, lengthy symptoms. The Bordetella vaccine is an important preventive measure to maintain the health of dogs in group settings. While it may not prevent every case of kennel cough, it does reduce the severity of symptoms should a dog become infected.

You do need to send us a written prescription from your vet for the Nobivac KC vaccine. The vaccine is not difficult to administer if your dog is cooperative and you are good at this sort of thing. You need to draw the vaccine into the syringe provided then dribble the drops into one nostril. If you do this yourself you would not get a vaccine certificate to show to kennels etc, but your dog would be protected if you give it correctly. It is possible for us to send you a blank certificate, to which you can apply the stickers which are provided with the vaccine itself. Only a vet can sign to say that a vet has given the dose, but you can sign it yourself as the owner to say that you gave the vaccine. This vaccine is safe to give from 3 weeks of age and many puppies weigh less than 1kg at that age. Vaccinations like this are generally given at the same dose regardless of the size of the patient.

By vaccinating against Bordetella and Parainfuenza (Kennel Cough), you will help your dog avoid sneezing, coughing, painful retching and as a result sometimes vomiting, reduced appetite and nasal discharge. Your dog is not fully protected from Bordetella until 72 hours after the KC booster vaccine has been given. Always check with your kennels first as some may have restrictions and may request e.g. a six week period after the vaccine has been given, before allowing them in. Kennel Cough vaccinated dogs can shed the vaccine strain of Kennel Cough for several weeks. Some studies show up to 6 weeks.