{"id":68566,"date":"2025-09-18T09:13:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T13:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/?page_id=68566"},"modified":"2025-09-18T09:13:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T13:13:41","slug":"kennel-cough","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/kennel-cough\/","title":{"rendered":"Kennel Cough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t\tPet Resource Library\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<button tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Pet Resource Library Menu\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\tPet Resource Library Menu\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t<nav aria-label=\"Menu\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\">\n\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"#\">General Information<\/a><ul>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/fireworks-and-noises\/\">Fireworks and Other Noises<\/a><\/li>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/halloween-safety\/\">Halloween Safety<\/a><\/li>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/moving-with-pets\/\">Moving with Pets<\/a><\/li>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/pet-odors-and-stains\/\">Pet Odors and Stains<\/a><\/li>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/signs-of-anxiety-and-fear\/\">Signs of Anxiety and Fear<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#\">Introducing Animals<\/a><ul>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/adding-another-cat-to-the-household\/\">Adding another cat to the household<\/a><\/li>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/dog-to-dog-introduction\/\">Introducing a new dog to a resident dog<\/a><\/li>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/introducing-cats-and-dogs\/\">Introducing Cats and Dogs<\/a><\/li>\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/services\/pet-tips-behavior-help-and-resources\/preparing-pets-for-a-new-baby\/\">Preparing your pets for a new baby<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#\">Dogs<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#\">Cats<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#\">Critters<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t<\/nav>\n\t<h3>What is Kennel Cough (Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex)?<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Kennel cough&#8221; is a term used to describe common bacterial and viral respiratory infections in dogs.\u00a0\u00a0 Kennel cough does not always manifest as coughing as the name implies.\u00a0 A more accurate term for this condition is canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC).\u00a0 CIRDC is commonly seen in dogs that have been exposed other dogs such as in an animal shelters, boarding facilities, dog parks and competitions.<\/p>\n<h3>What are the clinical signs of Kennel Cough (CIRDC)?<\/h3>\n<p>Coughing, sneezing and nasal\/eye discharge are among the more common clinical signs we see in dogs at the Nebraska Humane Society.\u00a0 These mild signs generally resolve in 1-2 weeks.\u00a0 In rare cases, CIRDC can cause serious disease, such as pneumonia.\u00a0 Sick dogs can become dehydrated if they are not eating or drinking adequately.\u00a0 In such cases, hospitalization may be needed.<\/p>\n<h3>How is Kennel Cough (CIRDC) treated?<\/h3>\n<p>Treatment generally consists of supportive care and time to allow the dog&#8217;s immune system to do its job.\u00a0 Antibiotics may be prescribed if a bacterial infection is suspected.\u00a0 Antitussives or expectorants tend to be of little benefit to reducing coughing and mucus caused by kennel cough.\u00a0 Maintaining proper nutrition and hydration, minimizing excitement and preventing excess tugging\/pulling on the trachea also aid in the treatment of kennel cough.\u00a0 Exercise for the sake of itself should be avoided while a dog is being treated for kennel cough.\u00a0 Instead, focus on quiet time in the backyard to use the restroom.\u00a0 Dogs can generally resume normal activity after clinical signs resolve.<\/p>\n<h3>How contagious is Kennel Cough (CIRDC)?<\/h3>\n<p>CIRDC is contagious to other dogs.\u00a0 Many dogs are vaccinated for kennel cough, especially if they have frequent contact with other dogs, such as during boarding, grooming, or competitions.\u00a0 However, the vaccine is not 100% protective so it is a good idea to isolate dogs that are showing signs of the disease and to wash your hands after handling sick dogs.\u00a0 In general, we recommend isolating all new arrivals in your household for 7-10 days after adoption to give them a chance to settle in and to reduce the risk of transmitting infectious disease.<\/p>\n<h3>Is Kennel Cough contagious to other animals or people?<\/h3>\n<p>One cause of CIRDC,\u00a0<em>Bordetella bronchiseptica<\/em>, can be contracted by cats and rarely can infect a severely immunocompromised person (for example &#8211; a person with AIDS or undergoing chemotherapy).\u00a0 If someone in your family is immunocompromised, please contact your physician prior to adopting a new pet.<\/p>\n<p>Any dogs with signs of illness should not be taken to public dog places like dog parks, boarding facilities, pet stores or competitions.\u00a0 See your veterinarian for more information.<\/p>\n<h3>When should you contact your veterinarian?<\/h3>\n<p><em><strong>It is very important that you take your new pet to a veterinarian for a complete examination within 3 days of adoption (consult your adoption contract and associated adoption policies).\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>With rest and good care, many dogs will recover from CIRDC in 1-2 weeks.\u00a0 Please contact your veterinarian if your dog has any of the following signs:\u00a0 yellow or green discharge from the nose or eyes, excessive coughing, difficulty breathing, not eating or drinking for more than 24 hours, or a significant decrease in activity.\u00a0 Your veterinarian may recommend treatments such as antibiotics and supportive care.<\/p>\n<p>Adopters are highly encouraged to partner with their veterinarian.\u00a0 Any medical expenses incurred while treating your newly adopted dog and\/or existing household pets are the responsibility of the adopter.\u00a0 Thank you for saving a life!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pet Resource Library Pet Resource Library Menu General Information Fireworks and Other Noises Halloween Safety Moving with Pets Pet Odors and Stains Signs of Anxiety and Fear Introducing Animals Adding&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"parent":67157,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-68566","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/68566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68566"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/68566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68569,"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/68566\/revisions\/68569"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nehumanesociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}