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Dog Health News Articles
Page: 1
| Posted: 7th August 2004 |
| Kennel Cough In Dogs |
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Kennel Cough in dogs will stimulate a coarse, dry, hacking cough about three to seven days after the dog is initially infectedIt sounds as if the dog needs to "clear it's throat" and the cough will be triggered by any extra activity or exerciseMany dogs that acquire Kennel Cough will cough every few minutes, all day longTheir general state of health and alertness will be unaffected, they usually have no rise in temperature, and do not loose their appetiteThe signs of Canine Cough usually will last from 7 to 21 days and can be very annoying for the dog and the dog's ownersLife threatening cases of Kennel Cough are extremely rare and a vast majority of dogs that acquire the infection will recover on their own with no medicationCough suppressants and occasionally antibiotics are the usual treatment selections.
WHAT IS KENNEL COUGH?
Actually, clinical cases of Kennel Cough are usually caused by several infectious agents working together to damage and irritate the lining of the dog's trachea and upper bronchiiThe damage to the tracheal lining is fairly superficial, but exposes nerve endings that become irritated simply by the passage of air over the damaged tracheal liningOnce the organisms are eliminated the tracheal lining will heal rapidly. The most common organisms associated with Canine Cough are the bacteria called Bordetella bronchiseptica and two viruses called Parainfluenza virus and Adenovirus and even an organism called Mycoplasma
HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED?
The causative organisms can be present in the expired air of an infected dog, much the same way that human "colds" are transmittedThe airborne organisms will be carried in the air in microscopically tiny water vapor or dust particlesThe airborne organisms, if inhaled by a susceptible dog, can attach to the lining of the trachea and upper airway passages, find a warm, moist surface on which to reside and replicate, and eventually damage the cells they infect. |
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