canine influenza – East Goshen Veterinary Center Blog

“He hasn’t been to a kennel so it can’t be kennel cough,” we hear this alot and we hate to break it to everyone but ‘kennel cough isn’t only found in kennels. And these days it is also known as Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC). It’s been very prevalent in our area since the summer so we thought it was about time to write about it. Recent stories of canine influenza that have made the news are referring to this overall disease complex.

Bacteria, virus, inflammation, oh my…

CIRDC and kennel cough are not caused by a single pathogen but rather two or more that take hold at the same time.

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a bacteria that is one of the most common pathogens involved. Other viruses and bacteria that are involve include canine influenza, canine parainfluenza, canine coronavirus (not to be confused with Covid-19), canine distemper, canine adenovirus, streptococcus equi zooepidemicus, and Mycoplasma. For this blog we are looking at the more common pathogens, mainly Bordetella, parainfluenza, and influenza.

Bordetella

Bordetella works by infiltrating the respiratory system. This system normally removes pathogens with the help of cilia that line the cells and work in coordination to move things up through the mucus to the throat where they can be coughed up or swallowed. Bordetella bacteria attack these cells that contain the cilia and prevent this mechanism from working. And it can start within 3 hours of exposure. It then works against the immune system by releasing toxins that attack the respiratory tissue as well as the immune system to prevent white blood cells from removing the bacteria. This bacteria can also enter cells and become an intracellular pathogen. If this occurs the bacteria can linger for months and cause flare ups as well as causing your dog to be a carrier, spreading the disease without showing symptoms. This can explain why it can spread so much, dogs can be asymptomatic but contagious.

Parainfluenza

An RNA virus, it has very similar aspects to Bordetella. It causes a cough, has an incubation of about a week, and can lead to more severe infections if mixed with another pathogen. It is not actually related to the influenza virus but has been around far longer. There is a vaccine for it which you can read about further on (we want to make sure you keep reading after all).

Influenza

Yes, there is a dog flu! Lucky for us it’s not the same flu that we get. There are 2 current strains of the canine flu, H3N2 or H3N8, but neither are the same as human strains. H3N2 is the more common strain but even that is only sporadically seen in the US. Symptoms can include coughing, as well as decreased appetite, fever, and nasal discharge or sneezing. Sounds alot like ‘kennel cough’ doesn’t it! And that is the problem. Your veterinarian can run test after test, send samples to a lab to differentiate which pathogens are causing your pet’s illness, or just start treatment to help your pet feel better. Most of our clients would prefer the latter which is why we can not tell you what pathogen is causing the illness. Since treatment will typically be similar we don’t want to waste time on pinning the blame on a virus or bacteria.

Clinical Signs of the Times

“My dog sounds like he’s trying to cough something up,” “my dog was up all night coughing,” “It’s just a lingering cough,” all things we hear.
Clinical signs often present 2-10 days (average of 6 days) from exposure.
The most common sign is a coarse, honking cough which may or may not present along with gagging and what can look like an infected dog is trying to ‘bring something up’. White foamy/frothy material can occasionally be brought up.
Many dogs recover from a simple case of kennel cough within a week, however, lately (2022) we have had cases lasting for over 2 months. And pets can and do become reinfected. In fact we have had dogs recover, go back to daycare or boarding and get reinfected.
While dealing with this cough in and of itself is frustrating, your veterinarian grows more concerned when your dog becomes lethargic, stops eating, or has a fever. Kennel cough can turn into pneumonia which is much more severe and even life threatening.
Because the severity of your dog’s case can affect the treatment, your veterinarian usually requests examining your dog in person. Remember that our dogs are often more stoic than we are. We have seen cases where the dog appears normal, goes out running and playing and then suddenly has trouble breathing. These dogs can actually be very sick with pneumonia but haven’t shown any sign of weakness to make the owner suspect something is amiss until it’s quite serious.

Pneumonia and Bronchitis

Pneumonia occurs in deep lung tissue, tissue that is involved in oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, that becomes inflamed with or without fluid (such as pus from bacteria) that interferes with this gas exchange. Pneumonia typically occurs after the lungs have already been compromised due to another infection, like from a virus or bacteria.

Bronchitis on the other hand occurs when the bronchi, or airways that bring oxygen to the lungs, are affected by irritants. When trying to heal themselves the bronchi will actually cause inflammation, which will cause more irritation, and then the cycle continues. A consequence of all this inflammation is the increased mucus that is produced then causes coughing. And all that coughing? Leads to more irritation! (It’s the circle of…frustration?)

Pneumonia and bronchitis can occur separately or together. And both can be caused by kennel cough.

Don’t Smell the Roses

While kennel cough gets its moniker from one of the most common places to find the disease, the truth is it can be spread so easily that it is hard to avoid. Besides kennels and daycare, groomers, trainers, shelter, vet hospitals, and dog parks can all harbor the bacteria and viruses that cause it.

The Bordetella virus can survive in the air for up to 4 hours while on surfaces for up to 48 hours, and in soil for up to 45 days. So if an infected dog coughs up respiratory drops on that lovely rose plant and your dog then comes by and takes a good sniff, it is possible to pick up the bacteria and whatever else might be with it. Sharing water bowls, dog toys, and other objects can also expose your pet for up to 2 days.

For this reason you want to keep your sick dog away from any other dogs, avoid parks, homes, and even walking in areas where other dogs meet up.

Prevention

Vaccination is key but we’ll leave that for its own section.
If your pet is going to a kennel/groomer/trainer/day care there are some things you can ask about to see what your pet’s risk is.
Ask about their vaccination requirements – if they are pretty lax about requiring Bordetella or other vaccines, this should be a red flag.
Ask about ventilation and air exchange. Ideally the air exchange should be between 15-20 exchanges per hour. Now your average receptionist may not know this answer, but you should be able to email a manager who can get you the answer.
Ask how long recovered dogs are kept from the facility. It should be at least 2 weeks since their last day of symptoms but we know some places do not abide by this.
Sanitation – the best cleaner to kill Bordetella bacteria is bleach. It can be diluted in water and used on surfaces that may have been exposed.

Vaccinations

Vaccinations play a strong role in preventing kennel cough.

Bordetella

There are multiple versions available but we recommend the oral mist which includes Bordetella and parainfluenza (one of the common combinations leading to kennel cough). However, not every dog loves the idea of us opening their mouth and sprays a mist in there so we also have a subcutaneous injection available to those dogs.

DA2PP

(often referred to as the Distemper vaccine) is also quite important. If you ever wondered why it is called DA2PP here’s the answer: it stands for Distemper, Adenovirus-2, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza. Distemper, Adenovirus-2 and Parainfluenza are all players in the cause of kennel cough. (We told you we’d mention that parainfluenza vaccine, remember?)

Influenza

not one of our core vaccines but it has recently come up a lot with this recent outbreak. In fact while a few boarding/daycare facilities have required vaccination before, there has been an increase in facilities requiring this vaccine before pets can stay there. You should know that if your pet has not had it before it is a series of 2 vaccines given 2-4 weeks apart. And some kennels require vaccines be given up to 2 weeks in advance of their stay. We also want to stress that this vaccine has been on backorder a lot recently so we have trouble getting it in. Our staff works hard to keep some in stock but with the uptick of all local hospitals getting more, it has made it a hot item. If your pet is getting the first of 2 boosters, rest assured that we have set up a system to make sure their booster is reserved just for your dog so you won’t risk not being able to get the necessary 2nd dose.

Who Else is at Risk

Besides dogs, cats can be infected with Bordetella too. Its presence in cats is less documented, so it is likely harder to transmit across the species but it is possible. However, it is a rarity.

And what about humans? Yes, bordetella can affect humans but only in very rare cases and only in those that are severely immune compromised. For this reason we do not worry about the spread to your family. After all, our staff would pick Bordetella infections up like the common cold working here, and we promise they’re all fine!