Canigen KC

The best protection against many diseases is vaccination. Protect your dog from Canine Parainfluenza Virus and Bordetella bronchiseptica the gentle way with Canigen^® KC.

What is Canine Cough?

This sickness is a horrible cough that keeps the dog and its family awake for days and can make the dog vomit. Previously called ‘Kennel Cough’, Canine Cough is an infectious disease syndrome that involves a dry retching cough. Once a dog starts coughing, they find it hard to stop (which vets call paroxysms). Canine Cough is a ‘syndrome’ because it can be caused by a variety of bacteria and viruses.

The two most common causes are the virus Canine Parainfluenza Virus and the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica. For simplicity these are usually just called Parainfluenza, and Bordetella. There are many dogs that carry these organisms in their nose and throat without any symptoms. These are called ‘asymptomatic carriers’, or just 'carriers'. The risk of picking up the illness is increased when there are a lot of dogs close together, as the chance that one of them is a carrier becomes higher. They don't even need to come into direct contact as the disease can be carried by cough droplets - very much like the human cold and flu.

Vaccination is the best defence against Canine Cough

Preventing this disease is clearly a better option than waiting for them to recover. While not all causes can be protected against with vaccination, the two most common ones can be. Parainfluenza and Bordetella need to both be vaccinated against annually. This has been specifically recommended by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association in their 2015 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats (or WSAVA Vaccine Guidelines)¹.

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