Dog illness rises as temperatures drop

With fall just around the corner, pets that stay outdoors need extra protection.

One problem they may need protection from is kennel cough.

"It is one of the things that everyone has been worried about," said Dr. Dennis Law, a small-animal veterinarian at Cottonwood Animal Hospital who has practiced for 24 years. "The temperatures start to drop at night and it makes animals more susceptible."

Law warns owners to be careful when they take their pets to places like dog parks and boarding kennels. Dogs tend to become susceptible to kennel cough when they spend time in large groups — experts estimate the possibility of contamination is as high as 80 percent, Law said.

The most minor symptoms of kennel cough include a runny nose and sneezing. If the sickness progresses, a dog's cough may sound like a gag or a bad case of croup.

Pet owners often confuse kennel cough with canine influenza, ailments that are hard to tell apart. However, canine influenza is an upper-respiratory sickness caused by a flu strain that jumped from horses to dogs — and is much more rarely seen. Both appear during the spring and fall and share symptoms of coughing and nasal discharge.

As of yet, Law said he hasn't seen any cases of canine influenza.

In fact, a researcher at the University of Colorado with whom Law recently spoke said there were only four or five documented cases of influenza this year. Five percent to 8 percent of dogs that contract the influenza die.

Owners often can prevent sickness in their dogs by immunizing them. Most groomers and boarding kennels will not take a dog if it has not been vaccinated against Bordetella, the organism that is the most common cause of kennel cough.The vaccine is much like a human flu shot. It does not guarantee the dog will not get sick, but it will help prevent kennel cough in most cases.

It is tough to vaccinate for kennel cough because there are different strains, some bacterial and some viral, Law said. Like most human diseases, kennel cough and canine influenza attack older and younger dogs, and dogs that may have a compromised immune system.

If owners suspect their animal may have kennel cough, they are encouraged to contact their veterinarian.

"This is a big problem in Salt Lake," Law said. "We have seen a lot of cases already this year."

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