What is the best antibiotic for kennel cough

What Is Kennel Cough?

Kennel Cough (also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis) is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Dogs commonly contract kennel cough at places where large amounts of canines congregate, such as boarding and daycare facilities, dog parks, training groups, and dog shows. Dogs can spread it to one another through airborne droplets, direct contact (e.g., touching noses), or contaminated surfaces (including water/food bowls). It’s highly treatable in most dogs but can be more severe in puppies younger than six months of age and immunocompromised dogs.

What are the Symptoms of Kennel Cough?

If your dog is affected with kennel cough, you may notice one or more of the following symptoms:

• a strong cough, often with a “honking” sound – this is the most obvious symptom
• runny nose
• sneezing
• lethargy
• loss of appetite
• low fever

Although kennel cough is easily treatable in healthy dogs, Kevin Fitzgerald, DVM, a columnist for AKC Family Dog, explains that it’s important to report a coughing symptom to your veterinarian because it could be a sign of a more serious disease.

“The canine distemper virus and canine influenza virus both start off with symptoms nearly identical to kennel cough,” he said. Other conditions that can cause coughing include a collapsing trachea, bronchitis, asthma, and even heart disease.

How Is Kennel Cough Treated?

Typically, mild cases of kennel cough are treated with a week or two of rest, but a veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection and cough medication to ease the symptoms.

“Nebulizers and vaporizers utilizing inhaled antibiotics or bronchodilators have been reported to be beneficial but are usually not prescribed,” Dr. Fitzgerald said. Speak to your veterinarian for treatment recommendations. Also, it’s helpful for owners to use a harness rather than a collar to walk a dog with kennel cough because irritation of the tracheal can aggravate the cough and possibly even cause damage to the trachea. If you have a household with multiple pets and one shows signs of a cough, chances are all dogs in the home have been exposed.

Can Kennel Cough Be Prevented?

A vaccine is available for the bordetella bacterium, which is the most common agent to cause kennel cough. Dogs who are frequently boarded, visit doggie day care, compete in canine sports, or otherwise are exposed to large groups of dogs may benefit from the vaccine, and many training, boarding, and daycare facilities require proof of vaccination. The vaccine is available in oral, intranasal, and injectable forms, and depending on the form, it is usually initially given in two doses two to four weeks apart, followed by a booster every six months to a year.

Although most cases of kennel cough are caused by bordetella, some are caused by other agents, including the bacteria bordetella bronchiseptica, canine adenovirus type 2, canine parainfluenza virus, canine respiratory coronavirus, and mycoplasmas, so the vaccine may not prevent your dog from catching the disease.

If you notice your pet coughing or if you plan to introduce your dog to large groups of animals, speak with your veterinarian.

It’s helpful to have financial plan in should should your pet become ill or injured suddenly. Learn about AKC Pet Insurance and the AKC Visa card.

Kennel cough treatment can usually be achieved with a strict regimen of antibiotics. Kennel cough, also recognized as tracheobronchitis, is an infection that situates itself within the bronchial tubes of the upper respiratory system. Most commonly, this illness is identified by the unrelenting sound of a hacking cough. When a dog is infected with kennel cough, the germs from the infection are released into the air each time he coughs, and this effectively allows all nearby animals to become infected with the same. 

Because of how highly contagious this particular condition is, it is always best to seek immediate treatment when kennel cough is suspected. Here is a look at some of the more common antibiotics used to in kennel cough treatment.

Azithromycin

Azithromycin is a generic brand of Zithromax and is used for the successful treatment of kennel cough. It is highly successful in cases of kennel cough because the bacterium that causes kennel cough is highly susceptible to it. Azithromycin works to interrupt the replication of the bacteria cells, which essentially kills them off and ends the infection. Upon entrance into a dog's body, azithromycin metabolizes rather quickly and begins working on the tracheobronchitic infection. This medication may only be prescribed by a veterinarian.

Doxycycline

Doxycycline is the generic brand of Vibramycin, and it is probably one of the more commonly used antibiotics against kennel cough. It works in the same manner that azithromycin does by prohibiting the ability of the bacteria to reproduce. Doxycycline is also a prescription medication, although it should be used with a little bit of caution.

One of the main side effects associated with doxycycline is the onset of an allergic reaction. The chances of allergic reaction with doxycycline are higher than that of azithromycin. One of the other recommendations with this medicine is that it should not be given along side calcium supplements. Calcium can cause the function of the doxycycline to be altered.

Trimethoprim/Sulfadiazine

This is a generic medication for Tribrissen. It is not used as commonly as doxycycline is for kennel cough treatment, but it has been proven to be very effective at eliminating the condition. The sulfonamide contained in this medication works to make the trimethoprim that much more effect, which is why they are combined for treating cases of kennel cough.

This medication is given by prescription only and will usually be given in doses of 30 mg, 120 mg or 480 mg depending on how severe the infection is. Most dogs taking Trimethoprim/Sulfadiazine do not encounter any side effects. However, this medication is not approved for use in pregnant or breastfeeding animals.

In addition, because of the potential effects that it can have on thyroid function, it is not a medication that should be used for any indefinite period of time. If Trimethoprim/Sulfadiazine is not found to be helpful to a dog with kennel cough, the course of treatment should be reevaluated. 

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