Ask Dr Claire

Both my dogs seem to have a cough which results in a dry retch and sometimes a small vomit. The girl started first, kind of like she had something stuck in her throat, now the boy has it

Given one dog has spread the cough to another it certainly sounds like we are dealing with an infectious problem.

We often call a cough that spreads between dogs ‘Kennel Cough’. Kennel cough is usually a loud hacking cough, and almost sounds like something is caught in their throat. This is often viral, or can be bacterial, and it is highly contagious.

Treatment involves anti-inflammatories, sometimes antibiotics, rest and isolation from other dogs. Like the flu, even if your dogs are vaccinated against the common strains they can still get a form of kennel cough.

With kennel cough, affected dogs are usually otherwise bright and happy, have no temperature and are eating normally. The cough can last 10-14 days.

A hands-on examination from your local vet would be a great place to start. Take both the dogs.

Do give your vet a heads up though that you’re coming in with a cough that’s spread to both your dogs. It’s best that you’re not in the waiting room where they could potentially spread the cough further to other dogs. They may call you in directly from the car park.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can book a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail, as soon as possible.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,
Dr Claire