Kennel Cough Prevention

Well, it snowed (again)—so that's our cue to talk about cold and flu season. Dog cold and flu season, that is.

As we enter peak winter months, our team has been reviewing our kennel cough prevention protocols, and we thought we'd share this important information with all our puppy pal families too!

The Basics: What Is Kennel Cough?

Like humans can get the common cold, dogs get kennel cough. The biggest difference? When humans start to not feel well, we don't go running around licking each other in the face. But dogs do!

Kennel cough is caused by bacteria and viruses that spread through the air and contaminated surfaces. Dogs can be asymptomatic for 2 to 10 days after exposure which means they do not show any signs of having or starting to get kennel cough. Your dog could look and act perfectly normal while still carrying and spreading these germs.

Important to know: Despite its name, dogs can get kennel cough in many everyday places. Dog parks, grooming appointments, daycare, kennels vet visits, and even greeting other dogs on neighborhood walks can expose a dog to kennel cough. It spreads through the air and through close contact, so any place where dogs spend time together can allow the germs to move around.

Vaccinations Work Like Flu Shots

For Doggy Daycare, we require all dogs to get their annual Bordetella vaccination, and most vets recommend it as well. The Bordetella vaccine helps protect against one of the main causes of kennel cough. Think of it like a flu shot for humans: it reduces the risk and makes symptoms milder if your dog does get sick. But just like flu shots, it doesn’t cover every possible germ. There are many different bacteria and viruses that can cause kennel cough, and vaccines only exist for a few of them. That’s why even vaccinated dogs can still catch kennel cough — though the good news is that they usually recover faster and with less severe illness.

Let’s Talk About Immunity

Whether a dog gets sick depends on several factors: their immune system, age, overall health, and how much of the germ they’re exposed to. Puppies, senior dogs, and dogs with weaker immune systems are more likely to get sick, while healthy adult dogs may fight off the infection without showing symptoms. So, five dogs could be exposed to the same germs, but only one might actually develop kennel cough.

What We Do to Prevent Kennel Cough

At Airdrie Puppy Pals, we follow strong cleaning routines every day and we stay even more alert during the winter season. Cold weather brings more shedding and more time indoors, so we put extra care into keeping our space clean and comfortable for every Puppy Pal. We keep loose fur off the floors, refresh water bowls often, and always use clean solution when we mop. Since kennel cough can move through the air, our team also cleans walls and counters along with the rest of the space. These steps help us give every Puppy Pal a healthy and welcoming place to spend their day.

What You Can Do at Home

You can follow similar practices to keep your pup healthy. Wash your dog's water and food bowls daily with hot, soapy water, and keep their living space clean and well-ventilated. Make it a habit to wash bedding and toys regularly, and always monitor your dog for any signs of coughing or illness. Most importantly, make sure vaccinations stay up to date.

When Dogs Aren't Feeling Well

Even if one dog in a group gets kennel cough, the others may never get it — not every dog exposed will necessarily get sick. However, to be extra cautious, if your dog is coughing, we ask them to stay home for 1 week after they stop coughing. For example: if your pup is not feeling well for one week, then stops coughing at day 7, we ask that they stay home until day 14. This helps protect all the dogs in our care.

Health and Happiness

Just like a human cold, if dogs rest and get proper care, they should feel better in about a week. And just like a human cold, if they get run down, they can get worse and develop pneumonia. At Airdrie Puppy Pals, we're committed to maintaining our high cleaning standards and doing our part to keep every dog healthy, happy and safe. At the end of the day, we can't control individual immunity, but we can control keeping our facility as clean as possible. :)

If your dog shows any signs of kennel cough, please keep them home, let them rest, and contact your vet.

We're all in this together—let's keep all of our furry friend healthy this winter!