CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Now more than ever, it's important to keep an eye on your dog to see if they developed a cough.
"Before I got on camera just now," said Dr. Alan Garett, a Veterinarian of the Everhart Animal Hospital, "I was informed we have three dogs in the waiting room that are here for coughing, so we are seeing it more and more and I do know that several of the boarding facilities in Corpus Christi have had an outbreak."
Outbreak is a word we've been hearing for over a year now. Except this time, the conversation is about kennel cough. It's highly contagious. It's also species specific which means it can only be spread from dog to dog, not to cats or humans.
"One dog gets it; they all get it. It spreads like wildfire," Dr. Garett added.
"It's just like a kid having the flu at a daycare," said Sarah Spence, the Clinic Manager of Gulf Coast Human Society. "One kid gets it, everyone gets it."
They said kennel cough can evolve into something worse if your fur baby doesn't get seen by a vet.
"They may have difficulty swallowing, and left untreated, it can migrate from upper down to lower respiratory which can lead to more of a pneumonia situation," said Dr. Garett.
Here on the signs to look for:
- A dry or honk like cough
- Sneezing or running nose
- A mild-grade fever
- Lethargic
- Lacking energy
- Gagging
- Loss of appetite
And if there is more than one dog under one roof, make sure you're on top of sanitizing everything.
"Surfacing," Spence added, "so food and water bowls should not be shared. Also, it is airborne so if a dog coughs in a certain room, it can be transferred over to the other animal, so isolation is key".
They said because it is airborne, you should always change your clothes and wash your hands if you were with a dog with kennel cough before playing with another. Also, make sure your dog is always up to date with their Bordetella shots and other vaccines.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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