Reducing the Risk of Kennel Cough for Your Pet
Many of us, as conscientious pet guardians, take extensive measures to guarantee our dogs are adequately fed, looked after, cozy, and in good health. Regarding your dog’s health, several prevalent issues can influence their overall well-being and quality of life. Kennel cough is one such common ailment that can impact dogs. While it might not always be severe, it certainly can affect their comfort and well-being.
When a dog has a kennel cough, it can cause discomfort in many ways, and it can make your pet miserable and low. In addition, it can be more serious for certain dogs that fall into the vulnerable category, and this includes young pups, senior dogs, and those with compromised immune systems. Of course, the best thing you can do for your pet dog is the reduce the chances of getting kennel cough, and there are a few ways in which you can do this. We will look at some of these in this article.
Some Steps to Consider
There are a few important steps to consider if you want to keep your pet protected from kennel cough and reduce the risks associated with this condition. Some of these are:
Get Advice from the Vet
One thing that you should do, particularly if you have a vulnerable dog, is to seek advice from a vet with regard to the best way to keep your pet protected. There are vaccinations that you can consider, and although they do not guarantee that your pet will not get kennel cough, they can help to lessen the severity and speed up recovery. If you are concerned that your pet might already have kennel cough, discuss it with the vet as there is a chance that it could be another respiratory issue or an allergy with similar symptoms.
Reduce Exposure to the Illness
One very important thing to do is to remain vigilant with regard to other dogs that might have kennel cough and with which your dog might mix. If you suspect another dog that your pet socializes with might have the illness, keep your dog away from them until they have recovered. This is important because the illness is extremely contagious so it could easily be passed on to your pet.
Cut Back on Socializing with Unknown Dogs
Another thing you should consider, particularly with more vulnerable pets, is limiting the amount of time they spend around unknown dogs. Naturally, if you have other dogs belonging to family members or friends, you will probably be made aware if there is any suspicion of kennel cough. However, this is not something that happens with unknown dogs belonging to strangers. So, it is worth limiting the amount of time they spend around unknown dogs where possible.
These are some of the key steps that you can consider if you want to reduce the risk of your dog contracting kennel cough.