Large litter cough, also known as canine transmissible tracheobronchitis, clinically covers all upper respiratory infections with cough as the main symptom, except distemper. Kennel cough is highly contagious and can be transmitted by air and by contact, and is so fast that it often causes all dogs living together to become ill, hence the name “Kennel Cough”. The disease can occur all year round, but is more prevalent in spring and autumn. It can occur in dogs of any age, usually with some mild symptoms in adult dogs, but can lead to severe bronchopneumonia if accompanied by a bacterial infection, and can lead to death in puppies. Kennel cough is a multifactorial disease and the agents that cause it include bacteria and viruses. Bacteria are mainly Bordetella bronchiseptica and viruses include canine parainfluenza virus and canine adenovirus. The main clinical sign of the disease is coughing due to the bacterial and viral attack on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. The cough is characterised by a cavernous, long-lasting cough with a “click” at the end. Some owners therefore mistakenly believe that the dog has a foreign body stuck in its nozzle. In addition to the cough and click, two other features of the disease are that the temperature is not high in the early stages of the disease and there is a marked effect on appetite. The disease also has a long duration and is difficult to cure. There is currently no cure for the disease and vaccination is the only effective measure to prevent the development of kennel cough.
