My dog has kennel cough. Is it contagious? When can she go to daycare?

Kennel cough is very contagious and can be bacterial and/or viral. The bordetella vaccine can help shorten the course of disease if your dog is exposed, but does not prevent infection. With a deep cleaning and decontamination, the daycare facility should be able to eliminate it for now. Great job of them letting their customers know of the illness at their facility! I would wait at least a week to make sure they haven't had any more infected dogs.

Oh no, poor Rosie! I would not give her any more Robitussin, as too much is not safe for dogs. Kennel cough is a self limiting disease that last three to four weeks, and while medications can help with the symptoms, they will not completely prevent the symptoms of it. I would have Rosie seen by a vet, who can prescribe medications are safe to give her. There are some things you can do for her at home. Any dog with kennel cough should be isolated for at least two weeks, possibly longer depending on the severity of the infection. Keep her in a well-humidified area, and use a harness instead of a collar to minimize coughing. Rest her for at least seven days to minimize irritation of the airways caused by excessive coughing. You can bring Rosie into the bathroom with you while you have a shower, as the steam may help with the respiratory irritation. I recommend having her seen by a vet tomorrow.

Dogs are typically "contagious" for the first week or so of illness. To be safe, isolate Luna from other dogs for about two weeks. The cough may linger for longer but is not an indication of active infection.

This is a really good question, with no perfect answer. With the giardia she is technically still considered to be potentially shedding eggs until she has a negative fecal exam. With the kennel cough, depending on which virus is causing it she can still be shedding virus up to 3 weeks even though she may be symptom free. I hope this helps answer your question. Thanks for using Pet Coach.

Hi. Unfortunately there aren't any home remedies for this bacteria. The antibiotics are your best option. They are contagious as long as they are coughing. I am guessing by a week you will be good to go! Good luck.

With any upper respiratory infection, it's safest to assume that your dog may still be contagious up to a week after symptoms have resolved. So even if your pup is on Clavamox, this rule still applies :)

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dogs. It sounds like Tate picked up an infection at doggy daycare and then likely spread it to your roommate's dogs. Some dogs will clear the infection on their own. However, if the coughing persists, they will likely need medication. They will need to see a veterinarian in this case. In the meantime, keep them quiet and at home. They are likely contagious to other dogs. They will not keep passing the infection between them though. Each dog should develop some immunity after being infected. I hope this information helps!