Kennel Cough

[Plexi]

Oh, man this is the first case I had to deal with and I really didn't know what to say to her. She called and said her Schnauzer got kennel cough yesterday and may have been from my shop as this is the only place she has been.
She was here two weeks ago on a Thurs. , no other dogs that whole week was coughing or anything like that. I always ask an owner about the dog if it's coughing.
What do you say to this customer?

[fiveoclockdog]

You can tell her that it's highly contagious and can be picked up anywhere at any time and that vaccines are a preventative but not a guarantee. You can tell her that any time a dog is exposed to other dogs or locations where other dogs have been there is a risk. You can tell her that you operate a clean facility and that there's really nothing more that anyone can do. Then you can tell her to get over it because her dog will too!

[ferretlov]

I second that! also a few years ago we had a terrible outbreack of the boardatella virus in Florida and dogs were getting it left and right.Anyone I booked I recomend them getting a booster if they hadnt had one in the last six months.but I still had 6 dogs wind up getting it.considering we had about 100 dogs that month I guess it could have been worse.most of the dogs were given childrens cough syrup and a antibiotic (from the vet)then sent them home.all of them were fine.,Its an airborne virus that can be contracted anywhere.

[PetsRus]

Just explain to her like the others have said and tell her that there have been no sick pets there to the best of your knowledge but there is always a risk.

[borzoimom]

Not a virus

First of all, Bordetella is not an airborne VIRUS, it is a bacteria. Parainfluenza, which can cause the same symptoms as Bordetella is a virus.

Second, I had a client call me once and said she wanted to let me know her dog had gotten kennel cough from my shop. Said her dogs never go anywhere but my shop, they don't even go outside as they use Potty Pads. I simply told her, I hadn't had anyone else report any sickness or coughing. My own dogs are in my shop with me everyday and were fine. I told her there was a vaccine available if she had chosen to get it and could still get it now to prevent another episode. By the way, I never did have another client say anything about coughing and this woman's other two dogs never coughed. Knowing how contagious Bordetella is, I don't really think it was truly Kennel cough.

[SwissNChow]

If she was at your shop 2 weeks ago, I'd be REALLY surprised if your shop was the source. The incubation period is normally 3 to 7 days.

The thing is that she could have picked it up anywhere. Even in her own backyard or on a walk around the neighborhood. Its like when you get a cold, most often, you can't really trace it back to a source.

Here's another thought...has she actually been to the vet? If not, then how does she know it's tracheobronchitis? What if the dog is coughing for a different reason?

[Plexi]

Thanks all, you have made me feel better about all this, yes she was at the Vet to deal with this and he gave her meds.

[sheilabgroomer]

Thanks all, you have made me feel better about all this, yes she was at the Vet to deal with this and he gave her meds.

Is she asking you to foot the bill? Hope not. I know there is a sense of responsibility if the dog got it from your place, but w/bordetella I think that would be kinda like me sending a dr bill to the school whenever one of my kids comes home with a "bug". Even if they did catch it at school (and who's to say for sure they did), that's a risk you take when you are in any public place.

The only way to be sure you or your pets never get a contagion is to live in a sterile bubble!

I don't require the vaccine to my clients. I used to until my lab got it AFTER she had been vaccinated. She was around 5 yrs old the first (and only) time she got the vaccine. I had her from a puppy and she went to work w/me almost daily never a problem. She developed a cough almost immediately which the vet said is sometimes a side effect. It went away on it's own in a day or so. Then a few months after she got the vaccine she had a nice case of it. From what I understand there are several different strains of bordetella and the vaccine only covers a few.

[Debbiedogs]

It's a bad cold

I tend to think of kennel cough as a bad cold. You can even use cough medicine and Benadryl to help keep the dog comfortable as it runs its course.

Some dogs get it severely, some dogs have a short and easy run through it.

This woman is perhaps a bit underinformed about what it is, and how much you should be "blamed" for the possibility. I believe any dog is much more exposed to MANY contagious illnesses making a visit to the vet than it is going to a grooming salon. Why? Because there are many sick dogs at the vet, of course! That is usually why they are there, whereas most owners will NOT keep a grooming appointment if there dog seems unwell.

[PetsRus]

First of all, Bordetella is not an airborne VIRUS, it is a bacteria. Parainfluenza, which can cause the same symptoms as Bordetella is a virus.

Second, I had a client call me once and said she wanted to let me know her dog had gotten kennel cough from my shop. Said her dogs never go anywhere but my shop, they don't even go outside as they use Potty Pads. I simply told her, I hadn't had anyone else report any sickness or coughing. My own dogs are in my shop with me everyday and were fine. I told her there was a vaccine available if she had chosen to get it and could still get it now to prevent another episode. By the way, I never did have another client say anything about coughing and this woman's other two dogs never coughed. Knowing how contagious Bordetella is, I don't really think it was truly Kennel cough.

THought is was airborne?

[lefty]

Oh, man this is the first case I had to deal with and I really didn't know what to say to her. She called and said her Schnauzer got kennel cough yesterday and may have been from my shop as this is the only place she has been.
She was here two weeks ago on a Thurs. , no other dogs that whole week was coughing or anything like that. I always ask an owner about the dog if it's coughing.
What do you say to this customer?

>>>

I would tell them they should have had their dog vaccinated.

I've stopped being the vaccination police. Owners must sign a paper that tells them what the risks are for their dogs if they are not vaccinated, and that they understand and accept these risks.

My frustration stemed from the fact that twice in the last 12 years when I have been bitten by a dog badly enough to have to seek medical attention, neither dog has had an up to date rabies shot. Both owners swore up and down that their dogs had a current rabies shot, they just either didn'thave the paperwork or they didn't know the name of the vet...People lie, and I spend a lot of time tracking down their vets and finding out they've lied.

So now I say, it is your responsibility to keep your dog's vaccinations current. This is the possible consequenses if you do not keep your dog up to date on it's shots. I have a piece of paper that lists possible consequences and releases me from liability should their dog suffer the consequences of the owners irresponsibility.

If their dog had been up to date on it's shots then they likely wouldn't have gotten Bordatella even if they'd had an exposure.