Bordetella Vaccine

marniekat · Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject:

Django had kennel cough when he was 8.5 weeks old and although you need to keep an eye on it so they don't develop any secondary infections, it sounds much worse than it is and it ran it's course in about a week. Our vet compared it to the flu shot - there are so many strains that it's a shot in the dark as to whether or not it actually prevents them from getting it anyway.

Having said that, Django and his other littermates were unknowingly exposed to kennel cough by another dog who had been brought into the vet when our breeder was there with the pups for their health checks before flying out to the new owners and the only one of his littermates who did not develop kennel cough, was the one who's owner requested that her puppy have the bordetella with the first round. So...I don't know. On the other hand, our neighbour's dog ran into our yard and was around Django when he had it and the other dog is not vaccinated for it and he never got it.

I think someone else said it best when they said it was just like a cold. I think it's totally hit and miss and a matter of whether their immune system is up or down the day they're exposed. I know human anatomy is very different but as an example, my husband is a very healthy man but he caught every cold going this year and I'll probably jinx myself by saying this, but I haven't had a cold in almost 3 years and although I eat healthy, I also eat many things I shouldn't and tend to sleep way less than I should and yet I escape all the nasty viruses. Luck perhaps?

Okay, back on topic...Django did get the bordetella shot later on because we quickly discovered that we could not participate in any of the puppy classes or group walks or anything like that without having a vacc certificate to prove he had been vaccinated for it.