
Mixed infections are likely, especially in dogs with complicated kennel cough.

Symptoms of mild kennel cough include the following: Most cases of kennel cough are not serious, although the cough can sound a bit alarming. Contact with any infected dog can lead to kennel cough, but dogs are most at risk when they are housed together in groups: Stress and poor hygiene can make dogs more susceptible to infection. It is spread through respiratory secretions, and dogs can be exposed either through sneezing or coughing or from contact with contaminated surfaces. Kennel cough is the common name for infectious tracheobronchitis, a bacterial or viral infection that produces inflammation of the airways (trachea and bronchi).


Kennel cough is usually mild and self-limiting, but sometimes it causes more severe illness. Some people describe it as sounding like a cat hacking up a hairball. If you’ve had a dog with kennel cough, you’ve heard the sound: a dry hack often followed by retching or gagging.
