Disease outbreak sparks vaccination plea

A Bunbury veterinarian is calling pet owners to action after a severe form of kennel cough left several dogs struggling to breathe and put them at risk of further complications.

Bunbury Vet Clinic veterinarian Braden Collins said he had seen 10 dogs and one cat in the past week affected by unusual problems with their respiratory tracts.

“The concern is the numbers and the severity,” Dr Collins said.

“Normally there’s a severe hacking cough, but this time the dogs are struggling to get their breath and a lot of owners are getting very distressed by it.”

Dr Collins said there was a risk that the disease could begin to spread even more rapidly if it were to get into places where a lot of dogs socialised, such as kennels, grooming parlours and training or group activities.

The disease is easily managed through cough medicines and anti- inflammatories, but left untreated can develop into something far more serious for the dog.

“Depending on which study you believe, between 1 and 20 per cent of dogs can develop pneumonia secondary to kennel cough,” Dr Collins said.

“Vaccination is important to try to control a disease like this – we need every dog that is socialising with other dogs to be protected.”

Dr Collins said the vaccination involved a single treatment that was quick and painless for dogs.