Does The Kennel Cough Vaccine Prevent Kennel Cough?

Chances are … your dog’s daycare, trainer or boarding facility asks for proof of kennel cough (also known as Bordetella) vaccination …

… but should you really be vaccinating your dog for kennel cough?

And does the kennel cough vaccine really work?

These facilities want all dogs vaccinated before they hang out together.

That’s because the risk of kennel cough infection is higher when dogs mingle. Just like when the kids first go back to school and share all their new germs with each other.

But before you give your dog any vaccine, you should ask these questions:

· Is the vaccine safe?

· Is the vaccine effective?

· Is the disease dangerous?

So let’s review these questions and find out if the kennel cough vaccine is really the best choice for your dog.

Is The Kennel Cough Vaccine Safe?

Most vaccines these days are modified live vaccines. That means they bring risks for your dog.

Modified live vaccines contain bacteria or viruses that have been altered … so that they don’t cause clinical disease. But they do stimulate the immune response.

The problem is … modified live vaccines can also cause the disease they were meant to prevent. And research in humans shows they can embed themselves in the genes of the host. This happens with dogs too. It means the viruses can stay in your dog’s body, then cause illness later. Sometimes years later.

Veterinarian Patricia Jordan DVM also reminds us that vaccination of any sort elevates histamines. When histamine levels are high they cause chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can trigger other diseases (including cancer) as your dog ages.

And do you know why your daycare or boarding facility asks you to vaccinate your dog at least a couple weeks before he visits?

It’s because your dog can shed the live bacteria and virus for a up to 7 weeks after vaccination …

… Which means other dogs can catch kennel cough from your vaccinated dog … even though your dog doesn’t have the cough.

Is The Kennel Cough Vaccine Effective?

Unfortunately, the kennel cough vaccine is not very effective. It’s the reason we don’t have cold vaccines for people!

It’s also why your conventional vet recommends vaccinating for kennel cough 2 or 3 times a year.

I mentioned earlier that kennel cough infections are due to a mix of bacteria and viruses. But not all of these agents are included in the vaccines.

There are about 40 agents that cause kennel cough … but the vaccine only covers a few of them. And if the vaccine did include all of them …. it would make it even riskier.

Your dog’s immune system isn’t built to handle so many stressors at once.

So the vaccine makers had to choose the most common infection triggers and use those for vaccines. Some have caused more harm than good. Currently most vets consider the intranasal kennel cough vaccines to be the most effective.

But the problem goes back to that mixed infection aspect of kennel cough. The intranasal vaccines only contain canine parainfluenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica.

This means the vaccine is ineffective …

“Many animals receive “kennel cough” vaccines that include Bordetella and CPI and/or CAV-2 every 6 to 9 months without evidence that this frequency of vaccination is necessary or beneficial” says veterinary immunologist Dr Ronald Schultz PhD. “In contrast, other dogs are never vaccinated for kennel cough and disease is not seen.

“CPI immunity lasts at least 3 years when given intranasally, and CAV -2 immunity lasts a minimum of 7 years parenterally for CAV-I” says Schultz.

“These two viruses in combination with Bordetella bronchiseptica are the agents most often associated with kennel cough, however, other factors play an important role in disease (e.g. stress, dust, humidity, molds, mycoplasma, etc.), thus kennel cough is not a vaccine preventable disease because of the complex factors associated with this disease.

“Furthermore, this is often a mild to moderate self limiting disease. I refer to it as the ‘Canine Cold” concludes Schultz.

So … is vaccinating your dog worth the risk, with so little benefit?

And that takes us to the last question…

Is Kennel Cough So Dangerous That We Need To Vaccinate?

You now know that it’s the dog equivalent of a cold. It poses some extra risk to immune- compromised dogs. But it’s not life threatening if you support your dog’s immune system.

There are ways to prevent and treat kennel cough naturally. So it’s a good idea to say no to the vaccine.