Airborne Transmission:
When an infected dog coughs or sneezes, tiny respiratory droplets containing the bacteria or viruses causing kennel cough are released into the air. These droplets can be inhaled by other dogs in close proximity, leading to infection.
Direct Contact:
Dogs can contract kennel cough by direct contact with infected dogs, such as through sniffing, licking, or playing together.
Contaminated Surfaces:
Kennel cough can also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, like toys, bedding, food and water bowls, or even people's hands. The bacteria or viruses can survive on these surfaces for a short period (up to 48hrs) and infect other dogs who come into contact with them.
Asymptomatic Carriers:
Some dogs can carry and spread kennel cough without showing any symptoms themselves, making it even easier for the infection to spread.
Places where it spreads easily: Kennel cough is particularly common in areas where many dogs gather, such as kennels, doggy daycares, boarding facilities, dog shows, and dog parks."
Beti is still coughing a little this morning, yesterday she was coughing till she gagged, today she is already dramatically better. So far, no one else is coughing, but we'll see how things go over the next week or so. The incubation period typically ranges from 2 to 14 days after exposure, during which dogs may be contagious even without showing symptoms, that why it's so easy to spread and more often than not people are not to blame when there is an outbreak following a show. Similarly, by the time Beti was coughing it was too late to separate her from her buddies at home. I will now keep my dogs away from any shows or training classes and I won't walk them beyond my boundary walls. I won't go to events where I would come into direct contact with other dogs either, but it would be bordering on impossible for me to carry it to another person and for them to carry it home to their dogs ... still to be extra careful I washed and changed my clothes and had no contact with my dogs today before attending a very enjoyable dog first aid course.
