My dog has caught KC. He is not very poorly as he was vaccinated in April. How long does it generally last and how long should he be kept away from other dogs?
Does anyone have any experience.
Louise

> How long does it generally last

This can differ, a week or so actually coughing

> how long should he be kept away from other dogs?
>

At least 3 weeks after the last signs/symptoms

Probably about a week of severe symptoms (if they have them), but it can take several weeks to properly clear up. I've certainly had them still coughing a bit and not quite themselves after a month. Some vets give antibiotics to prevent them getting secondary chest infections (tho KC itself is a virus obviously). 

If yours doesn't have it badly in the first place, though, it will perhaps not last for so long.

If you have more than one dog, they are probably all infected by the time you notice symptoms in the first one. And if they're regularly in boarding kennels or similar, they can keep contracting different strains, rather than being immune once they've had it as one might have hoped.

If you are asking how long the vaccine lasts, six months, give or take however as kennel cough is caused by many different types of bug one vaccine does not cover all. If you are asking about the symptoms of the infection I would expect them to clear in a week and if not see your vet as secondary infections are relatively common. The dog will be infectious for at least three weeks.

Thank you for your replies. I have read that 10 weeks after symptoms is the time you keep clear of other dogs. This seems ages.

Yes, I think 3 weeks after they stops coughing is enough. Remember also that exercise makes them worse while they have it, so staying at home us actually what they need.

>Some vets give antibiotics to prevent them getting secondary chest infections (tho KC itself is a virus obviously). 

This was true for my lot when they got hit about 18 months ago.  Having a lot of dogs it was hideous waiting each day to find out how many more had started coughing.  I have too many to isolate some from others, as they all live in the house.  (Yes I know, wall to wall dog.)

My vet was concerned that if my two tiny, tinies got hit, that chest infections could be dangerous.  Yet the tiny tots were not as bad as some of them that were really poorly.  My eldest Beardie was a worry, she really was poorly.  The last dog to start coughing was a week after the first dog to start coughing.  I asked for antibiotics for all of them in the end.  Wasn't cheap but my vet listed all the meds under one dog to make it cheaper for me.

I don't want KC again in a hurry.

Whether this is a suitable regime or not, I'm not sure, but we had a nasty bout of KC 4 years ago, and since then have vaccinated once a year, and boosted it up with a KC nosode when we estimate (!!) the antibodies might be waning.      But it's very far from an exact science!!!    

  Jo

We have it in a tiny at the moment, lady visited us, with her pet, as she left she said oh dear I have just remembered I have kennel cough, I could of killed her there and then, as my retriever is due to whelp end of the month. I have had to go to vets for antibotic's and tiny one is coughing all day and night, very poorly. They are all in the house together, Will whelp in bedroom as usual,Just waiting to see who else starts. So worried about broody now. Many years ago, I had it in a two week old litter of pups, it was heart breaking to see them struggle to breath.

My lot got KC about 2 months ago. The first one to start was at a show about a week before and I suspect picked it up from there as there were other outbreaks  with dogs that had attended the same show. It was a nightmare, waiting for each dog to become ill. Got anti biotics from the vet for all of them regardless. Our oldie was the worst affected and coughed for about 2 weeks. We also had 2 puppies that I was keeping, one of them got and the other one was fine. So in total 5 had KC and 5 were not affected, we were lucky.
So no walks for 3 weeks and I also cancelled all my grooming appointments for the same period.

I bought two Bostons from a Kennel in New Mexico that arrived with Kennel Cough. I had bought a dog from them a year ago and he arrived with kennel cough. I thought he got it while being shipped but I was wrong. I was told there are many strains now and the vaccine only works on one form.
My new dogs have sneezing, running eyes and runny nose. No real cough.

I was told 14 days in isolation and could be up to three weeks. As long as symptoms are there they can pass it.

> was told 14 days in isolation and could be up to three weeks. As long as symptoms are there they can pass it.

Which why I said at least 3 weeks after the last symptoms!!!

You are correct, you can vaccinate for Parainflenza and bordatella Bronciseptica (one strain of Kennel cough).

As with the human cold there are many strains of Kennel cough.