Kennel Cough vaccination - warning

[Joanne Hagan]

Cross posted from another list, this happened in NSW recently. Permission is given to cross post.

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Hi All

I am a very recent addition to this list and would never ever have thought that
I would be writing to it for the reason that I am.

2 1/2 weeks ago I took four of our dogs to the local vet for their routine
annual vaccinations - two young ones (8 yrs & 4 yrs old), Touch (13 yrs) and
Jodie (12 yrs). These four were given a C 3 vaccination by needle and the kennel
cough protection was given directly down the nose. Our 5th. dog Narnie (12 yrs)
had had a C 5 vaccination a couple of days earlier. I queried the different
method of giving the kennel cough vaccine and the vet advised that it was new
and more effective. 10 days later Jodie developed breathing difficulties,
gagging violently when trying to take air in, and starting to cough. The next
day Touch started to cough also. The two younger dogs were not effected. Over
the next couple of days, with both older dogs on antibiotics, Jodie got better
but poor Touch got worse and worse. Unbeknown to us the violent coughing was not
only causing her (and us) mental stress but also considerable physical stress.

Last Mon. evening in the garden she suddenly took a major seizure. She was still
in seizure 20mins. later when I arrived with her at the vets.. Tues. morning
confirmed that she had had a stroke. The coughing, as bad as ever, continued so
that afternoon we changed the antibiotic. That night she had another seizure.
Wed. morning saw me off to consult another vet, in panic mode, fpr a 2nd.
opinion. An immediate x-ray revealed that she had a chronic chest and lung
infection and was straight away put on a drip. A blood test also confirmed
serious problems with her kidneys badly effected. By Sat. morning she looked a
lot better, wobble-walking around the garden (but head quite level), doing her
toiletry and sniffing the odd ball as she passed it. Both the vet and I were
over-joyed and, on listening to her chest, he believed that she had beaten the
odds, but it was not to be. In the afternoon she started to go downhill in a
hurry. By 6.30 she was in extreme distress and I made the only decision left to
me.

Touch had never had a day's illness in her life. She was the excitement machine,
the instigator of all the action that happened at home - never ever still and
always full of the joys of spring. She's now dead thanks to a veterinary
practice that, as far as I'm concerned, should be outlawed. I don't know whether
it was the vaccine itself or the nasal method of delivery but one of them (or
both) kiilled her. The 2nd. vet I went to never has and never will use this
nasal delivery method. Further, because the company that manufactures the
vaccine and promotes the nasal delivery, continues to do so, he will not use any
of that company's products at all. So strongly does he believe it is bad and
I've since learned of another vet that believes the same.

My message to everybody, in as strong a way as possible, is IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE
TO HAVE YOUR DOGS VACCINATED EVERY YEAR DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ALLOW
YOUR VET TO USE THE NASAL DELIVERY FOR KENNEL COUGH. My little dynamo is now no
longer with us as a direct result of it.

Take this advice I beg you all.

Regards

Graham Elven.

[Kerry Webster]

Sorry to hear of your loss Joanne, especially under the circumstances that you describe.

I have never heard of a nasal application of a vaccination. Personally, I don't allow any new fangle ways of treating my dogs to be applied. I stipulate what I want, and that is what the dogs get.

The reports on reactions and even death to dogs from the 12 month Heartworm injection have been enough to put me off getting it, and heck, what is the problem in remembering to dose the dogs once a month; it's nothing.

But, getting back to your situation, I hope the other dogs are now doing fine. You acted as a responsible dog owner should do, and it is shameful that a Vet. practise has let you and the dogs down so badly, and in the process caused such pain for your old girl resulting in her death.

Thank you for letting people on this site know what occured so that we can be more vigilant and avoid the trauma you have gone through.

Kerry

[Joanne Hagan]

HI Kerry,

Thanks for your response, but (fortunately) they were not my dogs that were affected, I posted this from another list. The person involved is from NSW and is an agility judge. It's a terrible tragedy for him. I have only recently started hearing of the kennel cough vaccine being given in this method, so I think it is recent, although I am told in the UK that this is the standard method.

I agree with you about the heartworm injections too - have heard too many bad stories about those, pretty easy to pop a pill down the throat once a month I reckon!

I feel so sorry for these people affected by these tragedies, I'd hate to lose any of my dogs in such a way

Joanne

[Gareth Tawton]

Hi Joanne,

Some would argue that you shouldn't bother with any kennel cough vaccination as in most cases the cough is only around for a week or so and the dog then gets a natural immunity from there. I Badja vaccinated but he still caught kennel cough in Qld. I went there for a judging appointement only to be transported by a local who put my dog in a trailer with their dog which had a full dose of kennel cough

Anyway most of my dogs have had a single mild dose at sometime in their life and then never had it again. There doesn't seem to be any straightforward answer but I know some people who never vaccinate and haven't had any problems.

Gareth

[Leanne O'Sullivan]

I have heard of the nasal spray for a few years now but only used when it wasn't included in the general vaccination injection, ie. C4 or C5. It was my understanding that if you had C3 and then went back later to include the Kennel Cough vaccine that you had to have the nasal spray.

It was also my understanding that the C4 and C5 vaccinations only included the 2 most common strains of kennel cough and that it was never a guarantee to stop your dog contracting kennel cough but to reduce the severity.

I would like to know more about how long the vaccines stay in the dogs' systems though. I have heard that most dogs do not require yearly vaccinations. I'm just too scared not to do it, just in case.

Leanne

[Prue Winkfield]

My brother in law is a research vet who has spent his life developing vaccines of various sorts for various species. He says that after the initial vaccinations and the one at 15/16 months he can not see any reason to keep doing it especially if the dog leads a normal life. It is just that kennels require it. I personally don't keep the vaccinations up.

[Howard]

10 years ago or so I used to have my dogs vaccinated for kennel cough. It was always the nasal spray.

Nowadays, I don't bother. The vaccine doesn't give protection from whatever brand of cough that is going around so they get to coughing anyway. I figure let them cough for a couple of days and it runs it's course.

[Maureen Cooper]

Just catching up with the board and re kennel cough... one of my puppy buyer's got her pup treated with the nasal spray and the distress caused to her puppy was enough to put me off though it did survive. At one time all three of my dogs got kennel cough, two had been vaccinated with C4 & 5 and the third had not ( just forgot!).The first two only got a mild version of it but the third got full blown KC and was very, very sick so I agree that vaccination does not prevent KC but the effect is considerably lessened. Re annual vaccinations..... once I have stopped breeding from my bitches I do not vaccinate yearly, there is a lot of discussion about re this, but I still do it bi-annually. I read that after several years of vaccinations the dog has sufficient immunity but my vet says with older dogs all the more reason to keep up vaccinations as their immunity becomes lower with age! You pays your money......etc

TTFN
Maureen

[Kirsty Blair]

Hi Graham,

My sincere sympathies at the loss of your little bitch. I have also had negative experiences with the intranasal administration of the kennel cough vaccine. 4 out of 5 dogs I have had vaccinated using that method exhibited side effects ranging from "reverse sneezing" (that awful asthmatic sounding gasping for air) which lasted up to 5 days to a mild cough lasting around a week. There has also been evidence to suggest that the intranasal vaccine can be less than effective because alot of dogs snort it out straight after it is administered. The original concept behind the intranasal site of administration was that it would lead to a greater production of antibodies in the upper respiratory tract leading to better protection from the virus.

Of course, the kennel cough virus, like all flu viruses, mutates into many different strains of which we vaccinate for only two. As Gareth says, most doses of kennel cough cause only minor discomfort and are short lived. However, there are a few cases which cause damage to the respiratory tract and lead to a chronic cough as well as leaving the dog susceptible to any future outbreaks of the disease. This risk is the reason that I still would choose to have my dogs vaccinated (via injection).

Of course, now I only have a cat I don't have to worry! I am finding it difficult to force fetch her though

Take care all,
Kirsty

[FOM - Lainee]

That's interesting. I have my dogs vaccinated every 6 months for kennel cough and they get the nasal form. Have not had a case of kennel cough nor any adverse reaction to it. Granted I'm in the USA, but are the vaccines that much different??? BTW my oldest dog is almost 6 now.

FOM