Kennel Cough Clears the House

Sunday, August 26, 2001 - USA

'Enough,' he said; 'the cough is a mere thing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.'

'True—true,' I replied...

The Cask of Amontillado
Edgar Allen Poe

PITTSBORO, NC — "We have a lot of work ahead of us," said shelter director Randie Russell after overseeing the destruction of close to a dozen dogs suffering from kennel cough.  Yesterday, the Chatham County Animal Shelter at 725 County Landfill Rd., Pittsboro closed its dog doors and plans to remain closed until September 4 while workers disinfect the dog cages.

Kennel cough (tracheobronchitis) is neither fatal nor debilitating, but it is indeed highly contagious, and afflicted dogs generally require about two weeks before their natural immune system is able to shrug it off.  Most cases are caused by the airborne bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica, for which antibiotics may be administered, although generally dogs recover more quickly without treatment.  Some vets merely prescribe Robitussin DM, two teaspoons before bed time.

Nonetheless, Ms. Russell said the shelter had no choice but to destroy the sick dogs, indicating that antibiotic treatment for all the dogs would have been cost-prohibitive, since strays are kept for only a week.

Animal specialist Jennifer Boniface from the University of Maryland disagrees, advising dog lovers:

"If your dog does develop Kennel Cough symptoms, don’t panic! The way this illness operates is analogous to the common cold that we humans sometimes catch; simply put: it must run its course. There is no magic pill or cure, but there are many ways to treat and ease the symptoms."

Seven coughing dogs were rescued from the shelter by the organization Chatham Animal Rescue and Education, Inc., a volunteer group that fosters stray dogs and cats while finding them permanent homes. 

P.S. If you're a bit rusty on your Poe (The Cask of Amontillado), I'll refresh your memory; Fortunato, in fact, did not die of a cough.  But he did die.

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