‘Kennel cough’ cases on the rise in Bend area

If you thought the flu season was bad for you, your pets may have felt it too.

Upper respiratory infections, otherwise known as the common cold, have been affecting dogs at a dramatic rate in Bend.

We visited several dog parks in Bend on Tuesday, and most owners tell us they’re not aware of the problem.

Vet clinics, on the other hand, are experiencing it, and they want to make sure your dogs are safe.

“I haven’t heard of it around here at all,” said Kathy Bishoff, a Bend dog owner. “It does make me concerned enough to get my three dogs into the vet in the next couple of days, to get the Bordatella vaccine.”

Blue Sky Veterinary Clinic says a contagious wave of kennel cough has been moving through kennels and dog parks.

Kennel cough is similar to bronchitis, and the Bordatella Bronchispetica vaccine is the easiest way to treat it.

“Definitely going to keep an eye out for any dogs that I see coughing or have any symptoms at all,” Bishoff said. “We will keep our distance for sure.”

Veterinarian Joann Voss of the Ark Animal Clinic says the term “kennel cough” is used broadly for a canine cold.

“What we call kennel cough isn’t always this specific bacteria that we associate with kennel cough,” Voss said. “And every coughing dog doesn’t have kennel cough.”

Still, the cold infections have kept Voss busy recently.

“The ones I saw last week were at the dog parks, and at least three of them we know had been together,” Voss said. “So there has to be something going around.”

Those dogs have been coughing, had runny noses and a little bit of pink eye.

“They are upper respiratory infections,” Voss said. “Just like people get when you go to the office or children get it at daycare or preschool.”

Just like in humans, the cold is a normal occurrence in dogs., and most infections last about a week.

“We do see it every year, especially when the days get nicer and people bring their dogs to the dog parks, and are outside more and intermingling more,” Voss said.

Dog owners say they’re more worried about people who don’t watch their dogs than what their dogs might be carrying.

And if you were wondering if you could catch a cold from your dog, vets say you can’t.