Snorted out vaccine.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for your question. Sorry to hear that Rianna got kennel cough.

In my area we are seeing a lot of kennel cough. And this time, some of the dogs who are getting kennel cough are properly vaccinated.

Your vet is right that it is ok if a dog snorts out the kennel cough vaccine. The nose only needs a small amount of vaccine in it to stimulate immunity.

So, why did Rianna get kennel cough? There are two possibilities that I can think of.

The first, is that the vaccine that infected Rianna was of a different strain than that in the vaccine. Sometimes viruses can change or mutate and the vaccine may not be completely effective. No vaccine is 100% against viruses.

The second, is that it may not actually be kennel cough that Rianna got. Sometimes what we think is kennel cough is actually canine influenza (dog flu). Don't worry though, canine influenza is not contagious to people like swine flu or bird flu. We treat influenza the same way as we do kennel cough but often it takes longer to go away.

Any dog can pick up kennel cough if they share airspace with an infected dog. In our area, many dogs are getting kennel cough in the dog park, and these dogs have never been to a kennel. It is very contagious.

You can talk to your vet about repeating the vaccine. If they truly feel they got vaccine in the nose then it is likely not necessary. But, it won't hurt.

Hope all is well!

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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