We used to get our dogs vaccinated against Bordetella but not anymore. In 2005 we had both of our dogs vaccinated. Within a few months our male contracted it and had not been kenneled, nor had he been around any other dogs, other than our female. We finally figured out what was going on and the vet put him on antibiotics. Within a few weeks, our female contracted it and we knew exactly what it was and she went on antibiotics also.
I spoke with the breeder of our female about this since she was also a veterinarian. She explained to me that the vaccination is somewhat like flu shots in that they only protect against certain strains and that it’s hit or miss. She did say that she had seen more cases than usual during that particular period.
After this whole episode, we reluctantly got them vaccinated again, but this time we went with the intranasal vaccine. Our male did just fine, but our female had some sort of reaction to it for a few weeks after. She actually exhibited the same type of symptoms she had when she had kennel cough.
Again, we don’t do it anymore and have found that some of the kennels we’ve used in the past no longer require the vaccination. If you’ve ever had a dog with kennel cough, you know that it sounds like your dog is going to hack their lung out, especially when they eat. The good news is that the antibiotics seem to work quickly.
