Kennel Cough Help

Is your dog coughing? Most kennel cough is mild and clears in one to three weeks. Here's how to tell, what helps, and when it can't wait.

Start here

When to see a vet

Go to a vet now if your dog:

  • is struggling to breathe, breathing with an open mouth at rest, or breathing with visible effort
  • has pale, grey or blue gums or tongue
  • collapses or is too weak to stand

Call your vet today if your dog:

  • has a temperature of 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) or above (see how to take your dog’s temperature)
  • has a resting breathing rate that stays above 30 breaths a minute
  • is off their food, unusually tired, or getting worse rather than better
  • is a young puppy, an older dog, a flat-faced breed, or has heart or lung disease

Otherwise, most dogs recover at home. Here’s how to look after them.

IS YOUR DOG COUGHING?

Start with the guide that matches your question.

What is kennel cough? Kennel cough is the everyday name for canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), a contagious infection of a dog’s windpipe and airways. Several viruses and bacteria can cause it, including Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus. It spreads wherever dogs mix, causes a harsh, honking cough, and in most healthy dogs clears in one to three weeks. The full guide to kennel cough

Kennel Cough Symptoms

The classic sign is a harsh, honking cough, often ending in a gag or retch, in a dog that’s otherwise bright and eating. Learn the signs, and how to tell kennel cough apart from more serious causes.

Learn More

Kennel Cough Treatment

Most kennel cough is caused by viruses and clears without antibiotics. Your vet may prescribe them if there’s a bacterial infection or a risk of pneumonia. Here’s what treatment usually involves, and why human cough medicines aren’t safe to give.

Learn More

Kennel Cough Home Care

Most dogs get better at home with rest, plenty of water, a harness instead of a collar, and a steamy bathroom to ease the cough. Here’s what helps, what doesn’t, and what’s dangerous to give.

Learn More

Kennel Cough
Symptoms

A worrying sound, usually a mild illness.

Kennel cough usually starts with a dry, honking cough that comes in fits, sometimes ending in a gag or bringing up a little white froth. Many dogs also have a runny nose or sneeze. Most stay bright, eat normally and recover in one to three weeks. What does kennel cough sound like?

A cough on its own in a healthy adult dog rarely needs an emergency visit. What matters is the rest of the picture: breathing, energy, appetite and temperature. Use the checklist at the top of this page to decide between home care and a vet.

Other conditions can sound similar, including a collapsing windpipe, heart disease and pneumonia. If the cough doesn’t fit the usual pattern, or your dog seems unwell in themselves, ask your vet. Kennel cough vs tracheal collapse vs heart disease

Learn More
Signs of Kennel Cough

The early, mild and serious signs, and which ones can't wait.

Recent Articles

Symptoms
Dog Sneezing: What’s Normal and When It Needs a Vet
Causes & Prevention
Kennel Cough Incubation Period: How Soon Do Signs Appear?
Kennel Cough
Canine Adenovirus Type 2 (CAV-2) in Dogs: Kennel Cough and Vaccines
Kennel Cough
Mycoplasma in Dogs: Mycoplasma cynos and Kennel Cough
Kennel Cough
Canine Parainfluenza Virus in Dogs: Signs, Spread and Vaccines

Our Mission

Clear, careful answers about one thing: kennel cough.

Kennel Cough Help covers one subject: kennel cough, the infectious respiratory disease vets call CIRDC. We write for the worried owner at 11pm and for the kennels and daycares that have to manage an outbreak.

Every guide is checked against veterinary school guidance, published veterinary guidelines and peer-reviewed research, and we link our sources so you can read them yourself. We never give medicine doses. The right dose depends on your dog, and that’s your vet’s job.

Run a kennel or daycare? Our outbreak protocol has staff checklists and ready-to-send letters for owners.

Did you know?

A dog can still be contagious after the cough stops. Keep them away from other dogs for at least two to three weeks after it clears, longer if Bordetella is confirmed.