Ed. Note: The following content was provided by Cinema Veterinary Centre, who is a client of KHTS AM-1220.

Summer is usually one of the busiest times of the year for dog boarding facilities, increasing the risk of boarded dogs contracting an upper respiratory infection known as “kennel cough” while pet owners are away. Thanks to a brand new oral prevention method, pet owners can protect their dogs from this common disease without the stress of an injection.

“Kennel cough certainly is a year round thing, but a lot of time we see it more in the summertime because more people are going away, so their dogs might be boarded more often,” said Santa Clarita veterinarian Dr. Jaimie Ronchetto of Cinema Veterinary Centre. “Basically they get it from close contact with other dogs that are affected.”

Jaimie Ronchetto, DVM

Up until recently, veterinarians helped prevent the spread of kennel cough through bordetella vaccines that could be given as an injection or through the nose. However, studies have shown that a new oral form of the bordetella vaccine is actually more effective than the traditional methods.

Related: Keep Your Dog Safe This Summer In The SCV

“The type of immunity you get (with the oral vaccine) is actually more effective and faster since the disease comes in contact with mucous membranes,” Ronchetto said. “That’s the first line of defense.”

Symptoms of kennel cough are usually mild and range from coughing and sneezing to congestion, but can progress and become more severe in some cases, making prevention even more important.

“In the worst cases it actually transitions and becomes a pneumonia, and that’s when we really worry,” Ronchetto said. “That’s obviously more severe; they get a lot sicker and it’s harder to treat.”

Most veterinarians recommend dogs receive a bordetella vaccine annually, but dogs who are boarded or put in dog daycares frequently may need to be vaccinated every six months for increased effectiveness, according to Ronchetto.

While no form of the bordetella vaccine is 100 percent effective, regular vaccinations can help lessen the severity of the disease if a dog does contract it.

“It’s sort of like when we get a flu shot,” Ronchetto explained. “It’s not going to be 100 percent effective– meaning we absolutely will not get the flu that year –but if we do happen to get it, it’s going to be a lot less severe. That’s our aim for doing the kennel cough vaccines.”

Cinema Veterinary Centre

23460 Cinema Drive

Valencia, CA 91355

661-253-9300