I first wrote this article when we had already been working from home for three weeks and our dogs were probably wondering whether this was their new life: people available to them all day. Dog shows and competitions were paused, so kennel cough seemed less of a concern then. Years have passed, but both kennel cough and leptospirosis remain important diseases for dog owners.<\/p>\n
These are actually very different conditions. Kennel cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease complex that is usually relatively mild. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can rapidly damage several organs and can spread to people. I want to share practical prevention advice as well as Faddu’s story, because it was one of the hardest experiences I have had as a dog owner.<\/p>\n
Kennel cough, or canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), is not a disease caused by just one bacterium. Different viruses and bacteria can be involved, including Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus. Dogs can become infected through close contact, droplets released when an infected dog coughs, and contaminated objects. Risk increases wherever many dogs train, play or stay together.<\/p>\n
A typical symptom is a sudden, harsh, dry cough that may end in gagging or bringing up a small amount of foamy mucus. With mild disease, the dog may otherwise remain bright, eat normally and breathe comfortably. Incubation depends on the pathogen and often ranges from a few days to around ten days. Transmission may begin before obvious symptoms and continue after recovery; a dog is not necessarily safe to mingle as soon as its cough stops.<\/p>\n
Vaccines can reduce the severity of disease caused by certain pathogens and sometimes reduce transmission, but they do not cover the entire respiratory disease complex or always prevent infection. The appropriate vaccination schedule depends on the dog’s contacts and activities.<\/p>\n
If an otherwise healthy adult dog has a mild cough, is energetic, eats and breathes normally, supportive care may be enough following veterinary assessment. I mean rest, enough drinking water, a comfortable warm environment and a collar that does not press on the windpipe. Walks should be gentle, and the dog should avoid contact with other dogs in the meantime.<\/p>\n
Fever, listlessness, fast or difficult breathing, loss of appetite, a wet or worsening cough, or illness in a very young, elderly or already unwell dog calls for an early veterinary assessment. Laboured breathing or bluish mucous membranes is an emergency. Not every cough is kennel cough: heart disease and other respiratory illnesses need different treatment.<\/p>\n
Uncomplicated kennel cough usually does not require antibiotics. The ISCAID veterinary treatment guidelines emphasise that the need for antibiotics depends on suspected systemic or bacterial illness and signs of pneumonia. A cough suppressant may also be unsuitable if there is a lot of discharge in the airways. The veterinarian decides whether imaging, tests or medication are needed.<\/p>\n
We have written separately about our previous experience of kennel cough<\/a>, so I will not repeat treatment regimens in this article. At the same time, a treatment that worked for a couple of dogs cannot guarantee the same result for yours. If you catch a mild problem early, you may be able to try supportive home measures for a couple of days, but if symptoms do not begin to improve, it is time to visit a veterinarian.<\/p>\n Keep a coughing dog away from other dogs, offer quiet rest and water, and monitor breathing, appetite and general condition. If fever, difficulty breathing, pronounced lethargy or worsening cough develops, contact your veterinarian promptly. Consult your vet before using medicine intended for humans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Leptospirosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Infected animals may shed the bacteria in urine, contaminating water, soil and damp environments. Rodents are an important source, but a dog does not have to see a mouse or rat to be exposed: contact with contaminated water, damaged skin or mucous membranes can be enough. Infection is also possible in cities and is not restricted to one particular season.<\/p>\n Leptospirosis may cause fever, poor appetite, pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, kidney or liver damage and, in severe cases, complications affecting the lungs or other organ systems. Signs are often very general. Not every dog develops obvious jaundice or abnormal kidney results early on, so their absence does not rule out the disease.<\/p>\n On 19 February I took Faddu to the clinic because he had been sleeping poorly. I monitor him with an activity tracker and noticed that he was unusually restless. At first the trouble seemed to be intestinal gas. We were given Rimadyl and advised to give Espumisan after meals. For a while, things seemed to improve.<\/p>\n On 22 February we went to the emergency clinic because Faddu had developed a fever. We spent about six hours there. They carried out blood tests, X-rays and an ultrasound. Nothing provided a clear explanation, although the gas was still present. We checked for tick-borne diseases and discussed leptospirosis, but he had none of the classic symptoms and the veterinarian considered it unlikely. He was prescribed amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and I hoped the worst was behind us.<\/p>\n On 25 February Faddu’s temperature rose to 40.4\u00b0C. He stood hunched over with his head lowered, clearly feeling very ill. I called Timmu Veterinary Clinic and obtained an appointment a couple of hours later. Faddu stayed at the clinic for the day. Dr Liisa J\u00fcrisson decided to perform a leptospirosis rapid test. When she called to say that it was positive, my world seemed to fall apart for a moment. All I could think about was whether my dog would survive.<\/p>\n On veterinary advice, we started a different antibiotic treatment that evening: 28 days of doxycycline in total. Ossu, who had been in contact with Faddu, was also prescribed a 21-day treatment course by the veterinarian. I do not present this as an automatic recommendation for other dogs living in the same household. Whether dogs in contact with a suspected patient need testing or treatment must be assessed individually.<\/p>\n For the next four working days, Faddu stayed at the clinic on intravenous fluids. Another nerve-racking weekend fell between those days. His fever would not settle. At night I barely dared to sleep because I kept listening to check that he was still breathing. At home I often sat motionless on the sofa when Faddu finally fell asleep. I could get work done mainly while the veterinarians were caring for him. Every call from the clinic frightened me because I did not know what news it would bring.<\/p>\n At one point, the doctors suspected a complication affecting his nervous system, possibly meningitis. Faddu’s head felt extremely hot to the touch. According to my notes from that time, his platelet count fell to about 50, with a laboratory reference range of roughly 200\u2013500, and an inflammatory marker was above 200 against a reference range of 0\u201310. Under veterinary supervision, an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid was added to the treatment plan. By the following day he seemed better and his fever had fallen.<\/p>\n No cerebrospinal fluid sample was taken, so meningitis remained a clinical suspicion, not a definitive laboratory-confirmed diagnosis. Nor can we conclude from a hot head or improvement after one medication that meningitis definitely occurred. That does not diminish how difficult the experience was. It simply makes the account medically more precise.<\/p>\n At another visit on 9 March, Faddu’s platelets had risen to around 160 and the inflammatory marker had fallen to approximately 50. For the first time I dared to breathe more easily. But a full recovery took almost another three weeks. Only on 1 April could I say that Faddu was truly Faddu again: he was doing the same things as before. From the first visit to the clinic, the entire ordeal lasted essentially six weeks.<\/p>\n He had lost almost four kilograms. His spine remained visible for some time, although his ribs were no longer quite as prominent. I will never forget that experience. It reminded me, painfully, that even when early blood tests and scans are relatively reassuring, a serious disease can still be developing.<\/p>\n Most importantly, Faddu recovered without any lasting health damage.<\/p>\n At the beginning, fever, poor sleep, abdominal discomfort and changed behaviour were the clearest signs. His appetite had decreased slightly, but he still ate selectively. Fortunately, his kidney and liver values stayed good. I no longer regard that as a ‘clear indication of leptospirosis’. Quite the opposite: normal readings neither confirm nor exclude the disease. They simply make the clinical picture more complicated.<\/p>\n The two later serology tests sent to a German laboratory were negative, even though the original rapid test had been positive. At the time we thought perhaps treatment had begun early enough that antibodies had not yet developed. That is one possibility, but not the only one. Differences in test sensitivity, the timing of samples, prior antibiotics and the possibility of a false-positive rapid test mean that the diagnosis cannot be proven with 100% certainty from those results in retrospect.<\/p>\n The 2023 ACVIM consensus recommends combining clinical findings, PCR tests and repeat serology using MAT at an appropriate interval when leptospirosis is suspected. One negative test does not necessarily rule it out, and treatment may have to begin before all results are available. For our family, it remains a very severe illness that was treated by the veterinarian because leptospirosis was suspected, with contradictory laboratory results we cannot definitively resolve afterwards.<\/p>\n It is impossible to avoid every environmental contact, but the risk can be reduced. I would not let my dog drink from stagnant ditches or puddles, particularly in areas used by rodents or other animals. I would also try to prevent licking unfamiliar urine or contaminated surfaces. Walking in the forest does not mean a dog will become infected; equally, living in a city does not automatically make a dog safe.<\/p>\n Precision matters when discussing vaccination: it can reduce the risk of leptospirosis, but it does not give complete protection. Quadrivalent leptospirosis vaccines used in Europe, such as Nobivac L4, contain antigens from four serogroups: Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Australis and Grippotyphosa. Many more Leptospira serogroups and serovars exist. We therefore cannot assume the vaccine protects against all possible pathogens. Some partial cross-protection against other serovars may occur, but it is neither certain nor universal.<\/p>\n Research also shows that vaccination may reduce disease and, depending on the vaccine and pathogen, infection or bacterial shedding in urine. A vaccinated dog can nevertheless become infected and ill. ACVIM and AAHA recommend leptospirosis vaccination broadly, whereas WSAVA considers it a core vaccine in areas where the disease is endemic, the relevant serogroups are known and a suitable vaccine is available. I would not approach the decision as black and white: I would want to know which vaccine is used, for which serogroups protection has been demonstrated, and what exposure risk my particular dog faces. Regardless of vaccination, avoiding potentially contaminated water and rodent urine remains important.<\/p>\n If leptospirosis is strongly suspected, protecting people matters too. Wear gloves when handling a sick dog’s urine, wash your hands and clean contaminated surfaces as advised by the veterinarian. Tell the clinic about the suspicion before arriving so staff can organise infection precautions. Testing, treatment and isolation decisions for dogs that have been in contact should be agreed with the professionals.<\/p>\n With kennel cough, preventing transmission between dogs and watching breathing are the main priorities. Leptospirosis can also cause severe systemic complications and poses a risk to people. If your dog has a high fever, abdominal pain, rapid deterioration, difficulty breathing or a striking change in general condition, do not wait for ‘classic symptoms’ to appear. Contact a veterinarian promptly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Thinking back to Faddu’s story, the most valuable lesson was not a particular drug or laboratory finding. It was paying attention. His poor sleep and restlessness were not evidence of leptospirosis, but they were reason enough to notice that something had changed. Later came fever, abdominal pain and a very serious course of illness. The one thing I would do differently today is ask for a leptospirosis rapid test even in the absence of typical symptoms, because Faddu’s story shows that there may be very few specific clues.<\/p>\n Supportive care often helps with kennel cough, but not always. Leptospirosis calls for a quick response; vaccination deserves consideration in prevention, while remembering it is never a 100% guarantee. Both diseases share one important lesson: we know our dogs well, but we do not have to guess the diagnosis and safe treatment alone.<\/p>\n I first wrote this article when we had already been working from home for three weeks and our dogs were probably wondering whether this was their new life: people available to them all day. Dog shows and competitions were paused, so kennel cough seemed less of a concern then. Years have passed, but both kennel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":189818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[767,698],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-189828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-health-prevention","category-health"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FendaF-76-EN-banner-300x300-1.jpg",300,300,false],"list":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FendaF-76-EN-banner-300x300-1.jpg",300,300,false],"medium":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FendaF-76-EN-banner-300x300-1.jpg",300,300,false],"full":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FendaF-76-EN-banner-300x300-1.jpg",300,300,false]},"yoast_head":"\nLeptospirosis: a deceptive infection that can become life-threatening<\/h2>\n
Faddu’s story: six weeks I will never forget<\/h2>\n
19\u201322 February: at first it seemed like a stomach problem<\/h3>\n
25 February: the rapid test result I dreaded<\/h3>\n
Four days on intravenous fluids and nights spent listening for his breathing<\/h3>\n
9 March and the long recovery<\/h3>\n
Why was the diagnosis so difficult?<\/h2>\n
How can you protect your dog against leptospirosis?<\/h2>\n
In summary<\/h2>\n
Sources<\/h3>\n
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