Ruff year pups with cough

Vernon has seen a greater-than-usual outbreak of Kennel Cough this year.

The highly infectious respiratory disease has seen dog owners swarming to the vet clinic.

"It's slowing down a little bit but the last couple of months we would get four, five, six dogs a day with Kennel Cough, so we have had quite the outbreak this summer," says Dr. Suvi Frayn.

The veterinarian at the Vernon Veterinarian Clinic on Kalamalka Lake Road explains that although it is mostly a summer problem it can happen year round.

"It's a close contact kind of disease, so dogs that are out at the park, face to face contact, at boarding facilities, traveling. All these things are playing a factor," says Frayn. 

Frayn says that a vaccine is the best way to prevent your dog from getting the disease, but there is a chance they can still contract it.

"Just like the flu vaccine, nothing is 100 per cent but dogs who are vaccinated often have a less severe reaction."