Highly contagious kennel cough virus forces Moncton dog daycare to close temporarily

CTV Atlantic: Kennel cough outbreak in N.B. A dog daycare in Moncton has closed due to a severe outbreak of Bordetella. CTV’s Jonathan MacInnis reports.

At least one dog daycare in Moncton has been temporarily closed due to a severe outbreak of Bordetella, or kennel cough, that started last week.

The highly contagious virus presents as a dry, hacking cough that can be accompanied by fever, lack of energy, or runny eyes and nose.

Pawsitive Daycare was closed on Friday after 45 dogs contracted Bordetella, even some that were thought to be immune.

“It can really happen any time, but this strand this year is a lot worse than what we're used to seeing,” says daycare operational manager Sabrina Saunders. “This time, they're catching it quite bad, even with the vaccine. They need antibiotics, cough syrup, anything to help.”

One Moncton veterinarian says the number of cases this year is unprecedented.

“In my long history of being a veterinarian, I think it's probably one of the worst outbreaks we've seen,” says Dr. Francis Arsenault. “Some of them could get secondary problems like bronchial pneumonia, that's serious, they have to be treated. There can be fatalities, it's rare but it can happen.”

Dr. Arsenault says owners need to be vigilant.

“It is highly contagious; it's transmitted airborne as well as nose to nose contact, and we know what dogs do,” says Arsenault.

Humans have nothing to worry about, and most dogs will recover without treatment within three or four days, but it’s important to make sure dog's vaccinations are up to date, if they're not, owners are told to avoid parks or anywhere else dogs will meet.

The staff at Pawsitive Daycare say they have cleaned their entire building so they will be able to open again on Monday.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis