Bordetella (Kennel Cough) Vaccine?

So, there is a group trying to get a dog park put together within my region. Not sure if I'll ever use it, so this isn't really a dog park debate, but they have this thing written up that they need proof of vaccination, even bordetella.

Since both my dogs came from shelters, I'm guessing that the shelter gave them a vaccine, though I'd have to check their papers back home.

To the best of my knowledge, Kennel Cough isn't fatal. I've known several dogs who have gotten it, and with the exception of the cough, they behaved normally. No change in appetite or energy. It seemed to me like the biggest problem with it is that it's transmitted easily from dog to dog.

I've heard awful things about the vaccine, though mostly from people who are anti-over vaccination anyways.

So do you guys vaccinate against KC? Why or why not?

Finn got his bordetella at his second to last annual visit. He goes to the dog park all the time. He still got kennel cough, likely from there.

It's like the flu shot. Doesn't work all the time or for all strains. Finn was goopy for a few days but recovered fine.

I don't. The vaccine only protects against certain strains anyway, and actually, the one time I did vaccinate for it my dog ended up with Kennel Cough shortly after. And apparently that isn't uncommon for some reason.

I think the vaccine is a waste of money, personally, and totally useless. All of my current dogs have had Kennel Cough at some point (they're constantly around other dogs), and they were fine. Definitely a little lethargic, and they coughed up a lot of phlegm, but they were mostly themselves still and got over it relatively quickly.

But I don't like over vaccinating anyway, so if I don't have to vaccinate against something, I won't.

No. We only do it only if the place we are going (like doggy daycare) REQUIRES it. otherwise, I don't think its worth it.
It protects against like 32 strains and there are like 100 strains of kennel cough I believe..

We do dogs parks everyday and my dogs have only gotten it once (this was after getting the vaccine and going to doggy daycare mind you)
and frankly, it's just like a common cold. They get over it. They are healthy, they have immune systems.

I have Lucy vaccinated, because agility and daycare require it.

Nope never. I prefer to just work on my dogs having a great immune system for stuff like this.

Nope, but I don't vaccinate against anything, so shouldn't really comment.

Nope. Even when we fostered Armani (Lab/Basset cross) who came to us with kennel cough, I opted to not vaccinate my girls and just let their immune systems fight it off or not. Neither one of them came down with it.

'Course, I don't vaccinate myself for the flu, either, and never plan to.

I do bare minimum with vacs for Yoshi.

She has had Kennel Cough one time in her 6 years. It was horrible but once she was on the meds all the symptoms were gone in about a day.

I vaccinate Juno for it because it is required at daycare, and some training facilities require it too (our usual place doesn't, but sometimes I like to switch around lol).

Otherwise I wouldn't do it. KC isn't a big deal to me and I'm pretty sure she got it after being vaccinated as a puppy (which she then passed on to Lucy). But if it weren't for daycare, I wouldn't do ANY vaccinations. So meh.

I consider it a waste of money so no. We don't do KC vaccines.

I have in the past but I'm leaning towards not doing it anymore.

Even if I wasn't as anti-vaccine as I am, I wouldn't do Bordetella. It's worthless IMO.

I find bordatella a waste of time, money, and an unnecessary strain on the immune system. Sawyer hasn't had one since 2007 and we go to the dog park all. the. time. and he's never gotten it. He'll need one to start going to work with me; they only require it yearly and it's mostly a CYA measure.

I don't, and my dogs have never had it. I had one foster puppy that had it. It was a miserable night for us before I got her on cough meds so we could sleep, but otherwise, she was herself.

Gusto will have to get it once when he gets neutered, because the vet's office requires it for them to stay in their recovery area. I'm not worried about giving it the once, I just think it is generally a waste. Other than the rescue, the two dogs I've known with kennel cough had both been vaccinated.

Riley gets it because agility and obedience lessons require proof of it, otherwise I wouldn't.

I think it depends on the dog's system. When we adopted a rescue who supposedly didn't have it but was at the end of the meds for it, he gave it to all my other dogs. Some of my dogs got a mild reaction & had to be on meds; one of my dogs got it bad & had all kind of meds & almost pneumonia. I don't ever want to go thru that again with all the worrying.

"Kennel cough" is a symptom that's caused by tons of different things. The Bordetella vaccine only protects against two of those things. In a boarding/daycare situation, it's not "worthless", per say, as kennel cough via Bordetella bronchiseptica tends be on the nastier side as compared to some of the viral versions (and is more likely to develop into pneumonia), but yep, vaccinated dogs can and do still get "kennel cough".

If you're going to do it, I would: a.) go intranasal. I've heard from my holistically minded vet and several other sources that this is easier on the immune system and b.) do it every six months. Why? The intranasal vaccine creates a localized response in the tissues of the upper respiratory system (nose, throat, lungs, etc). The response is acute and doesn't last that long, however.

That said, I'd never bother with it outside of a boarding situation. I also took Macky to crowded training clubs and dog shows, and never bothered with it. But boarding kennels won't let your dog set foot in the door without it.

This.

I had to in order to board Luce and Mushroom, and will have to do Steve in the spring in order to board him. Otherwise, no.

That said, Steve brought something home from a rally trial a number of months ago. A week later, he started coughing. He coughed for maybe three days, not badly at all. But Mushroom (who was not at the trial) got VERY sick. Temp of 104. Lethargic, wouldn't eat, cough, snotty nose. He was SICK. He recovered fine, but it was fairly scary to see my chowhound unwilling to eat and be so lethargic that I had to carry him up the stairs to bed.

I got an email from the trial secretary that a number of people had reported kennel cough after that trial. Steve passed it on to at least two flyball teammates (he started coughing the Sunday afternoon of a weekend tournament so was swapping spit with team dogs all weekend via tennisball). Bother were sicker than I would generally expect with kennel cough. Everybody recovered fine, and it doesn't change my opinion on the vaccine, but it was kind of eye opening.