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Friday 3 June 2011

Coughs and sneezes

Does anyone know if humans can catch a cold from a dog who has recently had the kennel cough vaccine?

For the second time in a row, both my husband and I have come down with a bug shortly after our dog has received his vaccination and I wonder whether or not this is coincidental. I understand the vaccine given in the dog's nostrils is live, and assume it may be possible that when our dog sneezes the virus could be passed on, but I would be really interested to know if indeed the kennel cough vaccine could be responsible for making us feel poorly.

Thank you in advance.


Mrs Knight, by phone

1 comment:

  1. While some diseases are zoonotic (able to pass from dog to human, or vice-versa), I have never heard specifically of kennel cough being one; however, after a quick "Google" I have found that in rare cases it can be.

    The incubation period is 3 to 10 days, so if up to a fortnight after your dog has been vaccinated, your husband and yourself are becoming ill, then you may indeed be affected by bordatella bronchiseptica; if it's happening the same day, or the next day, it's more likely to be a coincidence (the power of the human mind means that we can actually "think" ourselves into becoming ill).

    According to http://www.provet.co.uk/health/diseases/bordatella.htm "The clinical signs are of a cough with varying degrees of difficulty in breathing which depends upon the severity of the infection."

    That, to me, doesn't sound much like a cold; as a cold can include having a stuffy nose, sinus problems, etc, etc. If you are still seriously concerned, I would speak to your vet, or perhaps even your doctor, who can advise you more on this situation.

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