How Do I Clean My House After Kennel Cough?

If your pup has kennel cough, it is crucial that they regularly access surfaces within your home – such as crates, bedding, dishes and toys.

Kennel cough is caused by viruses and bacteria which hitch rides on respiratory droplets to spread, typically at places where dogs gather such as dog parks, boarding facilities, animal shelters, grooming salons or grooming salons.

Clean the Air

Kennel cough is an extremely contagious illness spread through airborne droplets. When an infected dog coughs or sneezes, bacteria and viruses hitch a ride on tiny respiratory droplets to find new hosts – this makes kennel cough easily spread in places where many dogs live together such as vet offices, boarding facilities and doggy daycares – or through direct dog-to-dog contact.

Kennel cough is caused by both bacteria and viruses and affects the trachea, windpipe and voice box. The characteristic honking cough lasts one to two weeks – usually worse at night – while other symptoms include nasal discharge, sneezing, eye discharge, lethargy and low-grade fever.

By keeping your dog as isolated from other pets in the household as much as possible, it can help slow the spread of illness. A great way to do this is to limit his/her interactions. In addition, disinfecting common areas is key in stopping infections from spreading further.

Kennel cough bacteria can live for weeks on nonporous surfaces and spread via shared items such as toys and food bowls, making your home susceptible to pathogens such as Kennel Cough. Cleaning regularly with Biocide Plus surface cleaner is one way to lower pathogen levels in your home, killing off these pathogens that cause it while remaining safe to use on all surfaces.

Isolating your dog during their kennel cough infection can help limit its spread to other pets in your household, while keeping him/her comfortable as they recover from this illness.

Maintain a regular cleaning regime of all hard surfaces in your home that come into contact with your dog, using Biocide Plus’ disinfectant tested against Bordatella Bronchiseptica bacteria that causes kennel cough for optimal results. Maintaining this routine may greatly increase your odds of avoiding infection from returning in your household.

Clean the Surfaces

Kennel cough is caused by both bacteria and viruses that infiltrate the respiratory system of dogs, infecting their lungs, throats, windpipes, voice boxes and lasting one to two weeks on average. Its highly contagious nature means it spreads between dogs through airborne particles as well as direct contact between objects like toys, food/water bowls crates bedding & beds etc; senior animals or those lacking immunity such as puppies are especially at risk from contracting it; young puppies as well as humans should take special caution with their health during this period.

If your dog develops Kennel Cough, they should remain isolated until at least two weeks have passed since their first symptoms have subsided. This includes keeping them away from daycare centers, boarding kennels, and pet friends’ homes until their condition has improved. Isolation is especially crucial to stop it spreading further – particularly among younger, older or immunocompromised animals that may experience more severe forms of the condition.

At this point, it is also essential that any surfaces the infected dog has come into contact with are thoroughly disinfected. Begin by wiping down walls and countertops with plain water to remove bodily fluids or debris without using cleaners containing chemicals which would react adversely with pathogens that cause kennel cough; later use disinfectant spray like Care Biocide Plus which has been tested against common bacteria found to be involved with kennel cough, such as Bordetella bronchiseptica.

Finally, wash any blankets, clothing or plush toys used or encountered by an infected dog that are used or nearby them on a hot cycle with detergent, and hang to dry in direct sunlight as this acts as a natural disinfectant. Steam clean any soft surfaces or furniture which don’t fit into the washing machine in order to ensure all germs have been eliminated from these spaces if possible and kill any germs that remain.

Preventing Kennel Cough should be of top concern for all pet owners, whether they own one dog or multiple. Kennel cough can quickly spread in areas where dogs frequently congregate, such as doggy daycare facilities and animal rescue or shelters. Furthermore, close contact between infected and healthy pups such as grooming salons or private homes may spread it rapidly.

Clean the Toys

Though pathogens that cause kennel cough are unlikely to survive for an extended period on toys, you should still sanitize them regularly in order to limit germ spread. Use antibacterial dish soap with hot water and scrub toys thoroughly in the sink with antibacterial pet safe dish soap; be sure to scrub all surfaces including seams and grooves thoroughly after scrubbing; rinse off thoroughly and air dry them afterwards. Alternatively you could soak toys for 15 minutes in a solution of 5 percent vinegar to 95 percent warm water, after soaking then scrub and rinse washing them you can put them directly in your washing machine using detergent with hot water at full power before washing machine detergent with hot water and hot water wash cycle cycle with hot water used detergent and hot water washes out all germs.

Additionally, any items the affected dog has used such as food or water bowls, crates, blankets or sweaters should also be washed thoroughly with pet-safe laundry detergent instead of bleach-based products that may be toxic for canines.

Keep your infected dog away from other pets while they recover from kennel cough, as this infection spreads primarily via airborne contact and nose-to-nose contact, but can also spread through sharing items like food or water bowls as well as touching objects a dog may have come in contact with while covering his or her face with them.

If you are walking an infected dog, try using a harness rather than a collar to avoid irritating their trachea and worsening their illness. Collars can irritate the airway and worsen kennel cough symptoms.

Once your dog has recovered from kennel cough, you can reintroduce them to other dogs. However, to reduce infection risks in the future, continue practicing good hygiene by washing all shared items such as food and water dishes, crates, blankets, toys to reduce risk. It is also a good idea to avoid irritants like household cleaners, cigarette smoke and dust and regularly cleaning toys can reduce bacteria in the environment thus speeding recovery faster – replacing old toys may also help as worn-out or chewed toys become potential choking hazards when worn out or chewed until worn-out or worn-down enough that replacement becomes necessary.

Clean Your Hands

An essential step to preventing the spread of kennel cough in dogs and cats alike can be taken at home – handwashing with soap and water is an ideal method. Be especially vigilant after handling surfaces which could have come into contact with sick canines; also avoid touching your nose, eyes or mouth as this could transmit pathogens from them into you!

Kennel cough is an airborne illness, so its spread occurs through the release of infectious droplets when your pup barks, sneezes or coughs – these contaminants float freely through the air and can be inhaled by healthy dogs or picked up on their paws as they walk past. Since it’s also transmissible between dogs and people with compromised immune systems, these individuals should take extra precautions.

As well as mitigating risk factors, one of the best ways to help protect your pup against kennel cough is vaccination with a bordetella vaccine, which will significantly decrease her likelihood of contracting it.

Once your fur baby has contracted kennel cough, isolate her in an isolated room until she’s fully recovered. Also take steps to disinfect all items she regularly interacts with such as food and water bowls, toys, crates, blankets and clothing as they will likely contain germs that could make the condition worse. If they can’t be washed then use diluted bleach solutions or other disinfectants instead to kill germs that might remain.

Once your dog has fully recovered from kennel cough, be sure to isolate him for two weeks from other dogs and people to reduce the chance of reinfection. While this may be difficult if living in a multi-pet household, this step is essential to his wellbeing.

Kennel cough is generally mild and short-lived; however, it’s still an unpleasant condition for your pup to endure. By following these tips you can help your pup recover as quickly and smoothly as possible; should any concerns arise that their recovery is slowing, make an appointment with their veterinarian right away.