FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KFTA) — Dog owners across Northwest Arkansas are keeping animal hospitals a little busier than normal after a kennel cough outbreak.
Kennel cough is a non-life threatening illness but is highly contagious.
Dr. Jack Herring with Wedington Animal Hospital said just one sneeze can pass the infection from one dog to another.
The Wedington Animal Hospital alone has seen at least 18 dogs with symptoms since Friday, the highest in more than 20 years.
Despite the spike, Herring said this outbreak comes as no surprise.
“It’s just like the flu virus, it goes through the human population every year,” he said. “There’s always outbreaks, and you deal with it as best you can.”
Kennel cough can be treated with antibiotics.
Herring said the best way to keep your dog healthy is to get the kennel cough vaccine at least twice a year.
