#bordatella

Just a reminder that kennel cough season is again upon us. Today, at Benton's (acd mix, right) agility class the final student arrived and her dog came in and laid down in his crate and made a sound like he was choking slightly on a treat. I assumed he'd done that. Until the sound came again five seconds later, and again. And again.

"Is he choking on something?" asked the instructor after about 15 seconds of coughing.

"Oh, no. He's just started making this sound sometimes. I think it's because he's excited. It's kind of cute."

The dog makes a horking, horrible cough.

"He needs to go home and stay home for two weeks," says the instructor. "And he needs a vet."

She caught it in less than a minute. Within two minutes she was sanitizing the area around where that dog has been. It was impressive, but now Benton has been exposed to what's probably either kennel cough or canine flu or any of the other communicable coughing illnesses.

Tribble, the greyed brindle next to him, is 13 years old. She has dementia. Benton is her emotional support friend. She takes her emotional cues from him. Without him, she gets very upset and can't tolerate being out of our sight. So I can't quarantine him from her for weeks over a two minute, distanced exposure. But she's elderly and if she catches something from him, it will be hard on her body.