kennel cough

noun

: a highly contagious respiratory disease especially of dogs that is marked primarily by a harsh dry cough which may be accompanied by other symptoms (such as lethargy and fever) and that is often caused by combined infection with a virus (such as an adenovirus or parainfluenza virus) and a bacterium (especially Bordetella bronchiseptica)

Kennel cough … is rarely life-threatening, but it is a real problem for kennel owners, especially those who run professional boarding kennels. … It is highly contagious and is carried through the air.

—Connie Vanacore

Dogs and puppies need to be vaccinated immediately upon entering a shelter in order to prevent the spread of disease. Agents such as parvovirus can spread quickly, as can kennel cough …

—Karen Lee Stevens

called also bordetella

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kennel cough

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff

Medical Definition

kennel cough

noun

ken·​nel cough ˈken-ᵊl- 

: tracheobronchitis of dogs or cats

The flu initially mimics "kennel cough," a common disease usually caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica, a bacterium related to the one that causes whooping cough in children.

—Donald G. McNeil Jr., The New York Times

While the condition is frequently the result of infection with multiple agents, Bordatella can cause the disease without the accompanying participation of other organisms. Of viruses that may cause kennel cough, two are especially prominent: canine parainfluenza virus … which usually produces a mild to moderately severe case of the disease, and canine adenovirus-2 … which may cause a severe case that, in many instances, will progress to pneumonia.

—Tom Ewing, Dog Watch