Just reading the vomitting after Potomac post and seeing all the kennels that now have KC. Does the KC vaccine not work? I vaccinate for it and have never brought it home from a show or had my kids bring it home from 4-H so I am now wondering.

Also, some people say dogs that hunt/hunt test should not be given the KC intranasaly, is that true?

No, I'm just a dummy that didn't vaccinate for it. Lesson learned, appointment made for next week to get that taken care of. Hopefully everybody's over it by then.

My bitch was given the Intranasal vaccine and actually developed KC the second day of Potomac, exactly 7 days from the date of the vaccine. I showed her the first day when she wasn't coughing, but pulled her the next day and kept her fairly isolated from then on. I hear of a lot of dogs who actually get KC from the vaccine so it's not always wise to vaccinate against. Those dogs who do get KC will develop a natural immunity from that strain of the disease.

However, for all those bitching, complaining and pointing fingers at the handlers, PLEASE get over yourselves. KC is a given at shows. If you don't want your dog to get sick then by all means STAY HOME!

I brought 6 dogs to the show and only one picked up a mild case. They were all vac. for KC.

It just happens that some may have a lower immunity or may be more stressed.

I now have an older pup at home that is gagging, but think it is a mild bug, not lasting too long.

I'm fortunate none of my dogs got either. I have heard of dogs innoculated for KC that still did get it. There are 100's of strains of KC, hitting it right is a crap shoot.

I'm disgusted to hear these diseases were brought in knowingly. If we have older dogs at home, these diseases can kill them especially if they aren't in the best of health. The same goes for young litters, girls in whelp and any dog that isn't a strong, healthy specimen,

Hand-washing, shoe-bleaching and the like might help but if it's picked up intranasally at the show, there isn't much that can be done to avoid it.

From now on, I wish whoever is doing this uses some common sense and cares enough to leave the sick ones away from the shows. I doubt it will happen with the large handlers, it's income loss for them if they act responsibly.

Up until 2 years ago I was giving the intranasal. I stopped. It was a waste. There are so many different strains of Kennel Cough I still was bringing it home here and there. Lucky for us we can isolate when necessary but have learned that showing and KC simply go hand in hand. No way around it. If you are going to show, have a way to isolate your dogs when you get back, especially when you are at a show that has over 1000 dogs from around the world. Yes, I brought it home too, sucks but oh well. I also think every year we see this type of thread, especially after Potomac. Just seems to me that if you are going to go to a show like this, you know in advance there is a very good chance your dogs may be exposed. Hope everyone and all dogs are feeling better. Strain lasted a few days with my dogs and was gone.

You know it goes both ways. If you have dogs at home that have failing health, or young puppies then protect them by not going or at least have options to isolate the returning dogs! You never know what you are bringing home from a show and that's the chance you take. I've even gotten KC in my kennel and the dogs haven't been anywhere for weeks! Perhaps it was simply in my neighborhood.

I did not intend for my bitch to get sick, but she started showing signs at the show and I sure as heck couldn't do anything about it being thousands of miles from home. I did the responsible thing and withdrew her from competition and tried to keep her away from other dogs, but friends I was with had dogs at the show too but took precautions at home to isolate their dogs from their general population.

So stop blaming others if your dog gets sick, you chose to go to the shows, you know the risks, that's the chance you take.

I have it here, too, in only one dog so far. I have a bitch in whelp, and have ramped up the isolation from the Potomac dogs and infection control including obsessive hand washing.

Although exhibitors can unwittingly bring KC to the shows, often they are aware and choose to exhibit anyway. A pox on their houses!

Mary Ann, tell that to Potomac go er who needs an attitude adjustment. She's a nasty person who could care less about any one elses dogs but her own.

I hope your dogs will be okay. Not all of us have huge kennels with areas to separate the sick from the well.

Those big trucks pull in with 25 dogs, not all are healthy and the breeders or big handlers don't care who else is exposed. They're too busy with the best laid of plans.

It reminds me of kindergarden kids being sent home sick because working Mother didn't want to take a day off so the school nurse sent them back to her. So maybe they shouldn't have had kids going by Potomac go er's philosophy if we shouldn't attend the show we've attended for 20 years.

I hate to ever reply to these threads, but having had dogs get kennel cough from seemingly nowhere after having been nowhere and after having run a large in home family day care for a number of years in my past I am well aware that youngsters get sick and spread that sickness around most generously in crowded company. It is a fact of life. A dog show that attracts over a thousand entrants is bound to also be a veritable breeding ground for easily transmittable ailments like KC and the stomach virus I have heard of that spread around Potomac among people and dog folk alike. It is a hazard of the game and it sounds to me like Potomac Go'er did the best he/she could in the situation. What big handlers do may be another thing entirely but to think that you can send or arrive from miles away with a show hopeful entered in such an event and not have it exposed to a multitude of nasty viruses that may be circulating is very unrealistic.

Thank you hmmm! I think what I objected to most on here is that one or more "anonymous" poster chose to attack the handlers at the show and blame them for bringing it to the show. Then I get attacked for defending them, my opinion about diseases at dog shows and pointing out that's the risk one takes when entering or bringing dogs to the show.

I did not purposely bring a sick dog to the show, in fact I tried to protect my dog from getting sick by giving her the vaccine that she more than likely got the virus from. If I did not care about this dog, why did I go cry to my friend when this dog woke up gagging, trying to catch her breath from KC and I felt so badly for this dog? I was able to consult with a vet and get medications to treat this dog and make her more comfortable. Eventhough I could have masked her cough by the time ring time came up later in the afternoon, I chose to keep her quiet and not show. I missed much of show as I had to give meds to her every 4 hours to help keep her comfortable. Some nasty witch you've made me out to be huh?

So if you don't like my attitude, perhaps stop blaming other people who aren't here to defend themselves and take responsibility for the risks you take!

stop it! you know they can pick it up anywhere. It doesn't have to be from a show or from a handler. Geez, were the handlers coughing now too? You congregate dogs, leave them in crates in cars overnight- crowded. They can't run and clear their lungs. It's like getting a common cold on an airline flight. You do what you can to prevent. If you get it, you keep them isolated like the poster did. It's not a crime to catch a cold. If you don't want to be exposed to germs, stay home and hide, but quit acting like someone committed a crime. I went to an all breed show and brought something home to our other guys. They got through it just fine, but I didn't go on a witch hunt about it.

If you were at the NY shows the weekend prior to Potomac, you would know the "attack" on the handlers was well warranted. Well known handlers brought actively coughing dogs into the building, crated them and showed them. They were coughing IN the ring and in the set up. It was no secret, everyone saw it.
I don't think it was fair to the other exhibitors, of any breed, that they knowingly did this.
What should have been done was the symptomatic dogs should have been left on the truck! It's the absolute bare minimum common courtesy.

Not to beat a dead horse, but if a dog is obviously coughing, can't you ask the show rep to look at the dog?

ah, but if they did that, they would have nothing to complain about. The field rep would have had the dog examined by the vet and removed from the grounds. If they were reported as they should have been, then they wouldn't have handlers in the ring hahahaha!

AND if handlers don't take the dog into the ring for the class , then they don't get their $200 fee for Potomac classes !!! So you see, it's all driven by the almighty BUCK , but then most of us already figured that one out !
The ONLY way it will stop is if somone calls an AKC rep, and the Rep calls the Vet,examines the dog, and finds the dog contagious, then everything will hit the fan,name calling will begin, and the game of dominoes is here !