Bordetella, aka "kennel cough"

Sherri:

I would very much like to discuss 'kennel cough'. I've tried looking up some things, but have a couple questions.

[snip]

Am I being a little too cautious here? I'd really appreciate hearing any information on what this 'kennel cough' is. Does anyone else have guineas that cough occasionally? Have my ears gone crazy? Don't answer that...

It's usually just a one-cough deal. Nothing comes up either, it just sounds like a dry cough. Please ease my overactive mind. Thanks!

The so-called "kennel cough" is caused by the bordetella bacteria. I have lots and lots of experience with bordetella, as many people here know. We've been fighting it for several months in our herd. But I digress...

Some coughing is normal for guinea pigs. I have had Panda and Ebony both have days when they have coughed here and there, and times even when Cappuccino has done the same. It is not necessarily related to a bacterial infection, though persistant, regular coughing would indicate otherwise. These dry coughs are typically caused by a throat irritation of some type, which can include dust from hay (which you say you have tried to factor out) or even dust from your environment.

My vet has me listen to the guinea pig's breathing...put your ear up to the side of your piggie's tummy, and listen. If you hear any obstruction (it will be pretty obvious...there will be ruttling or a raspy quality to the breathing), then you probably have a mucus buildup that would indicate an infection. If instead your hear normal breathing, then most likely you are dealing with an irritation.

That being said, bordetella is usually harbored in the nasal cavities, trachea and possibly the middle ear. Though not all infections are created equal, a typical bordetella infection starts with the sniffles and possibly a cough or two. As it advances, you may see sneezing and nasal discharge that is milky white or greenish in color. Just as in humans, clear discharge is typical of allergies, but colored discharge tends to indicate an infection. In advanced stages, there may be frequent coughing, and lower activity levels, with some depression and appetite loss. Beyond this, you are entering a pneumonia stage, with complete loss of appetite and full depression (no activity at all). But again, this is a "textbook" progression, so to speak. As with any disease or infection, all or none of the above may ever happen.

Bordetella is also highly infectious (though it requires close contact for transmission), and it is maintained by carriers in infected colonies. Even after treatment with antibiotics, the guinea pig may (and usually will) remain a carrier. Like many infections, stress precipitates the disease, so a carrier can have a flare-up of symptoms in these situations.

Now, there is a vaccine for bordetella, so if you are worried, you can always take that route. For general prevention, the vaccine is "bronchicine". It used to be used in dogs, so it is still readily available from many vets. The amount is .2 ml given intramuscularly, and it needs to be boosted at 3 weeks, and then every 6 months thereafter. This is detailed in The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents. This book also apparently describes bordetella in detail (p182, according to Judi Lainer...I don't have the book, myself, yet). There is no risk of causing the disease from this vaccine, so it's safe to use.

If you have a herd that is already carrying bordetella, Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs indicates that an autogenous formalin killed bacterin can be given intramuscularly, and has been successful in eliminating the carrier state from affected colonies. Unfortunately, this involves essentially creating a vaccine from the bacterial cultures (ie, a sample of the bordetella infecting the cavy), which can be pretty expensive when you add up the lab costs. Also, because the vaccine then contains whole bacteria that have been "damaged", there is a risk of actually causing an infection. But, if you are seeing a massive outbreak of pneumonia, and you even have one or two deaths because of it, then this might be the way to go.

Unfortunately, not all respiratory infections and caughs are bordetella. Streptococcus pneumoniae can also cause coughing, sniffles, sneezing and nasal disharge. And there's no vaccine for it.

Our herd has been vaccinated against bordetella because of our history (they go in for their first booster next week). However, we did see some strep in the cultures back in March, so we still aren't sure if the major symptoms in our herd were coming from it or bordetella...only time will tell on that one. Still, given that we knew bordetella was a major infectious agent because of the cultures, there was no reason not to do it. If anything, it means one less source of pneumonia that we have to deal with, which is better than not doing anything at all.

Hopefully Judi can supply some more info from the Rabbits and Rodents book, and check my facts to make sure I got them straight. :)