Canine Cough & The Bordetella Vaccine

The short of the long is - We require the vaccine to be given once a year.  We believe in the vaccine, but we know that the vaccine is not 100% effective in preventing our pack from still being at risk for contracting Canine Cough.   

Unfortunately, being that there are well over 40 strains of bacterium and/or viruses under the "Bordetella Umbrella (of which, the vaccine only covers roughly 10% of), the truth is, that we give the vaccine in hopes that it covers whatever the strain that surfaced is.  

Why even require it, you may ask?  We have seen that dogs who are vaccinated, tend to have a shorter time of sickness and/or one that is generally less severe.  We also have learned over the past ten years, that most strains tend to effect dogs that are newer to environments that encourage group (again, 2 or more dogs) socialization.  This isn't to say that dogs who socialize regularly are less at risk, however.  It is in our opinion, that dogs do develop some immunity to strains that they were exposed to over time.