07/16/2026
📢 PLEASE READ FIRST ❤️
Many of the questions we’ve been receiving are answered below. We know this is a longer post, but we hope you’ll take a few minutes to read through it before commenting or messaging us. If you still have questions afterward, we’re always happy to help.
🐾 KENNEL COUGH UPDATE FROM KESHLYN KENNEL 🐾
At Keshlyn Kennel, we’ve always believed that honest communication is the best communication. Because of that, we wanted to let everyone know that we’ve recently been notified of several confirmed cases of kennel cough involving some of our daycare and boarding guests.
We’ve also spoken with local veterinary clinics, who have confirmed they’re seeing an increase in kennel cough cases throughout Lexington and the surrounding communities. Unfortunately, this isn’t isolated to one kennel or one business—it’s something many places where dogs gather are currently seeing.
As soon as we became aware of the increase, we immediately began documenting reported cases, reviewing attendance records, increasing our cleaning and disinfection protocols, closely monitoring the dogs in our care, and communicating directly with our daycare and boarding families.
Our goal isn’t simply to react—it’s to be proactive, transparent, and provide our clients with accurate information instead of rumors or misinformation.
🐶 One of the Biggest Misconceptions About Kennel Cough…
One of the most common questions we hear is:
“My dog started coughing after boarding. Does that mean they caught it at Keshlyn?”
The honest answer is…
There is simply no way to know.
Kennel cough has an incubation period of approximately 2–14 days (most commonly 3–7 days).
During that incubation period, dogs often appear completely healthy. They’re eating, playing, running around, acting completely normal, and showing absolutely no symptoms whatsoever.
That means a dog may have already been exposed days before arriving at daycare or boarding, and neither the owner nor Keshlyn Kennel would have any way of knowing because the dog wasn’t showing any signs of illness yet.
Likewise, if a dog develops a cough after leaving us, it’s usually impossible to determine exactly where that exposure occurred.
During those days before symptoms appear, many dogs have visited multiple places where they may have encountered other dogs.
Exposure could happen:
🐾 Boarding facilities
🐾 Doggy daycare
🐾 Veterinary clinics
🐾 Groomers
🐾 Dog parks
🐾 Training classes
🐾 Pet stores
🐾 Neighborhood walks
🐾 Greeting another dog through a fence
🐾 Passing another dog on a sidewalk
🐾 Or virtually anywhere dogs come into contact with one another.
Dogs don’t come with a timeline telling us exactly where they became infected.
🏫 Think of it like a child catching a cold.
If your child comes home from school with a cold three days later…
Did they catch it:
• In the classroom?
• On the school bus?
• At recess?
• During soccer practice?
• At the grocery store afterward?
The truth is…
Nobody knows.
The exact same principle applies to kennel cough.
Because kennel cough spreads through respiratory droplets and dogs can actually be contagious before they ever begin coughing, no place where dogs gather—including boarding facilities, daycare centers, veterinary clinics, groomers, dog parks, training classes, pet stores, or other public places—can completely eliminate the possibility of exposure.
That doesn’t mean we stop cleaning.
It doesn’t mean vaccinations don’t matter.
It simply means kennel cough is an illness that unfortunately exists anywhere dogs socialize.
💉 What About the Bordetella Vaccine?
We require every daycare and boarding dog to be vaccinated against Bordetella because it’s one of the best tools we have to help protect dogs.
However, the Bordetella vaccine does not prevent every case of kennel cough.
Much like the flu vaccine in people, it helps reduce the risk and often lessens the severity of illness—but vaccinated dogs can still become infected. There are many different strains of kennel cough and the vaccine does not protect against all of them.
🩺 What Does Kennel Cough Sound Like?
The most common symptom is a dry, hacking cough that often sounds like your dog is trying to cough something out of its throat.
Many owners describe it as sounding like their dog is:
🐾 Choking
🐾 Gagging
🐾 Trying to throw something up
🐾 Honking like a goose
The first time you hear it, it can be frightening.
Many people believe their dog is choking to death.
Fortunately, in most cases, they are not choking.
Many dogs continue acting completely normal.
They’re still eating.
Still playing.
Still wagging their tails.
They simply have that unmistakable cough.
Other symptoms may include:
🐾 Sneezing
🐾 Runny nose
🐾 Mild watery eyes
🐾 Lower energy
🐾 Occasionally decreased appetite
However, puppies, senior dogs, dogs with underlying medical conditions, or dogs that develop difficulty breathing, become very lethargic, refuse food or water, or whose symptoms continue to worsen should be evaluated by a veterinarian promptly, as kennel cough can occasionally progress to pneumonia or other complications.
🎥 Over the next several days, I’ll also be posting a short video so everyone can hear what kennel cough actually sounds like, because it’s often mistaken for choking the first time owners hear it.
❤️ How You Can Help
Please do not bring your dog to daycare, boarding, grooming, or anywhere they’ll be around other dogs if they’re coughing, gagging, sneezing excessively, or showing any respiratory symptoms.
If your dog develops a cough or respiratory symptoms within 14 days of daycare or boarding, we’d greatly appreciate you letting us know—even if you don’t visit your veterinarian.
If your veterinarian diagnoses or even suspects kennel cough, we’d appreciate knowing that as well.
Every report helps us maintain a confidential illness tracking log, monitor trends, and make informed decisions to help protect all of the dogs in our care.
This isn’t about assigning blame.
It’s about sharing information.
Helping one another.
And protecting our community of dogs.
❤️ A Final Thought
We know reading something like this can be concerning, especially when it’s your best friend we’re talking about.
Our goal isn’t to create fear.
Our goal is to provide honest information.
To answer your questions.
To be transparent.
And to continue doing everything we can to provide a safe, clean, loving environment for every dog entrusted to our care.
Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and for trusting us with your four-legged family members.
We truly appreciate being part of your lives.
❤️ Sheri & the Keshlyn Kennel Team
