Ten-month-old Otto was a regular at his local dog park on the Sunshine Coast until he suddenly developed a "retching" cough.
The German shepherd cross husky's owner Tegan Maskell woke in the early hours one morning after hearing her dog "hacking" every five minutes.
"We actually thought that he was vomiting," she said.
"I was really worried."
Ms Maskell brought Otto to a vet, and after they heard his cough, he was diagnosed with an infectious respiratory disease known as kennel cough.
His owner believes he was exposed to the virus at his local dog park.
Veterinarians across the country have warned dog owners on social media of a recent rise in kennel cough cases.
Sunshine Coast and Brisbane-based emergency veterinarian Tegan Hunt said she went from seeing no kennel cough cases to at least four in one weekend.
"Unfortunately, as we do go into the summer months, it does kind of foster a good environment for pathogens to start rearing their head again," Dr Hunt said.
She said kennel cough cases are also spiking because people visit dog parks and beaches and send their dogs to kennels more during warmer months.
"It's a pretty scary thing for owners to have to witness," she said.
What is kennel cough and what are the symptoms?
Dr Hunt said kennel cough is a "blanket term" for canine infectious respiratory diseases.
"It is more like a broad term to cover all contagious conditions in dogs where there is a cough as one of the main major clinical signs," she said.
"The most common infectious diseases we see associated with kennel cough are adenovirus type two, para-influenza, canine coronavirus (very different to the human coronavirus) and a bacterium called bordetella bronchiseptica."
Dr Hunt said the most common symptoms of kennel cough were a dry hacking cough, a reduced appetite, lethargy, runny nose, and discharge around the eyes.
"Usually, it is more just a cough that we find in a bit of exercise intolerance," she said.
How serious is kennel cough?
After Ms Maskell's dog Otto returned home from the vet the energetic puppy was still "very lethargic".
"We took him back to our regular vet and it had progressed to pneumonia quite quickly," Ms Maskell said.
"[The vet] could hear that there was fluid on his lungs.
After a course of antibiotics, she said her dog recovered only about 90 per cent and only stopped coughing a week later.
"He just seems quite fatigued now," she said.
Dr Hunt said kennel cough could develop into pneumonia, but it was rare.
What does kennel cough sound like?
Dr Hunt said kennel cough sounded like a "goose honk" followed by a "profound retch" at the end.
"Often, it is when there are periods of excitement or exercise," she said.
Dr Hunt said kennel cough was often mistaken for choking.
"[Kennel cough] is not the first thing that people think about when they see their dog coughing the way they are," she said.
She said the cough could last for seven to 14 days.
How is kennel cough transmitted?
Kennel cough can be transmitted from day-to-day activities between dogs, such as sniffing and sharing water bowls.
"Particularly in really high-density areas, so dog parks, beaches, and particularly kennels," Dr Hunt said.
She said it was highly infectious and easy for dogs to pick up the virus from the environment alone.
"Even if you're taking a dog for a walk in a highly populated area, it is basically just transmitted through sniffing," Dr Hunt said.
Ms Maskell said after her dog was diagnosed with kennel cough, two other dogs from her local park also picked up the virus.
"My dog drinks out of the water bowl heaps, licks other dog's faces," she said.
"He's just obsessed with other dogs.
"So, I knew that they would be at risk."
People are unlikely to develop any symptoms from kennel cough, but Dr Hunt warned humans could pass it on to other dogs.
"If people are getting in contact with dogs that have a cough, it's important they do their basic hygiene of washing their hands and not touching other dogs," she said.
How long is kennel cough contagious for?
Dr Hunt said kennel cough was "very contagious" and infected dogs should quarantine away from animals.
"We recommend that they stay home for up to two weeks, because unfortunately, they can be infectious for several weeks after having any clinical signs," she said.
Dr Hunt said it was also important that dog owners warned their vet before bringing in their dog with suspected kennel cough.
"That way we do the consult outside of the buildings, so they do not infect any of our hospitals or potentially infect other patients coming in that may be immune-compromised," she said.
"We need to consider other pets' immunity."
How do you prevent kennel cough?
Dr Hunt said kennel cough could be prevented by vaccination and avoiding areas recently exposed to the virus.
"The easiest prevention would be through vaccinations, more so for the herd immunity side," she said.
"Vaccinations are very important, even though they can still develop those other strains.
"And also avoiding areas where if you know that you've heard of somebody having a dog that's been affected by kennel cough."
Ms Maskell said after finding out about her dog's diagnosis, she alerted others on an online community page.
"I wanted to tell them that there was kennel cough going around at the dog park," she said.
