Having a written medical protocol for common illnesses seen in animal shelters, such as canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC aka ‘kennel cough’), is a good practice to ensure that treatment is started early and consistently.  Initial treatment should be based on the most likely cause of the observed clinical signs, and this is the basis for the recommendations in this sample treatment protocol for CIRDC.

Please note that this is only intended to be an example; a veterinarian’s choice of specific antibiotics and supportive care may be slightly different, but the general idea is to have a consistent plan for treatment based on clinical presentation, such that staff can become familiar with common clinical signs, medications, dosages and side effects, and the efficacy of treatment can be more readily assessed and modified if needed.