Nancy,
Just because you got the flu a few years ago doesn't say anything about your immune system today. I'm willing to bet it's fine - and so are those of the rest of your family.

"Kennel cough" is a group of bacterial and mycoplasmal organisms that can stick on the lining of the trachea and bronchi (wind pipe) and proliferate, causing cough.

The organisms can act alone (in dogs with incompetent immune systems (rare)), but usually they are spread together. Because they infect only the inner lining of cells that are between air and the rest of the windpipe, they are impossible to treat with antibiotics because they have a poor blood supply (antibiotics travel through the bloodstream and they don't work if they don't get to the infection).

Kennel cough itself is not a dangerous disease - although it is not fun to live with your dog while it goes through several weeks of coughing. I only treat kennel cough if the cough is keeping the patient and the owner awake at night - and then only with a cough suppressant. If the cough is productive the daytime hours are essential for the "gunk - dead cells and bacteria) - to be coughed up and out. The little sound at the end of your dog's cough is when the gunk is being brought up into the back of the throat - but don't don't expect to see the gunk. It gets recycled.

I wouldn't worry about having kennel cough unless you have withheld information. I wouldn't worry about spreading KC to your family or client's dogs.

Send me a personal e-mail if even one of your client's dogs gets KC.

Thanks Doc!
Credentials were left out, but above comments were posted by a Vet.
Nancy
who really sounds JUST like she has Kennel Cough.