Kennel Cough

[aulrich]

So I think I am dealing with kennel cough, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennel_cough.

On Sunday I was really conserned and just about took him to the vet, but by Monday he was keeping food down and his energy seemed normal.

At this point he does the odd cough in a relaxed state, if he gets worked up it shows up as well a bit on his runs.

This sounds like a cold to me, so let it run it's course for "x" days and if no improvement then consult a doctor. It's odd but it's like being a new parent all over again, wondering if it warrents a trip to the doctor.

I would assume that I should keep his dog to dog contact as close to zero for the next week or two.

[campgsp]

If you think its kennel cough take the dog to the vet asap. Even if not take him. Better safe them sorry.

[jcbuttry8]

I went through Kennel cough. Every dog in my house had it. It is a horrible sound and it will scare you the first time you go through it with a pup. We actually were told by a vet to use cough medicine that we use and just ride it out. Which is what we did. It was a prescription med that had codeine in it. It worked great and the pup was always well rested. Never saw a problem with eating or puppy play. The pup acted normal other than the nasty cough.

I would suggest that for your sanity and that of the rest of the family, go to the vet and just get it checked out. They can give you some cough meds that will work great for the pup. It was several weeks before the cough subsides and they can pass it along for months so, make sure that any other dogs coming in contact have been vaccinated and let people know that your pup has it. Once my dogs had it, I purchased the vaccination for my neighbors on each side of us. It can spread quickly and a wood fence doesn't do much to stop it.

Good luck,

Joe

[ezzy333]

My experience is that if you know it is kennel cough don't worry about it. If you aren't sure you might want to have it checked but I would just keep a close watch to see that it doesn't get worse. I do not even vacinate for kennel Cough unless it is required by someone. Dogs seem to get it once in a while no matter if they are vacinated or not. It has been several years since we have experieced it.

Ezzy

[RoostersMom]

I agree with Ezzy. Kennel cough lasts about 14 days. It will last about 14 days with or without a vet visit. If there are complications (fever or green snot) then I'd take them to the vet - otherwise I don't. I vaccinate twice a year because I foster a lot. Some of my dogs catch it, some don't. Never had any of my own personal dogs develop complications but have had a foster dog or two end up with "snot nose" and had to be put on antibiotics for complications as a result of that. KC itself isn't helped at all by antibiotics, so I don't use them. I hate to use them when I don't need to as I worry about their effectiveness for when you really need them if you dog has been overdosed with them all its' life. It is VERY easy to transmit from one dog to another so you have to either be really diligent in washing between dogs (your hands, etc.) and keeping them totally out of the same areas - or just let it run its' course.

Sometimes it's worth the peace of mind to visit the vet - but I deal with it so much that I am comfortable skipping a vet visit unless I see something more worrisome than coughing and hacking.

[aulrich]

No snot at all, not sure how you would tell if a dog has a feaver (dry nose?)

But for the most part he seems the equivalent of me with a cold that is trailing off. I am assuming KC is the dog equivalent of the common cold.

I am just about 1 week into it so

- I'll continue to monitor
- If it goes on much past next weekend i'll get him to the vet or if he turns snotty or feaver
- workouts will be shorter and lighter for a while,
- watch his dog to dog contact for now

[KwikIrish]

I strongly recommend that you don't take him in if you know it's kc and that only perpetuates the spread of this highly contagious annoying sickness

A dose of robitussin DM when it flares up should make it comfortable for him.
He may lose appetite for a day or two, but they can almost always recover fully with no vet visit.

[jcbuttry8]

No snot at all, not sure how you would tell if a dog has a feaver (dry nose?)

But for the most part he seems the equivalent of me with a cold that is trailing off. I am assuming KC is the dog equivalent of the common cold.

I am just about 1 week into it so

- I'll continue to monitor
- If it goes on much past next weekend i'll get him to the vet or if he turns snotty or feaver
- workouts will be shorter and lighter for a while,
- watch his dog to dog contact for now

I keep a thermometer around. The same type we used on the kids when they were growing up. That is the best way to take their temperatures.

joe

[aulrich]

Just posting the all clear, but I guess I was lucky a neighborhood dog got it and it turned into pnumonia spend the past month locked in the house. So I guess the bug was already floating around the area,and that is how the boy got it.

[jcbuttry8]

Glad to hear your dog is better. It can in some cases be worse so it is good that your pup came through alright.

Joe