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Kennel Cough??
We think that our foster dog might have kennel cough, and from what I have read, there really isn't much we can do for him but to let it run its course (monitor him, and if it gets worse, or if he has difficulty breathing then to take him into the vet). We have noticed him hacking and sneezing a little bit over the last couple of weeks. He seems to experience the symptoms after running around in the back yard with our resident dog, and it is just the dry cough (no phlegm) and an extra drippy nose, and he hardly even seems to notice it. I've been looking up home remedies for the dry cough, and it's been suggested in several places to give him a bit of honey to coat and soothe his throat. Is this something I should try? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Also, is our resident dog doomed to get kennel cough as well? She had the vaccine about 8 months ago, but I am aware that there is always a chance that she could get it despite the vaccine. She has yet to start coughing, so I have my fingers crossed that she doesn't get it...
Is there anything else we need to do at home to stop the cycle once the dogs are over it? We will disinfect the crates and wash their bedding, but is there something that I am missing? I feel at a loss.
Thanks!
Re: Kennel Cough??
Our first foster came to us and a week later got KC. The rescue paid for his vet care (the rescue pays for all foster's vet care anyway) AND paid to treat both our dogs even though they were up to date on all vax.
Bring the foster to the vet but that's all. Don't bring your foster or your dog out anywhere (pet stores, dog park, etc...). Good luck!
""No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside."
"On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered "Life will never be the same." Because there had never been anyone like you... ever in the world." ~ Nancy Tillman
I've just emailed the rescue and hopefully they'll approve a visit to the vet soon! I'll make sure to ask the vet, but I'll also ask here: How long is a dog with KC contagious for? Lucy takes classes at Petsmart and I don't want to have the other dogs potentially exposed to KC, so I just want to start to get an idea for how long we need to postpone her lessons for and rearrange our lessons with our trainer if needed.
Get him to a vet, they'll give him meds which will shorten the length of the sickness, plus keep him from developing something more serious like pneumonia. For the interim, dip your finger into some Nyquil and run it along his gums at night to help him (and you) sleep. If it's really kennel cough, he'll hack all night and may produce some phlegm from time to time. You can rub his throat gently a little during the coughing spells, but it may or may not help whatsoever. They usually give two meds for KC, an actual med and then an anti-cough med. Hope he gets to feeling better soon!
And as long as yours have had their bordatella they should be just fine. Even my girl who was late on her bordatella (every six months) never got it from my foster who was hacking like a maniac. It does seem like some strands are more contagious though. Guess I just haven't had that magic strand yet.
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How Long Does Kennel Cough Last?
In most cases, the signs of kennel cough gradually decrease and disappear after three weeks. Young puppies, elderly dogs and other immunocompromised animals may take up to six weeks or more to recover. In some cases, animals may remain infectious for long periods of time even after the symptoms have cleared up.
When Is It Time To See The Vet Again?
You should see some improvement in your dog?s condition within one week of treatment, but be alert to how long the symptoms last. If your dog has nasal discharge, is breathing rapidly, refuses to eat or seems lethargic, take her to the veterinarian right away. Serious cases of kennel cough can lead to pneumonia if left untreated."
If I remember correctly we kept our foster away from events for about a month. The first 2 weeks he was given meds and the next two weeks to be safe. The last thing we wanted was for us to spread KC around the rescue and even to dogs who weren't in our rescue. Thankfully our girls didn't have any classes or anything to go to so they didn't miss anything important but we kept them from the dog park and from visiting family and stuff for a month as well. One of our girls started showing some early signs of KC and the other never did, but again, they were both treated as a preventative.
This happened about a year ago and I have and foster pugs, not very energetic dogs. It wasn't hard to stay home from the dog park (I'm in MN too) during last winter and my girls don't care if they get walked daily so thankfully their need for exercise/walks wasn't an issue like it would be with a high energy dog.
""No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside."
"On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered "Life will never be the same." Because there had never been anyone like you... ever in the world." ~ Nancy Tillman
Thanks for the info. Our trainer was saying that she's noticing an increase in KC right now, especially since our winter has been so funky this year.
As for the Nyquil, he doesn't spend the night coughing at all, it's just after playing hard with our dog and when he gets really excited. He doesn't cough at all at night and hasn't woken us up with coughing either, so I think I'll wait on the human cold meds since he doesn't seem to need relief during the night.
If he's not coughing constantly, it may not be KC then. It may be an exercise induced cough or something like that. I've had several (at least 10) fosters with KC, and they all wake us up at night coughing constantly, no matter if it's in the beginning or end stages. It's just an around the clock thing. His could be an allergic reaction and something causing his vocal folds to flair up and make him cough. It could be he plays with the other dogs roughly and they hit his neck and make him cough til he produces phlegm. It could also be a laryngeal sensitivity caused by poor leash training in his past that make him cough when excited.
Hmm... that sounds more like what he might have- his coughing is only when he gets excited or when he plays really hard, and I wouldn't be surprised if his prior leash training was not done well because of the pulling he still does (he's a strong great dane/pittie mix). He never coughs at night. I have the contact info of his former foster mom who had him for 8 months before they transported him up from MO to MN, so I think I'll ask her if she noticed the coughing while she had him.
We'll take him to the vet either way, just to be sure though. Now I feel like there is some hope that he doesn't have KC.
Thanks for all of the information. It has really been a big help!
Have you seen my monkey?
Ugh. I really hope it isn't that. Though, I would be surprised if it was because before he was transferred to MN, they did a complete health certification and heartworms didn't come up (but I guess that it's always possible that he could have come in contact with something while here). I'll suggest that to my rescue coordinator that we have him checked out for that as well.
i'd ask if they checked for hws. my understanding is if a dog is coughing from hws...it's advanced hws. but at that point it should be very easily detected. hw can often escape detection in the first few months...but it won't advance that quickly.
Have you seen my monkey?