Can a dog catch cold?

brian ireland

We thought the dog had eaten something he shouldn't. He started coughing a while ago. He is asleep now but when he is wake he sounds like he is choking on something.
Maybe choking is a bit dramatic, he sounds like he is coughing. He is a Labrador and we have kept him in the house during the bad weather.
Is it possible he has a cold (dog flu, lol)

ISDW

brian ireland wrote: »

We thought the dog had eaten something he shouldn't. He started coughing a while ago. He is asleep now but when he is wake he sounds like he is choking on something.
Maybe choking is a bit dramatic, he sounds like he is coughing. He is a Labrador and we have kept him in the house during the bad weather.
Is it possible he has a cold (dog flu, lol)

It sounds as though it could be kennel cough, very contagious, he doesn't need to have been in a kennels to catch it. If you have any honey, I'd put it in his water.

In my opinion and experience, and I'm not a vet, kennel cough is only dangerous to young or old dogs, to a fit and healthy dog they should shake it off. Its horrible to listen to though, but some people give children's cough medicine as well, just a little bit, but I've found the manuka honey in the drinking water really helps.

If it persists though, and is really bad, the vet will give him antibiotics, but if you go to the vet, tell them you think he has kennel cough, they probably won't want you to take the dog into the surgery, my vets would rather come out to the car to see the dog, as its so contagious.

lrushe

I would second Kennel Cough, my own dog had it in Septemeber. She gagged as much as she coughed and would bring up a foamy saliva. A vet will give you medication to prevent secondary respiratory infections but Kennel Cough itself is a virus so really it has to run its course. Children's Benylin can be given if the cough seems to be causing the dog distress. Be vigilant though, if the dog appears to be in alot of discomfort or the coughing continues for a long period of time consult your vet for advice.

brian ireland

Thanks for you response. This is the first year in a long time we haven't been away.
We always leave him in a local very well run and dog friendly kennel when we go on hols and make sure he is up to date with his injections and kennel cough.
We have Benylin in the press so I will monitor him and give him some if I think necessary.
I wont do what a mad aunty did when I was a kid and gave the dog Roche 5!!!

Meteoric

+3 Kennel Cough in dogs is just like flu in people, even if you've had the vaccination you can get it but it tends not to be as bad as it would be without the vaccine. Called kennel cough because it is more common in kennels but any dog can get it from any other one. When my previous dog got it I fed him spoonfuls of honey, just let him lick it off the spoon, to sooth his throat. One time I forgot and put the spoon back in the jar of honey...... that then became the doggie jar of honey

dvet

Just to add in, I agree that if he sounds like he's choking/gagging it's probably kennel cough, which nearly always clears up on it's own...but there's a few situations where I'd throw in some caveats: if he hasn't mixed with other dogs for a while... if it sounds more like a 'regular' human-y cough, or a softish cough... if it's bad enough to affect his willingness to go for walks... or if it doesn't clear up after a few days...then I'd get it checked out.

(note to OP: i don't mean to be getting you worried or anything like that, because as everyone above says its probably a thing of nothing - but those are just a few things that's it's handy to keep an eye on!)

Meteoric

dvet wrote: »

Just to add in, I agree that if he sounds like he's choking/gagging it's probably kennel cough, which nearly always clears up on it's own...but there's a few situations where I'd throw in some caveats: if he hasn't mixed with other dogs for a while... if it sounds more like a 'regular' human-y cough, or a softish cough... if it's bad enough to affect his willingness to go for walks... or if it doesn't clear up after a few days...then I'd get it checked out.

(note to OP: i don't mean to be getting you worried or anything like that, because as everyone above says its probably a thing of nothing - but those are just a few things that's it's handy to keep an eye on!)

Oh +1 on this too, once you have heard kennel cough once, you know what what the cough sounds like. But, no more than the flu in people, if it does go on a while you do need to get the vet involved. Another thing you can try is running your finger up and down the neck on the windpipe, if that starts the dog coughing is probably kennel cough. The cough in kennel cough does not normally sound like a human cough, more like whooping cough, if you have ever been unfortunate enough to hear a person with whooping cough, which does sound like the original description of the cough.

liquoriceall

Around this time last year my dog got a chest infection with a very bad cough. The vet put him on antibiotics and a cough bottle, however as it was over the weekend he became ill I was also giving him dioralyte to keep him hydrated as no way would he eat. Hope he gets better soon.

Zapperzy

Just to through it out there that coughing is also a sign of heart problems, if the cough persists then there's no harm in having his heart checked.

Just to add also that even if he had been vaccinated for kennel cough he may still have gotten it, there are some strains of kennel cough that the vaccination does not cover.

belongtojazz

If you suspect it is kennel cough (based on either peoples description here or after seeing your vet) it's really important you keep your dog away from all other dogs. It is hugely contagious and can be serious to puppies, old or Ill dogs. It also can live for a while on surfaces such as grass and trees, so if you're walking him keep him in areas where other dogs don't go... As best as you can anyway my little one caught kennel cough from a dog she was playing with in the field and ended up quite ill

brian ireland

He has been coughing only a little bit today. TBH only two or three times. I put honey in his water and he is lovin it, Thanks ISDW.
If he has it it does have kennel cough it does not seem to be that bad. We will keep him away form other dogs just in case. We have decided to take him down to the beach for walks for a week or two and keep away form the estate.