Kennel Cough

Vince32

Thunder has Kennel Cough, I'm not sure how she got it, I think it was from one of the other dogs we walk with on Sundays, but she has had coughing fits and brought up some white phlegm in the last couple of days,

After reading a bit on-line, the general advice given is get the dog to a vet asap, which I did, and Thunder got some anti-biotic and anti-inflammatory, along with a white powder which is put on her food (4 pinches!? a day) which the packet reads "for use in respiratory illness in cows, pigs, sheep, dogs and cats.
The vet told me it was highly contagious and very uncomfortable for the dog, and with the medicines she gave me it should resolve in 7-10 days and help her feel more comfortable, if left untreated it could last for 5-6 weeks and possibly lead to a collapsed trachea.

Not being a huge fan of canine medication in general, but also not wanting to put my dog through unnecessary hardship, I was wondering what would be the best way to continue, How serious is it really, how long should I quarantine Thunder for, and what's the real dangers if I left her to fight the infection naturally?

Vince

I have to walk her early mornings and/or late night to limit her exposure to other dogs, which is fine really, doesn't bother me in the slightest.

paultf

Sorry Vince but I can't answer your Qs - I wouldn't know much about that area.

I was just wondering did your dog get a KC vacc this year? I have heard sometimes the vacc doesn't always work.

Vince32

She's only 10 months old, so nothing since her shots as a newborn, I'm not overly worried about any of it, it's the equivalent of a chest cold in humans, and I've had a few of them in my time.

SillyMangoX

It can also be described as being the equivalent of whooping cough in humans, both are caused by bordetella species bacteria and have similar symptoms. So depending on the causative agent, ie whether it was caused by the bacterial form or viral form, the severity will vary. I've seen some vets say leave well alone and struggle it out, no point in giving antibiotics to a virus, but if they feel it is bad enough that's when they step in with the medications. As someone who as both suffered from whooping cough and seen many dogs suffering from kennel cough, I would definitely go with the conventional medicine. It isn't a pleasant experience so the quicker she can get it out of her system the better. If one course of antibiotics is all she's going to go through in her whole life, how bad, it's not going to kill her, but complications from kennel cough might. I'd take it handy on the walks as well for a while, it can survive in the environment for 2-7 days so you may be spreading it, so just exercise her in your own garden if possible!

andreac

To be honest, i wouldnt be walking her. KC is highly contagious and is airborne so your dog doesnt actually have to come in contact with another to pass it on, just once its in the air floating around another dog can catch it so it would be very unfair to walk your dog in case another dog risks picking it up.

There are so many strains of KC that even with vaccination theres a risk of picking some form of it up at some stage.

Both my dogs have had KC once and are in contact with a lot o dogs regularly but havent picked it up since. They are vaccinated once a year for it anyway so hopefully they are bit immune to it now.

KC itself is not overly serious but complications can arise from it which can be very serious so its always better to be safe than sorry.

Just go easy on your dog for the next week or so as you dont want her getting sicker, so i would hold off on walks for a while until shes better. Did your vet say its ok to walk her or not?

Vince32

My vet told me to walk her when there is the least amount of possible contact with other dogs, early morning / late night, but didn't mention quarantine or isolation from other dogs, just to not let her interact with other dogs until a few days after the symptoms resolve.

She also said there was no point in trying to treat a viral infection, but gave the meds to combat the bacterial kind, and to ease the symptoms and any pain that may be caused.

She has a slight fever according to the vet, "higher temperature than she would like" and has been off her food for the last while, and with a sore throat I can see how it might be hard to swallow. But the meds have to be given with or after food, and with her not eating, I've resorted to giving her a couple of raw eggs and she has no problem drinking them, but again it's hard to know when her stomach is full enough to give her the pills.

anyways, she won't stave herself, she will eat when she has too... just hard to watch sometimes

Vince

ISDW

I never usually panic about KC, unless its a very young or old dog. Put some manuka honey in her water, and even give her a bit off a spoon if you want. People have been known to give children's cough medicine, usually benylin, but I wouldn't recommend that now the vet has prescribed medication.

Our vet won't let any dog with suspected KC in their waiting room or surgery, you wait outside with the dog in the car, and they come out. They rarely give anything for it, unless it has become more serious than just normal KC.

I would also recommend not walking her though, not fair to spread it round to other dogs, she's young and fit, another dog catching it may not be, and it could make them very ill. You don't have to actually meet other dogs to pass it around.

Vince32

yeah I take your point, I hate seeing her so bottled up though, all we can do right now is play fetch and tug, not really using up her energy, she will go stir crazy in the next day or two.

Thanks for the mankuna honey, never heard of it until today lol, I'll be putting a few drops in her water for the next while, might sort out my acid reflux aswell

laters

Vince

I had the same experience with the vet making me wait outside... for 20 bloody minutes ! then after the visit I could stand at the payment desk for 5 minutes collecting meds and being given instructions... didn't make sense to me at all, but I'm not a vet so... lol

ISDW

Vince32 wrote: »

yeah I take your point, I hate seeing her so bottled up though, all we can do right now is play fetch and tug, not really using up her energy, she will go stir crazy in the next day or two.

Thanks for the mankuna honey, never heard of it until today lol, I'll be putting a few drops in her water for the next while, might sort out my acid reflux aswell

laters

Vince

I had the same experience with the vet making me wait outside... for 20 bloody minutes ! then after the visit I could stand at the payment desk for 5 minutes collecting meds and being given instructions... didn't make sense to me at all, but I'm not a vet so... lol

Manuka honey is fantastic, my vet also uses it on wounds, slaps loads on and then dresses it, its a great anti-bacterial agent. I would use it myself, but I let a dog lick a spoon and then forgot, and put it back into the jar - will wait until i get another jar first:D At least our doggie thermometer is well labelled :eek:

Try playing some mind games with her to tire her out, you don't have to buy any, you can hide things around the house and get her to find them. Even upturned plastic beakers, with a piece of sausage or something nice and smelly and tasty hidden under one, and she has to work out which one - as long as she has enough of an appetite to want to play of course. Could also be a great time to work hard on her obedience, although if she's not feeling very well, she may not want to.

KC usually sounds more distressing for the human that it feels for the dog, so hopefully she'll be fine very soon and get out and about properly again.

Vince32

I could work on her mushing talents I never really set aside time for her to learn the basics, apart from Gee and Haw, and go on, she really isn't well trained. Good Idea.

She is really fun of beans if I'm honest, apart from the odd little cough, she really wants to be engaged, I spent about 2 hours playing fetch and tug with her today and I got tired before she did, lol.

She's being fussy with her food atm, and only wants people food, she ate only half a portion of her own food in 2 days, so I was a bit sneaky and gave her some raw eggs to play with, drank them both, it will have to do until she want her own food again.

Vince

tk123

Vince could you describe her symptoms pls? I'm panicking about my guy and going to bring him to the vets tomorrow if he doesn't improve I woke up to him heaving/retching this morning and came down expecting to find him getting sick but nothing. I gave him some manuka and it stopped it BUT he's cleared his throat (not coughed as such) a couple of times - which in fairness he's done LOADS of times before if he ate some dust/broke a small piece of his stagbar/nylabone off etc -hopefully I'm just panicking over nothing!! He wouldn't get up for his breakfast but has had 2 meals since then. He's perked up a bit but still seems really tired.

Vince32

Sorry for the late reply, I tried to send from my phone twice, but it failed somehow..

The cough Thunder has, is a hacking / choking sound , almost like something is stuck in her throat, or a reverse sneeze, and sometimes she has a mini coughing fit, which results in white phlegm being brought up. It's classic KC symptoms without a doubt.

But on the meds, antibiotics and anti inflammatory she barely coughs once a day, and I put some of the manuka honey in her water, and let her lick a little off the spoon, which then went straight in the dishwasher :P

She spent the morning tearing up the flower pots in the garden, and making a right old mess, and looking very proud of herself /sigh but that's life I guess lol

tk123

Thanks! Bailey is actually fine this morning - not a bother on him so I was panicking over nothing thank god!! His friend is sick today (who we haven't seen i a week) so possibly there's a bug going around. Gald to hear Shadow is back on form

Vince32

No problem, but you know dogs don't usually cough, so if it has done once, it will again as the infection grows, my vet told me it was really getting around in the last few weeks, but it could be nothing, if the dog coughs again, I would recommend getting front of the infection before it gets a hold.

When Thunder isn't coughing, she is fine and perfectly normal, but hey hoo, she's on the mend so no problems this end

Vince

Millem

Vince32 wrote: »

No problem, but you know dogs don't usually cough, so if it has done once, it will again as the infection grows, my vet told me it was really getting around in the last few weeks, but it could be nothing, if the dog coughs again, I would recommend getting front of the infection before it gets a hold.

When Thunder isn't coughing, she is fine and perfectly normal, but hey hoo, she's on the mend so no problems this end

Vince

I heard that the latest batch of kennel cough is horrendous. My friend's dogs caught it in doggie daycare, they have been not been back in 3 weeks! They were all vaccinated against it but sure caught it anyway!

Renno123

kennel cough is highly contagious and the dog needs to be quarantined for 2 weeks. that means no walks etc.. or the entire neighbourhood could get infected.
my 2 contracted it at the same time. the young fella didnt need anything but the older one had a bad time shifting it and needed 2 doses of antibiotics..
if the vet prescribed that then i would continue unless the dog has a reaction.

it can be difficult to get rid of.