Kennel Cough

[Marq-n-Marta]

Oscar may have Kennel cough. He started coughing it was more like honking friday night. When I got home from work saturday morning at 8 am I noticed he was honking like mad and then vomiting from coughing so hard. I took him for his morning walk and he seemed fine. I then took a 3 hr nap since I had been working all night. Neddless to say my nap was interrupted several times by honking. I got concerned and took oscar to the emergency vet. They say he has kennel cough so they gave him a cough suppresant and antibiotics. They also said if he does not get better in a few days bring him back and they will check for valley fever. I am so concerned. I feel so bad for him, I don't know how to make him comfortable. I am at a loss because I have no clue how he could have gotten it. I don't take him to a dog park. The only dogs that he interacts with is our other dog skyler and my brothers dog. Is it possible that he could have gotten it at the vets? I had taken him in the week before for a rash he had on his face. Sorry it is so long, I hope someone can help.

Thanks
Marta and Oscar.

 

[MandyMom]

He probly could have gotten it at the vet.
Casey had kennel cough for a month and a half. He also gave it to Cooper, but he got over it in about a week. I did'nt think Casey was ever going to get over it! He had it so bad he had a green snotty nose even. ew~!
Do you know why they gave him antibiotics? They usually don't do that if it is just kc. It is like a cold in humans and antibiotics don't help. Casey was on them, but it was for the snotty nose.
Anyway, good luck getting him better!:(

 

[mysticalblues]

Both my boys have had Kennel Cough, Brody more than once. My understanding is it is highly contagious, so he probably did pick it up at the vet.

When it comes to making them comfortable, there were a few things I found that helps, first try to keep him from running around. The more he runs the he coughs and the more he coughs, the agitated everything gets, which causes more coughing. Second, if you find him having a bad coughing fit, stick something really minty in front of his nose, pretty much anything that clear your sinuses.

 

[Korenn]

My guys got kennel cough at the vets too. They were also on antibiotics which I think were more to prevent secondary infections than cure the kennel cough. I was told it was important to keep them from coughing because coughing irritates the throat which will lead to more coughing.

They also had a cough suppressant which really didn't seem to help a lot. What I found that eased the cough some was honey! Just let Oscar lick a tablespoon or so and that should help for a while.

My guys coughed a lot for about 2.5 days & then it began to ease some.

Good luck!

 

[myrocky]

My pup had kc for about 2weeks. He was on two different antibiotics. Taking antibiotics is like a catch 22. It helps and prevents kc from getting worse even though it is a virus and technically the meds should not help. I gave pediatric robitussion as a cough suppressent, it worked great. You have to use the one without expectorant. My pup also had nasal discharge, bright yellow. Fun getting that out of the rug !

Andie

 

[Jan]

Kennel cough is just like a cold in people. You can get it from anywhere as it is very contagious. Especially at the dog park and the vets. :(

 

[Marq-n-Marta]

Thanks guys,
Oscar seems to be feeling a little better. He still has his fits but not as often. I will give the honey a try. He also seemed very warm to me so I gave him some puppy asprins. He is still a little mopy but he sure does try to get excited when I come home. Poor little guy. Oscar does have a runny nose but so far it is not colored yet. Thanks again for all the help. We both appreciate it.

Marta and Oscar

 

[LoveMySarge]

Marta,

Our new puppy had kennel cough when we first got him. I was so concerned because I had never heard a dog cough like that. We took him to the vet and he was put on an antibiotic. The cough progressed and a week later, I was really frightened of losing him and took him back. They did a chest xray and found that the congestion had spread to the lungs and Sarge had a mild case of pneumonia. They gave me 3 weeks worth of a stronger antibiotic. I felt so sorry for him when he had his coughing fits, plus I was becoming seriously sleep-deprived. The doctor ok'd small amounts of Robitussin, but what helped more was me holding him in the bathroom with the steam from a hot shower. He's SO much better now, gaining weight, playful and much more alert. But he still has some coughing, mostly when he wakes from naps or gets excited while playing. I compare it to when I get bronchitis, the acute illness goes away within a short time, but the residual coughing can last weeks. My advice is to listen to your instincts with Oscar and seek the vet's advice when you feel its warranted. I'm pretty positive that Sarge is about 99% now, but once his medication is gone, in two days, I am going to take him back to the vet for an official clean bill of health. Oh and yeah, the cough is maddening but the green snotty nose is GROSS! . Good Luck!

Donna
Mom to Sarge, baby boy born 8/24/01 fawn with black and white markings, short tail, natural ears....

and to Bailey, 4 y/o poodle mix slowly adjusting to his annoying new little brother .

 

[Marq-n-Marta]

Thanks Donna for the advice on the steam, I will have to try it. I beleive little oscar is doing much better, he is back to most of his michevious ways. Now my sisters dog whom lives with us has it. So we got him some meds and I get to listen to the harmonious sounds of the both of them hacking away.

Thanks again everyone for the great advise.

Marta

 

[Roxanna]

Tyra came to us from the Pound with Kennel Cough. It took six weeks for her to get completely over it. She was given antibiotics for the secondary infection. She had discharge from her eyes and nose. Physical activity seemed to trigger her coughing and it also seemed worse upon awakening every morning.

The funny part is some time later, after all symptoms had disappeared, Tyra began coughing again. We took her back to the Vet and he could not find anything wrong. It didn't take us long to realize that she only coughed when caught doing something wrong. She remembered how sympathetic we all were during her Kennel Cough and was USING that.