Kennel cough?

[pinkpuppy]

Something is wrong: Chloe had her kennel cough vaccine 6 days ago. She is over 4 months old; and she's also teething. Something is off though: her eyes are a mess and she has a runny nose; she's sneezing - but not hacking...

The vaccine was on Monday evening: Wednesday and Thursday she barely ate: Friday and Saturday she licked her bowl clean... Today she had a few bites (and it's well into the afternoon). (but I am told that the lack of appetite might be the teething)

Her energy level is normal; she's playful and alret. But I can barely keep up with the eyes and the poor nose (which is only runny on one side). Her stool is softer thatn normal - but by no means runny...

What should I do? Will she get better; or do we need a vet? Is this from the vaccine? Could it be? Are we developing kennel cough here? Help.

 

[Jan]

She probably has kennel cough. They often get a mild version of it from the vaccine.

 

[pinkpuppy]

Oh no! That's what I was affraid of! Grrrrrr.....

Well, since it is mild - do you think it will get worst? This means a trip to the vet; I just don't want her to be on meds if it's unnecessary (who knows what side effects those may have....)

Here is a question: since KC is contageous; and the reason we got the vaccine is because it was required by the obedience school that we are supposed to start this upcoming Tuesday -- should I pull her out of the classes then?

 

[BooBoo & Riley]

If you are all required to have the Bordetella vaccine, than I think you can bring her to the training as the other dogs should be protected...

You can give her some extra vitamin C to help her get over the KC... in liquid form is the easiest...

And if she develops a cough, you can give her Robitussin, in children's doses... good luck.. have fun at class

 

[Jan]

If she is not too sick you could probably still go to class. You could always phone and ask them.

 

[pinkpuppy]

Update

Chloe took a turn for the worst on Sunday night. She coughed; hacked and would wake up every few minutes because her nose was runny; in fact it was running like a faucet.

We went to the vet on Monday: she got mild kennel cough from the bortadella vaccine. The good news was that by Monday she already was little better - and was not coughing. He listened to her chest for a long time and said that it's absolutely clear. Thank God.

She is contagious: the vaccine had semi-life virus in it... (we got ushered out of the clinic with doors opened for us :( ) The vet said that a lot of dogs react this way to this particular vaccine; but it never is very serious. He said that at lest the vaccine is working - and she is responding to it.

I spoke with the trainer as well - and she was very nice about it; we moved Chloe's classes up .

My poor monkey is all snotty and gooey - but she's feeling better (and frankly, so am I). It's so hard - you try to protect them, meanwhile they get the darn virus!

 

[abby's mum]

Poor Chloe! I feel so bad for the little darling. Abby and I hope she makes a very speedy recovery.

 

[ssleighter]

Robitussin works wonders. Let me know if you'd like me to get you the dosage. I'd need her weight.

Since KC is like our cold, there's really not much you can do to treat it. Many vets prescribe antibiotics, but they don't do anything but ward off any possible secondary infections, like pneumonia. So keeping her comfortable (cough supressants) is the best one can do til it runs it's course. I've heard cases that sounded like they were coughing up a lung, so I know it has to be hard on them. :(

The KC vaccine is targeted at about 30-40 strains of KC, so, like our flu shot it doesn't cover all of the strains. So yes, she's still contagious and I am glad you got her classes moved up. I recently vaccinated a litter of 6 rescue pups, 2 of them got kennel cough from the vaccine.

 

[tugger]

I am glad I found this thread! Tug started hacking and had a runny nose the night before last and then last night had terrible hacking! I was puzzled as she had her normal energy level and appetite. Today my husband took her to the vet and he said it was from the vaccine he gave her last week. This vaccine was to allow her to go to puppy class. Now he says she cant go tomorrow night. We pay dearly for these classses and I hate to miss one! I think we are all benefitting. I guess its how it goes though.
I would hate for any of the other dogs to get sick from her. He put her on antibiotics for 5 days 3 times a day. She hasnt hacked yet tonight.
I am thinking of calling the instructors and asking them how they feel about us coming to class tomorrow night if she is feeling good. She is also cutting teeth.
What would you all do in this case?

 

[kassa]

The bordetella vaccine is one of the biggest boondoggles out there. Kennels and training places require it to cover themselves from liability from dogs coming home from the kennels sick. But do they enforce <i>when</i> the vaccine is given? No, for the most part you can get the vaccine on the drive over to the kennel or the class, and they pay no attention to the fact that it takes a couple of weeks to confer protection (what protection it does confer). Meanwhile, the pups are contagious and bring it home to the other dogs in class, kennel or in the family.

I've seen more kennel cough in dogs recently vaccinated and family members of dogs recently vaccinated than I've ever seen "out of the blue." There are maladies that get passed around at dog shows, and frequently it's the dogs with the most immunizations coming down with it the worst.

I'm not advocating not getting it if you and your vet think it's appropriate. I just don't like the fact that it's promoted as a preventative when it's nowhere close to covering all the forms of KC PLUS it often infects the dog in the first place. And it's limited in the length of time it covers, which means you're intentionally reinfecting your dog for the purposes of avoiding what amounts to the common cold (in most cases). Are there horrible cases? Certainly. I suspect the worst of them are exacerbated by owners not seeking veterinary care once the dog IS obviously sick.

The kennel owners and trainers I know don't give it to their own dogs, and have no illusions about it protecting the dogs coming into their care. It's strictly a legal protection against lawsuits from owners who claim that their dog got sick on the property, so that they can claim that they demand that all dogs have the shot.