What is the normal exam protocol for Kennel Cough?

[Coffeebuzz]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what a vet should do when your dog comes in for a cough? Dee Dee started coughing a week ago - first with a one big fit that brought up lots of white foam. She settled down fairly quickly and I wrote it off as running too much while eating snow. Since that night she has occasional coughing spells where she coughs and then gags/retches and brings up foam and sometimes a little mucous-looking liquid. Going for a walk will trigger it, and sometimes it just starts out of the blue.

My husband brought her to the vet on Monday, and of course she wouldn't cough for the vet. The vet didn't examine her mouth or throat at all, nor did she suggest any blood work or x-rays to try to find the cause. She just said to wait and see. Last night Dee Dee kept us up for several hours coughing and retching. I called the 24hr vet to get the dosage of cough syrup and gave it to her, but she retched it right back up again. She finally did calm down after a bit and went to sleep. This morning she didn't have any spells. When she is not coughing she is acting 100% normal - no temp, no appetite change, not looking depressed.

So two questions - does this sound like typical KC from those of you that have lived through it? Should the vet have done more to try to get to the root cause, or should I just keep waiting this out to see if it gets worse?

I'm having a hard time finding the balance between concern and paranoia!

 

[BooBoo & Riley]

I don't think the vet's diagnoise was wrong, but she could have had better bedside manner... but sometimes husbands who take our babies in to the vet are not very good with asking questions and being persistant...

As for her cough, you can feed her the children's dosage of cough syrup. I don't feed it straight, but rather mix it in with something liquidy that they like, say yougurt or even a little bit of milk. She'll get over the cough soon if you continue to give her cough syrup for the next several days. It's just like a human cold, it takes time to pass.

 

[Coffeebuzz]

Thanks for the reply - this vet is definitely not my favorite for the exact reason you picked up on - lack of bedside manner. I am in the process of researching a new one, but I didn't want to start with someone new while Dee Dee was already sick. She seems a little better tonight - hopefully we'll all get some sleep!!

 

[craZ4HERKIE]

I've also heard that honey helps sooth a cough too. Hopefully Dee Dee will be on the road to recovery soon.

 

[tishyb]

Infant cough suppresent in the dropper form worked well for Sadie when she had it. Just squeeze into their mouths, kind of by their cheek. When I took her to the vet they 1st didn't diagnose it as kennel cough (even though I had a feeling it was). Then after she kept us up for another night I brought her back in and she got some medicine. She quit coughing after about 3 more days. Honey worked well too. Good luck!

 

[kassa]

I don't think you're supposed to give honey to dogs, for the same reason you don't give it to children and people with compromised immune systems -- which I forget.

Edit: I've looked for backup on that claim and can't find anything, so maybe it's not true. Has anybody else heard this?

 

[Coffeebuzz]

Hmmm...I hope that isn't true, since I have been giving her honey since this cough started. I haven't seen any acute effects after using it for a week, but if it isn't good for her, I'll stop! She's only had 1-2 tsp per day.

 

[BooBoo & Riley]

We've given honey only for coughs and also diluted... probably shouldn't give too much and definately not all the time.