Kennel Cough
6 post(s)
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Thu 30 Aug 2007 04:43PM PDT
kay
53 post(s)
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After a dog show a few months ago, Merlin started coughing, and of course I freaked out!!! "We have to go to the vets","My baby is choking" he gets his Bordetella vaccine yearly (but just like the flu it has many strains) I tried this home remedy and he was fine in only 3 days.
Kennel cough is a fairly common ailment in dogs. People tend to associate it with dogs who either are being or recently have been boarded (or "kenneled"). But your dog need not be boarded to catch kennel cough. Kennel cough is caused by an airborne virus, which is highly contageous. Any time your dog is in the vicinity of an infected dog, the potential exists for infection. The incubation period is about 8-10 days, meaning your dog will not display symptoms of illness for about 8-10 days following exposure to the virus. Having a strong immune system is best way to avoid coming down with symptoms if/when your dog is exposed to the virus. This is why not every dog in the kennel (or house) will get it if there is an outbreak.
Although there is a vaccine (Bordatella) for Kennel Cough, it is often not effective in preventing infection. The most likely explanation for this is that there are many strains and mutations of the virus out there. Therefore, it is hit or miss whether the vaccine used on your dog will be the right one for the strain with which your dog comes into contact. This is similar to the "flu shot" for people; each year a vaccine is developed based on which strain(s) are suspected to be most prevalent. Be aware that your dog can still catch Kennel Cough even if s/he has had a shot to prevent it.
The usual symptoms of Kennel Cough include a dry, "non-productive" cough. The dog sounds as if there is something stuck or caught in the throat and the coughing is an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge the object. Sometimes the coughing/gagging seems very violent. The episodes of coughing may go on for minutes at a time and then be repeated at intervals. Of course you will want to check your dog and make certain that there isn’t anything actually stuck in the throat! One way you can "test" for Kennel Cough is to press the throat gently, right in the collar area. If the dog has Kennel Cough, this will probably trigger some coughing.
If your dog does develop Kennel Cough symptoms, don’t panic! The way this illness operates is analagous to the common cold that we humans sometimes catch; simply put: it must run its course. There is no magic pill or cure, but there are many ways to treat and ease the symptoms. The goal is to support the body (immune system) while it is healing itself. Antibiotics are NOT indicated (although they are routinely prescribed and used) because this is a virus, not a bacteria. Antibiotic use is actually thought to slow the healing process. Kennel cough generally will be gone in two weeks time or less, with or without antibiotics (but probably faster without).
Here are some ideas for natural treatments you may use to treat your dog’s Kennel Cough symptoms. None of these will harm your dog in any way, even if s/he does not even have Kennel Cough, but you may want to check with your own vet before giving them to your dog.
For boosting the immune system and fighting off infection:
Vitamins:
500 mg Vitamin C 3x/day (250 mg for tiny dogs) (If you already supplement with vitamin C, great! But this is in addition to the regular daily dose, and is spaced out during the day.)
Herbal tinctures:
Echinacea (give a few drops, 3x/day, either directly into the mouth or on food)
Goldenseal (same instructions as Echinacea)
Other:
Colloidal Silver (Give just a drop or two, 3x/day. May be mixed with food or put into drinking water.)
For directly combatting the Kennel Cough virus:
Homeopathic Remedies:
Bryonia (give 1-2 pellets/tablets 3x/day, allow no food for ten minutes before and after the dose. Most health food stores sell homeopathic remedies in the 6X or 6C potency, which is fine to use. If you have a choice of potencies, ask for 30C, which is a bit stronger. Homeopathy works when the correct remedy is matched to the correct symptoms, regardless of the potency of the remedy.)
Drosera (same instructions)
For soothing throat irritation:
Honey (about a teaspoon for a small-med dog, a tablespoon for a larger dog, 3x/day)
Eliminate exposure to second hand smoke.
Maintain humidity in the environment.
If you have more than one dog in your household, and one of them develops Kennel Cough, you can try to keep that one isolated, to minimize exposure to your other dog(s). However, by the time your dog is symptomatic, the virus has probably already been "shared" with your other pets or any other dogs with which yours has had contact recently. You may wish to treat all of your dogs, as a preventive measure for those that are asymptomatic, to ensure their immune systems are strong enough to ward off infection from the virus. Also, it would be good pet ownership to refrain from taking your ill dog to obedience class, dog shows, or any other dog-related event until s/he has recovered.
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Wed 05 Sep 2007 03:38AM PDT
Unbeliever
67 post(s)
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In the 8 years I have been working in the Veterinarian Field, we have never had a problem with Kennel Cough when the vaccine has been used at least a week before the actual boarding date. So, I say that's pretty good odds with the vaccine. We don't reccommend the injection, though. The inhaled vaccine does proove to be more effective. And if you happen to get Kennel Cough, a round of antibiotics such as Cephalexin seem to do a good job on the virus.
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Sun 09 Sep 2007 03:57PM PDT
kay
53 post(s)
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While I was a vet Tech, we had quite a few cases of vacinated dogs, come back to the office "kennel cough", and they had a bloody stool as well as the cough, which was treated a little differently. Maybe they stayed longer then a weekend, who knows, but I have noticed in my area, that boarding kennels now ask that a dog be vaccinated (for kennel cough) more then 2 weeks prior to boarding, or they won't be accepted. I only do the injectable, for my dog because we are in training for tracking and I don't want any "DRUGS" up his nose. But when Merlin caught it, he was at an outdoor show, not a kennel, and you never know what may cause a dog to be susceptible to it. Just like a human to the "FLU" Alot of times people don't want to give "money" back to the same vet that was suppossed to "protect" their dog against a certain "VIRUS" and most people don't read the fine print as to how a VET is not responsible, just like the dog food companies....
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Wed 12 Sep 2007 06:04AM PDT
Sierralynn
67 post(s)
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I've been told by my Vet that I since I'm a rather social girl because I got lots of places with my Mommy...we go to Petsmart and Petco all the time...and sometimes I have to go to a kennel in a pinch, that it's really a good idea to have this vaccine every 6 months as opposed to once a year. I get the spray in my nose... It's not the most comfortable, but it's much better than getting sick.
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Wed 12 Sep 2007 09:37AM PDT
leadsailspap...
17 post(s)
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I used to vaccinate my dog against kennel cough, but I don't anymore because there really is no point. Like the first post said, the vaccine is not effective in preventing kennel cough because there are many different strains. My dog would still get kennel cough even though he had the vaccine. It only lasts a few days and it never gets bad enough for him to go on antibiotics, he gets over it on his own.
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Wed 12 Sep 2007 05:35PM PDT
crazydoglady
186 post(s)
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It has been my understanding that the KCV is not a preventative for kennel cough but is suppose to help battle the bacteria that causes the different strains of pneumonia that can result from the kennel cough virus itself. I make sure my dogs are vaccinated every 6 months.
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