Sean and Alex, and what to do with a dog that has Kennel Cough.
Kennel Cough - Its Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. By John Hinkley
Kennel cough (canine infectious tracheobronchitis) is a disease that affects the trachea lining, thereby causing minor irritation. A dog with this disease coughs frequently, usually every few minutes and all throughout the day. Although this is one of the most common infectious diseases among dogs, most cases of kennel cough are minor. It tends to disappear on its own after a week or two.
Its Causes
An airborne virus or bacteria is what causes this cough, the most common of which is a bacteria known as bordatella bronchiseptica. In order to become infected with the disease, a dog will need to inhale several types of bacteria or virus. Additionally, dogs often contract this bacteria wherever there is a large gathering of dogs, like in kennels or dog shows.
Its Symptoms
Your dog may have kennel cough if your dog sounds like it is trying to clear its throat whenever it coughs. If you also notice your dog coughing whenever it is exercising or doing some other physical activity, your dog may have kennel cough. The symptoms typically appear a few weeks after your dog has been exposed to other dogs with this cough or has inhaled the disease-causing virus or bacteria.
If your dog's coughing is severe, your dog may cough continuously and even throw up food or mucus. Take note of the color of the mucus, as its color will indicate the severity of your dog's condition. White mucus is not so severe while green mucus is more serious. If your dog's coughs are accompanied by green mucus, take your dog to the veterinarian right away.
Diagnosing Kennel Cough
To diagnose if your dog indeed has kennel cough, the veterinarian will try to make your dog cough by rubbing its larynx. If your dog's coughs are accompanied by mucus, the veterinarian will order more tests such as an x-ray so he can determine if the cough is the result of pneumonia or distemper.
Home Treatment
To prevent your dog from developing this, you will need to strengthen your dog's immune system. There are a number of homeopathic remedies you can try to keep your dog free from this ailment. You can get this information online or by going to the veterinarian and local pet store.
For dogs that already have this, there are homeopathic treatments that make use of natural ingredients that are known for treatment. These remedies are believed to reduce the mucus as well as the coughing. Two of these homeopathic ingredients are Plantago lanceolata, a herbal remedy used or expelling mucus, and Bryonia C6, which is known to clear mucus or soothe dry membranes.
You can also give cough suppressant if your dog is coughing frequently or if your dog's coughing is interfering with your dog's and your family's sleep. You can give your dog an antibiotic to prevent secondary infections from developing.
However, do not do give your dog antibiotic if its appetite is normal and it is not coughing so frequently. The best recourse in this case is to simply wait for the disease to run its course. Kennel cough goes away by itself if it is only minor or moderate, in which case you shouldn't need to give your dog treatment. But if your dog's coughing lasts for more than 10 days, take your dog to the veterinarian and ask for his airways or lungs checked.
Treatment for Puppies
If your puppy develops kennel cough, take it to the veterinarian. The veterinarian will likely prescribe azithromycin, a relatively new antibiotic that is known to effectively treat this matter.
You can try the two home remedies below if your puppy has this ailment. You can also try it on your adult dog.
1. Give your dog Pediatric Robitussin four times a day. This home remedy is safe to use for puppies as young as two years old. If the treatment does not work on your puppy, start your puppy on antibiotics.
2. Place your puppy in the bathroom and vaporize it with Vicks for about 20 minutes. Do this two times a day for 4 to 5 days. If your puppy's coughs are accompanied by green mucus, take your puppy to the veterinarian.
The Vaccine
You can have your dog vaccinated but keep in mind that kennel cough vaccines are not completely effective. These are typically recommended for dogs that regularly appear in dog shows or are often in a kennel. Some dogs tend to become resistant to kennel cough once they catch and recover from the disease.
Kennel Cough - What is Kennel Cough and How to Prevent it Occurring. By Jean Morgan
Does your dog make hacking sounds that make it seem like something is caught in his or her throat? This may mean that your dog is suffering from kennel cough. Kennel cough is actually an inflammation of the upper respiratory system of your dog and is similar to a human's chest cold.
It is actually the umbrella term used for all types of dog cough that is caused by complex infections, some of which are canine distemper or Bordetella bronchiseptica.
Just like with humans, kennel cough has the potential to be contagious if the dog's immune system is weak or weakened by certain stimuli. There are certain stressors that inhibit or reduce your dog's ability to fight viral or bacterial infections that cause kennel cough. Avoiding these situations will save your dog from succumbing to the plight that kennel cough brings.
Some of the things that need to be avoided to ensure the continued health of your dog are shipping and crowding stress, exposure to heavy dust or cigarette smoke, and of course, exposure to bacterial and viral sources.
Usually, your dog's immune system can resist alien objects from forming infections in his or her respiratory tract. Unfortunately, the occurrence of kennel cough is brought about when the stressors mentioned above result in your dog's resistance to bacteria and viral infections being greatly threatened and diminished.
Your dog's way of naturally ridding his respiratory tract of bacteria and infections is through the tiny hairs that are connected to the tissues found along his or her respiratory tract. These tiny hairs are coated in mucus, which trap alien particles that get in through your dog's normal respiration.
Aside from preventing bacteria and viral infections to reach the tissue along the dog's respiratory tract, these tiny hairs called cilia are constantly undulating, which in turn causes alien particles to be expelled normally through the mouth or swallowed and digested by your dog. However, during instances when your dog's immune system is stressed and unable to function properly, or when your dog comes in contact with certain types of bacteria, like the Bordetella bronchiseptica, he then will succumb to kennel cough.
To prevent your dog from having kennel cough, you should make sure that his vaccinations are current, especially when certain stressors cannot be avoided. Actually, even if you do not foresee your dog being subjected to stressors that will make him susceptible to kennel cough, you should update his vaccinations anyway; especially his vaccination for Bordetella bronchiseptica, because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, even for your dog.
The best type of vaccination against kennel cough would be an intranasal administered vaccine. The more common type of vaccine is dispensed through an injection. However, the intranasal type of vaccine is better because if prevents bacterial and viral infections for a year, while the injectable type cannot prevent infections but in the event of one, it will work to lessen the gravity of its effect.
Remember that if your dog already has kennel cough that is caused by any virus or bacteria, you cannot use a vaccine to treat his ailment. You can only use vaccines for prevention. To treat and cure kennel cough, you can visit your veterinary doctor and ask him to prescribe certain antibiotics that are meant to treat whatever bacteria or viral infection that has caused your dog to have kennel cough. If needed, you can also ask your vet about cough suppressants to help alleviate your dog's suffering which can be taken in tandem with the antibiotics.
