My boy's best doggie pal, who he runs and rolls about with at least twice a week, is at the vet right now with suspected kennel cough. There's apparently a lot of it about, my puppy class trainer was at dog training last night and said four of her pups were off sick with it. In addition I don't know what was wrong with them but about 12 dogs signed up for my current class and only 6 came last night.

Now my boy DID cough overnight on either Sunday or Monday (i can't recall which because my son, who is usually up for an hour or two every night, was up for four hours on Monday night and so those few days are a haze) and the day before he coughed he was sneezing on and off. He sounded like he was choking on something but had 2-4 episodes overnight, then not again ever since. He was otherwise his normal self throughout.

Last night at training my boy threw up a small amount of bile twice at the start (after pulling to get to his pal as he arrived) BUT he does tend to do this when very empty and I found out this morning due to a misunderstanding my husband gave him only about two thirds of what he should have had for breakfast so he was VERY empty by training, as I withhold dinner until after class. He didn't cough at all or throw up anything else.

Last Friday at training there was a Staffy who vomited white foam 4 times in class, at the time it was put down to his choke chain. The dog my dog plays with was closest to him in class :( the staffy wasn't there last night.

So basically I'm wondering if my dog has had KC and just didn't get very ill, but has passed it to his pal, or if the staffy had it and gave it to his pal and I should be on the lookout for it?

http://argyllclinic.co.uk/features/129-kennel-cough-in-dogs

This may help to answer your question

Did anyone at the puppy class let the trainers know that their pup had had the nosode/xymptoms or if their pup had played with a dog who had had the symptoms or the nosode?

Kennel cough is easily transmitted. The nosodes are live so can be transferred to non covered or low immunity dogs and I am a little concerned that any pup showing symptoms wasn't turned away from socialising and potentially passing it on. Our club makes it very clear that any pup (or adult dog as we have back to back classes) having the nosode or showing symptoms stays away for the recommended time.

If your boy is still showing signs you will need to get him to the vet and local grade or manuka honey will help with the coughing. Needless to say, stay away from puppy class while it is doing the rounds as your pup might get/pass it on.

Also if you DO go to the Vets leave pup in car and tell vet you think it may be kennel cough, usually they will either check dog in car or at least take you in a different entrance and NOT through the waiting room.

worst scenario is to sit in a waiting room, start chatting to someone and then they say..........I think he has kennel cough.

As far as I can tell all the puppies (who are not in my class, we're in the next class up now, having earned our puppy certificates) came down with it between classes as they were there and seemed well last Friday but were absent and being treated this Friday. Certainly the puppy class trainer would have turned them away if there was any indication. I don't know why all 6 of the absent dogs from my class were off last week, but a few had (the humans!) tummy bugs as I heard the trainer say so.

The staffy last week had started coughing/vomiting in class according to the owner, but I saw three of the four vomits and all were white foam like whipped egg whites, two with mucus in them. Seems fairly suspect to me.

My dog's pal was choking in class last night and saw the vet this morning. He pulls very hard on lead, which they are working on, so even the trainers thought his choking was possibly from pulling hard on his collar but mentioned the KC as it is going about a lot here.

My boy doesn't have any signs. I just spoke to our vet and they didn't think one night of coughing and one bile vomit separated by 4 or 5 days constituted KC symptoms and just said to keep him away from his pal until pal is finished his antibiotics and no longer coughing and to bring him in if he starts to cough or seems unwell in himself.

Such a shame, there is a fun show for pet dogs in our local park today, and I'm sure he'd have been in the ribbons, but on balance I am going to take him somewhere entirely away from other dogs.

> worst scenario is to sit in a waiting room, start chatting to someone and then they say..........I think he has kennel cough. <img alt="" title="eek" src="/images/epx.png" class="fsm fsm_eek" /> <img alt="" title="eek" src="/images/epx.png" class="fsm fsm_eek" />

This happened in my vet's waiting area a year or so ago.   I've NEVER seen a waiting area empty so fast - me included.   Even fully vaccinated/boostered dogs can go down with this as it's usually a virus, which can mutate.

You'd be doing everybody in the area favour if you 'quarantine' your dog until he's over this, leaving it a week or two after the symptoms are gone.    The symptoms of KC can only be treated - the virus has to last the course.   Vets are more often treating with antibiotics to prevent it going to pneumonia however, which is obviously serious for the puppy and the elderly.

Be warned - somebody I know who had a new-born litter on the ground, took another of her hounds to a fun day..... and brought KC back which mum picked up as did the litter and she lost HALF of them.   If anybody remotely suspects KC, QUARANTINE THEM.

Gsdowner homeopathic nosodes do not shed to other dogs like the vaccine does neither will they show on any titre testing that could be done

If any dogs have been  conventionally vaccinated for KC within 2 weeks of contact there is the possibility of  a dog catching it. This is why kennels should require vaccines to be given at least 2 weeks before entry and is often why kc runs through a kennel  as many just say have it done. For a normally healthy dog adult dog  it is usually no worse than a nasty cold and treatment is symptomatic only . If a dog develops secondary infections usually chest infections then antibiotics are needed. Usually it is a viral infection only  As the kc vaccine doesn't cover most strains of KC it is  a very hit and miss vaccine. also it doesn't last  for more than approx 6 months anyway
Symptomatic relief can be honey , one of the basic children's cough medicines that are really no more than honey and glycerine  or olive leaf extract is also very good. I suspected kc in one of mine and dosed them all with Echinacea for a few days. I don't know if I was wrong but the dog I was worried about recovered within a few days

Some of you seem to be assuming my boy DOES have it, is that from the one night of coughing earlier in the week? The vet said it would have gone on for 5 days and not stopped after a night if that was the case...? Should I quarantine without illness/confirmation? The vet just said to keep him away from his friend until the friend's antibiotics were finished.

He has had one choking sounding episode today, suddenly when lying dozing, but after that I took him in the garden with a flirt pole and got him dashing about breathless and barking and he didn't do it again. So I'm still unsure as to whether he had it, has it or is yet to get it. I noticed he had done a few soft poos last night and this morning (he did them in the dark, I was picking them up this morning) and I ended up not walking him out as it seems like most dogs have it, or he might. I'm taking him to an empty beach tomorrow, assuming he doesn't become obviously ill. Consensus at training was that if either of our dogs have it then both will. But the other dog is ill, is coughing 4-5 times an hour, and the vet gave antibiotics as he has a temperature and they said a secondary bacterial infection.

One night and then nothing else doesn't sound like kc but u will have to make the final choice I am afraid. Mine was for a day or two but I was never convinced if it  was kc as the others were fine. I couldmt quarantine them separately

My mistake FF. I thought the fact that it was given up the nose was what made it a nosode and not a vaccine which I thought had to be a jab.

reasonable mistake. gsdowner, I was hoping you wouldn't be offended by my reply. Yep  homeopathic nosodes are used by many who want a safe alternative to vaccines. Small pills or liquids usually given orally. To use them you do need to do research and make the choice that is right for your beliefs   of course . Homeopathy can be step to far for many whereas others feel it is right for them and their dogs

The only time mine have ever had it was after they had the vaccine, not straight away but a few months later. Yes we had some hacking coughs, wasn't major but to me a hacking cough for no good reason is enough for me to give manuka honey and quarantine them, maybe not within the household itself but defo keep them in the home/Garden only.

No offence taken - how else would we learn? :)

I am thinking about whether the holisitic approach is working for the 'stiffness' in my boy. I was unexpectedly admitted to hospital and have returned to find him whining in the night because he cannot get up off the hard floor - he chooses to sleep on instead of bedding. So far I have used gp, omega 3 oils, oily fish, beef trachea and chicken feet along with yumove - until  2 weeks ago, he was fine but now he seems to be lacking grace and clumsy. I don't want him on something like metacam, which is what they always prescribe him, long term but he is obviously uncomfortable so I am having to have a long hard think about everything....

. Yumove or riaflex also have good reports other things to consider are devils claw and green lipped muscle which I think is in riaflex.the lady there is very helpful.

Hacking cough how often?

At the moment he has coughed twice. Once on Sunday or Monday night and once yesterday. Both times in the house, while lying doing nothing.

We took him to the beach today and stayed more than 500m from any other dogs, easy as it was utterly pouring with rain...

> a hacking cough for no good reason is enough for me to give manuka honey and quarantine them

Yup.  The cough from Kennel Cough has a sound like no other.  It reminds me of whooping cough in children.  So totally different to the "heart cough".

Well things remain completely unclear here.

He is possibly a bit more tired/lazy than usual, in that where he usually goes through a period of being very annoying each day he's not just now. I took him on the afternoon school run yesterday and to my horror he did a big runny mucousy poo when we were almost at the school! Luckily he did it on soft ground and I was able to scoop the soil underneath out and therefore lift the whole thing. He still is not coughing, although my eldest child told me yesterday that he had an episode of choking in the garden on Sunday evening (she didn't mention that at the time of course!).

He is eating and drinking with his usual enthusiasm, but is maybe a tiny bit clingier than normal? He's my wee shadow anyway so it's hard to tell.

I have decided to err on the side of caution and keep him in for a few days, and have informed my nearest neighbour (whose dog sticks its head through our fence sometimes) what is happening.

Aaaand he's coughing Poor wee guy. He's just had some honey and is currently in the bathroom with my eldest as she's in the shower.

apparently - benyln(Spelling?) children's cough mixture also helps with the coughing and can give relief.

Fleur had apple flavoured benalyn when she had kennel cough years ago, it seemed to work well and she loved it. The only trouble was, being rather intelligent, she connected the nice tasting stuff with the cough and for ages kept going to the cupboard where it was kept and giving a little cough!

Yes he's got the blackcurrant flavour toddler cough mix which seemed to work very well last night and we all got some rest. He seems to have overcome the worst of it already actually, only having the odd cough and not retching anymore.