Douglas has come down ( last night) with a hacking cough.Earlier in the day he had managed to pull some stuffing out of a cushion and I thought that some had got stuck in his throat.( there was a time delay of approx 3 hours) We have had a look down his throat to see if we could see anythng, but havent seen anything.I now think its more likely to be kennel cough.We cannot get to speak to a vet till monday unless its a real emergancy.I`m playing on the side of caution and am going to keep him in till I can get him checked over, as Ive heared that it is v contagious and deadly to some dogs.

He seems fine in himself,no temp or runny nose .Is it o.k to give him kiddies cough medicine?,do We need to watch out for anything that may lead us to seek the vet sooner than monday?.Am I best keeping him out the surgery ?help!

Hi DK, K/Cough is a virus & can`t be cured by anything, it has to run it`s cause & most dogs come thru it ok. Vets give a/biotics to combat any secondary infections that may occur. If it`s kc you will notice him cough just as he gets up or exerts himself or gets excited, so don`t exercise him. No don`t take him into ( or out anywhere) the clinic let the vet come out to you. Yes you can give him a human cough syrup but I can`t remember the one I gave to mine, at the mo, so maybe someone else will know. Crushed garlic is very good for chests & bronchial probs that you can put in his food & honey is very soothing for the throat. Just thought about the syrup, could it be pholcodeine?? Used to get it from the vet till I found it cheaper in the chemist,still not sure of the name tho. If any time you think his breathing is getting laboured over the w/end you must go the vet. This is if it is KC & not some stuffing from the cushion stuck anywhere.
Christine,Spain

Hi DK, My lot have Benelyn if they get KC. If you see any yellow discharge from his nose, get him to the vet a.s.a.p.

We use Benilyn for coughs, Kennel Cough (as said above) is a virus, and must just run its course, but you are quite right to keep him away from other dogs. Unfortunately if you have other dogs in the household, the norm is if one gets it they all will. I know Briedogs experience was awful, but in most instances, provided young pups are not involved, hey recover without any problem. Antibiotics are only effective if secondary infection develop, and usually (in my exprience) they dont.
Gwen

have a look under post by me briedog about k,c and what it done to my litter of 3week old flatcoats retriever

Hi Terri, no one ever tells you how vulnerable pups are do they? You can never imagine the suffering & pain that these viruses can cause to them & yourself, knowing that there is nothing you can do to cure them, till it happens to your pups. I know what your going thru & understand & can only say I truly hope the rest of your pups will pull through.

Kennel cough in the majority of dogs will cause an unpleasant cough without ant other problems,but like ALL viruses can cause secondary infections & can be a LOT more dangerous to pups/young/elderly/immune compromised or sick dogs.
Christine, Spain.

Hi everyone,
thanks for the advice.I do believe that Douglas has kc and will now most definatly keep him inside.Having read Terri`s sad and heart breakng story,i`m not going to take any chances.Weve been giving him Benyalin every 4 hours and keeping him in the house as much as possible(v worried about phnumonia as our daughter had it last year).I know he`s not well as he keeps weeing in the house, which is very un -Douglas,he`s eaten his food and drank loads so I think he should be o.k till monday (touch wood).
Thanks again everyone for the advice xxxx

i hope i didnot upset you with my post on kc,with my litter,but i got to get a cross the other dog owners what kennel cough can do,and for people that have dogs with it go to the vet straigth away,donot go to shows,dog training classes,or even walks at the time,but like all virus it before the dogs have the signs,is the worrying time.
SO DOG OWNERS BEWARE OF KENNEL COUGH,
at the moment it in different regions of the uk,a bit like flu in human,

terri

ps like most of us, me to,you think it not going to happen to you or your litter,but beware.it can happen at anytime and anywhere,

Well DK I can't offer any advise:( But you have my best wishes and luck to come through this okay;) Brie I hope things change for you soon too- for the better;)

Stacey x x x