Kennel Cough

[Owned by Shelties]

Hi,

I think my dogs may have Kennel Cough??? I have Never had this before and think she may have picked it up from a dog show at the KCC Park 2 wks ago as we haven't had a show since then.

Can somebody please advise on how I deal with this, I am of to the vet first thing tomorrow morning with her and I am affraid that if she has got it then my other dogs will also come down with it, plus I have been at my parents place so does this mean mum's dogs will also come down with it???

Thanx in advance for any info... I am about to google kennel cough...

[morgan]

KC is a virus, so there is no point going to the vet unless the dog is off it's food, lethargic, high temperature etc, which means it needs antibiotics. If it is just coughing you have to let the disease run it's course and just try to soothe the coughing with manuka honey.

Colloidal silver can help shorten the course, as can a few homeopathic remedies. Get some grapefruit seed extract and put it in the drinking water for all the dogs and maybe boost everyone with some vitamin c to try to limit it a bit. The other dogs were all exposed to it before the first one even started coughing, so just try to boost their health and wait for the coughing to start. You will probably find that not all the dogs will get it.

It is incredibly contagious and can be passed on before, during and after the coughing phase. Keep the dogs away from others for 2 weeks after the coughing stops to be on the safe side.

[Owned by Shelties]

Thank you, They are all still eating well and only 1 has started coughing tonight. What about little puppies I have got 1 who is 3 months and 1 nearly 5 months.

[Guest Tess32]

AFAIK, it's contagious before symptoms occur so all the dogs she's seen in the last few days will have been exposed and MAY get it.

[Owned by Shelties]

Well she has got KC and ALL my dogs are being treated... I have been told to keep away from shows until the 20th Sept.....

So down the drain goes $200.00 in entries but my dogs health is far more important.. It's a horrible thing to listen to, I have never had KC and I hope after this my dogs never get it again.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

OBS so sorry to hear your news. Skye had it as a youngster, as did my old boy, they picked it up from another dog at a park in NZ.

[nedsur]

Hope everyone is feeling well again soon OBS. Poor babies.

[Owned by Shelties]

Thank you everyone... I just wish you could name the people publicly so every body knows to stay away.. I guess you can't even report them to somebody can you??

[Vickie]

Sorry to hear this...

I have had a few emails from friends letting me know that a number of dogs have come down with it from KCC park after the Agility Nationals. They have advised that if I see any signs that I get my older 2 on antibiotics as it is a strain that can be bad for older dogs.

So far no signs...fingers crossed.

I hope yours recover quickly.

[Alison]

Well she has got KC and ALL my dogs are being treated... I have been told to keep away from shows until the 20th Sept.....

You will probably have to keep them away for longer than that, it's 2 weeks AFTER they STOP coughing, and they can cough for around 10 days.

It's a pain, i know, my two had it recently and we missed shows, but the worst of it was that I had to stop treating one of my dogs for a skin problem until the kennel cough was gone, which was a delay he just didn't need! Not to mention I lost a days wage having to take the day off because i was kept awake all night by coughing.

It's so frustrating when people knowingly take their dogs to shows and spread it around.

Edited because it didn't make sense

Edited September 4, 2008 by Alison

[so over it]

i got told off a friend to keep them warmer and shake the caugh a bit quicker to put a coat on them and get hot water bottles (under a blanket or some were they cant chew on it) were they sleep. this helped mine come along quicker.they got it from the pound with the last lot of pups im fosterring now.

edited to add; and obviously along with the anti-biotics and alot of waht every body else is advising

Edited September 4, 2008 by jess_sutter

[morgan]

Thank you, They are all still eating well and only 1 has started coughing tonight. What about little puppies I have got 1 who is 3 months and 1 nearly 5 months.

We have had one week old pups with it, and they had colloidal silver administered with an eye dropper every 2 hours around the clock for a couple of days. The mother had colloidal silver instead of drinking water for a week - not all of the pups were coughing and they mostly recovered very quickly. One pup was left with a slightly rattly chest for a little while and was treated for pneumonia to be on the safe side, she lost a fair bit of condition initially, but was pronounced perfectly healthy by her 8 week checkup and vacc.

It was picked up at a dog show before the pups were born unfortunately, and there were no coughing dogs anywhere near us - but of course it is contagious before the cough starts. I do get fed up with everyone accusing people of taking coughing dogs to shows, some might, but often it is transmitted by dogs that appear perfectly healthy and the owners simply don't have a crystal ball to know that they are incubating it.

If you can't get colloidal silver get the grapefruit seed extract and give that in their drinking water - it can be bought from most health food stores, often called "Traveller's Friend" or something similar, as it is also used for purifying water when camping or travelling. Don't get grape seed extract, this is quite different.

[Vickie]

It's not always knowingly being spread.

Most people who were at KCC last weekend from NSW & ACT, will be at the NSW Festival of Agility this coming weekend. Since I think it can take 10 days to show symptoms, it is a possibilty that some of the dogs will be affected & contagious without showing any signs yet.

Edited September 4, 2008 by Vickie

[Teebs]

KC is everywhere at the moment, i have talked to 4 different vets in this area and they have said it is all over the place and nothing you can do

From what i have read (not sure if it is true?) it can travel up to 1km in the wind. Dogs can be contagious and yet not show any signs of being sick,

Therefor:

Thank you everyone... I just wish you could name the people publicly so every body knows to stay away.. I guess you can't even report them to somebody can you??

there is no point reporting anyone, because god only knows how many dogs had it, or if it even came from the show.

Why are ALL your dogs being treated for it? I am guessing you mean on Anti bois? Vet may be making a fortune out of you for nothing.

One of my dogs have had it, the other didnt get it, next time round, it was the other way - last time they both got it. I know of kennels who get it - some dogs cough, some dogs are fine, just because they are exposed to it, does not mean they will get it, so treating them for something they dont have, and may not have is not something i would do. My friend had one VERY VERY sick dog from it, she is a highly stressed dog and it hit her bad, the other 3 dogs she lives with were all fine.

I let it run its course, the only time i have had a dog on ABs for it was last time kaos got it and she lost a heap of weight.

[Alison]

Like TB has said, antibiotics are only useful if it becomes a bacterial infection. When my dogs had it I didn't treat them with antibiotics, i gave them Bryonia for the cough and treated them with Robert McDowell's KC Mixture & Vit C which helped build up their immune systems to allow their bodies to fight it off naturally. Antibiotics actually lower the immune system, so if you give them to your dog when they don't have an infection, you are making it worse for them and actually slowing down the healing process.

[Charles Kuntz]

Kennel cough is typically caused by a BACTERIA- bordatella bronchiseptica. It can occasionally be caused by canine adenovirus 2 (CAV2) or parainfluenza virus. Regardless of the cause most dogs do not require antibiotic therapy and will spontaneously resolve after several days. In severe cases, supportive therapy may be required. Treatment is directed at rest and avoidance of exercise and excitement which may cause irritation of airways. Cough suppressants may be used if cough is severe.

Some specialists believe that antibiotics are CONTRAINDICATED because the disease is self-limiting and antibiotics do not effectively clear the bacterial infection anyway. Steroids should not be used.

Vaccines may be effective for reducing the severity of the disease in at-risk animals. Prophylactic antibiotics in unaffected animals would not be something that I would feel would be effective or indicated.

Charles