dogdayz Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Okay we have an 11 year old staffy. Around 10 weeks ago now she started coughing, vet said kennel cough. She has been having benadryl and antibiotics. She is getting no better or worse. I always understood that kennel cough even untreated only takes 3 weeks to clear up. It helps her stop coughing if you rub her throat, which i had always understood initiates coughing in kennel cough. She is overweight, but vet says heart/lungs are very good. Admittedly she has not been vaccinated for the last 3 years, but was yearly prior. The only dog she has been within 500m of is her housemate who has not shown any signs of coughing. Is it really possible for KC to last this long without getting better/worse. I would go to another vet but feel as she hasnt been vaccinated they will all just go with the easy diagnosis of KC. Any thoughts what else this could be. Dogdayz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 seems a longish recovery time, with no change..have you considered a second opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scales of Justice Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 What you describe sounds "sus" to me. She may have a bacterial problem which has arisen from the initial kennel cough in which case she should be on antibiotics. If you have already done this - get a second opinion from another vet it may not be kennel cough at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 1, 2004 Author Share Posted December 1, 2004 Second opinion was sought - but they also said Kennel Cough. Have completed another course of antibiotics, more benadryl, and still no improvement. This is now getting 3-4 months without improvement or change, other than for the last week or so she is not appearing to move too well ion her back legs, dont think its a hip problem, more it seems to be with one knee, perhaps a result of her cruciate operations some years back. Before i go to yet another vet, are their any alternative suggestions i can go armed with, rather than again being told its KC just because she is not vaccinated. None of our other dogs have shown any sign of the same symptoms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Further invetigation would be warranted if you wanted to determine a cause. If there has been no change in the characteristics of the cough for a number of months now, I would be looking for something else. Losing some weight will help generally at this point. I would suggest that you ask whichever vet you see if they feel xrays would be appropriate. Sometimes there can be something going on that you just can't hear - absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence. Two of the things that I would consider would be the possibility of a foreign body (such as grass seeds or something) in the respiratory tract, an inflammatory process that hasn't responded to antibiotics or, given that she is "senior" it's not possible to rule out neoplasia. That's not meant to be a scary list of possibilities, but given her history I would find it hard to just pin it on kennel cough without doing something else. There's more diagnostic tests to determine things, but I think radiographs might be a good place to start, but you would have to talk to your vet about whether they ar appropriate for your dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elise Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Did the vet look at her throat by any chance? I had a dog a couple of years back and she had this "funny" cough and she was hungry but couldnt' eat, poor thing had tonsilitis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melree Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Have you contacted the vet to let them know that there has been no improvement? If they know there she is no better they should investigate further. If its the same knee that she had ACL surgery on, it is likely that she has arthriris. Mention this also, she can be made more comfortable. Good luck and let us know how you get on with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 2, 2004 Author Share Posted December 2, 2004 She certainly has no problems eating, and their is no sign of weightloss. I originally thought it was something in her throat as she had caught and eaten a couple of birds, but vet said nothing there, however he did not look to close, he reckoned he would be able to smell anything stuck in her throat - he was looking pretty scared though so i think that inhibits the examination a little. I have little confidence in the various local vets having gone through 6 months watching one of my dogs waste away in front of me. When i went much further afield we got instant diagnosis, treatment and within 3 weeks we have gained back 10kg. Unfortunately the staffy with the cough has no socialisation with other dogs and driving anywhere is a nightmare - i can envisage her going through the car window to get at any dogs. She also has to travel with her housemate pittyX who is also not social but when we tried to leave him at home he literally came thought the door before we pulled away, so he would have gone through a window if we left him. The vets are very wary with him in the surgery as he gets a bit hyped up and starts squealing when he senses people are scared of him, not that they need be because he is the biggest sook in history if you pet him. Would feathers in her airway show up on a radiograph? We are concerned about sedating her because of her age and weight, though her heart is apparently good for a staffy her age. My other thought is that maybe she has a lump pressing on her windpipe or something. She has a lot of lumps that you can see - the vets have always said they are benign and dont bother treating them if they dont bother her, but i just wonder what might be inside. Dogdayz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 It could be anything. The first thing that popped into my mind was laryngeal paralysis. How does your dog's bark sound? Does it gag a little after its meals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 2, 2004 Author Share Posted December 2, 2004 Lablover, She does gag though not always after eating. The cough itself never sounded harsh enough for kennel cough - those Ive heard before always sounded louder and deeper than you think possible for the size of dog. She will have one or two big coughs followed by a series of softer coughs, more like a previous dog of mine that had heart failure and would cough from the fluid in her lungs, but as i say this staffy checks out very good on heart and lungs. Ill make a note of your suggestion, perhaps if i push some ideas the vet may look a little more closely, afraid her vaccination satus may Kc all too easy. Dogdayz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I'd find a vet that will take the time to listen to all your concerns.... Feathers wont show up on radiographs, but areas of inflammation or other changes in the structure of the lung tissue will. It would also let the vet evaluate the appearance of the heart if you were concerned about that. Another option (instead of, or in conjunction with radiographs) would be an upper airway exam, which is done under very light anaesthesia - to investigate the larynx and pharynx and the proximal part of the oesophagus in some cases. Age is defiantely a consideration for anaesthesia but it doesn't need to discount the possibility of anaesthesia completely. Ideally, the vet should take the time to formulate a plan for anaesthesia that takes into account all the possible complicating factors like age, obesity, prior history etc. A lot of vets can be resistant to change and will only have one "plan" that they use for everything - and when they have a bad experience, they just don't anaesthetise other cases that are like it. Is going to a university vet clinic or specialist centre an option for you? On the one hand long work up can become expensive, but on the other hand they will take you seriously and do a thorough investigation and will save you getting "repeat first consultations" with other vets. Otherwise, choose a vet you get along well with and ask them what they are willing to do to find out what the problem is. Feel free to PM me if you'd like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 13, 2004 Author Share Posted December 13, 2004 The cough has not improved. The limp however became much worse this weekend, she is not putting any weight on it. Sunday she saw the vet and was put on anti-inflammatories in the hope if it were a soft tissue injury she would improve by this morning. unfortunately this did not happen and she is now at the vet for a full examination under sedation and x-rays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 13, 2004 Author Share Posted December 13, 2004 (edited) Lucy crossed the bridge late this morning. Her knee had shattered as a result of bone cancer. I only knew her the last two years but she personified the true staffy nature. All her life she was ever present at my partners side. He is devestated by this loss. RIP Lucy Dogdayz Edited December 13, 2004 by dogdayz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akitaowner Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Sorry to hear of ur loss....RIP Lucy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tianakaesha Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Oh, I am sorry to hear this. Was the cough related to the bone cancer too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 13, 2004 Author Share Posted December 13, 2004 Thanks Guys. Tiana, i believe secondaries in the lungs are common with bonecancers, so i suspect this is what it was. No further investigation will be made. She is being brought home to be buried. Dogdayz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acacia Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 so sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jintanut Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 ;) as I followed this thread this was the LAST thing i was expecting. RIP Lucy. im sooooooo sorry for your loss. I am a staffy lover too. I thought she was going to be fine... the heart tests ok and all... im sorry dogdayz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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