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Kennel Cough


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I've got 5 whippets and 3 have shown symptoms of kennel cough. The first one to get it hasn't coughed at all today. One is still coughing a bit, one never coughed much with it and I haven't heard him do it at all today and my 2 oldest girls never showed symptoms at all. I dont know if that means they just haven't got it yet, or wont get it at all. I dont know if two of the ones who had it but haven't coughed today are over it. I dont want to take them out and infect the whole neighbourhood. Is there a certain time from hearing the last cough that means it's safe to take them out?

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When our pup got kennel cough he advised 14 days away from other dogs. Her cough started as frequent hacking but with 24 hours was down to an occasion huf. I found it was more apprent when she ran around or if you put pressure on the chest.

Our vet told us that generally if a dog is vaccinated against KC they experience a much milder case.

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I always thought it was 14 days after the last cough was heard.

aah OK, I'd better make sure I write it down. Feather is still huffing occasionally, I think the other 2 might be over it but I will bundle them all together, no one goes out while anyone is still coughing.

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I was given vastly different information. My vet said 48 hours after the last cough she could socialise. My dog day care centre were happy to accept her back after that too, as was another day care centre where we do some formal training classes.

Just so you know there was a study done in the States that suggested SOME dogs still shed the bug up to three months after symptoms cease. I read this on DOL and panicked. But when I raised it with my vet, he said it was a very restricted study, only a very small percentage of the dogs demonstrated this and the likelihood that a dog that is not coughing will pass it on is miniscule. So don't fret like I did.

I'm lucky in that the vets at my clinic get very excited about keeping up with veterinary advancements, I've noticed a few times now.

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Kirislin, I hope your doggies are feeling better soon. a while back, 2 of mine got it, all 4 of them were around a dog that had it. The owner was elderly and when I asked him had the dog been coughing long, he said oh a couple of days, he didn't realize it was KC. ;) I quickly bundled mine off away from the dog with the cough, much to thier disgust as it is one of their doggy buddys. I was hoping that they wouldn't get it but sure enough the next day 2 of them were coughing, not badly but intermittently and it was worse if they ran around. So I rang the vet he said no need to bring them in unless they get worse as they have been vaccinated, apparently if it gets worse and left untreated can turn into a secondary infection. Anyhow after about 3 days there was no more coughing and I let them rest another couple of days before I took them anywhere. The other two never got it at all and I still took them out in the meantime.

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Incubation for my girl was about six days, she picked it up at dog club on a Sat (another club dog came down with it too, so was able to pinpoint it) and she started coughing on the following Thurs night. Typically of Bronte, she also came down with mild pnuemonia, so we ended up in emergency that night. She is the kid in class that gets every sniffle going round and trips over every pebble on the path - so unlucky health wise.

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Kennel cough is like flu. Lots of strains. Some of them awful. Some just a little uncomfortable and annoying. If the strain is mild, I recon it's like a free vaccination . . . something to train the immune system . . . and I make no attempt to isolate my own dogs. If it's a deep really sick sort of sick cough, I'd ask the vets advice. If it's going around the vet may have direct information about how long it will last, and how long it takes to show up.

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Kennel cough is like flu. Lots of strains. Some of them awful. Some just a little uncomfortable and annoying. If the strain is mild, I recon it's like a free vaccination . . . something to train the immune system . . . and I make no attempt to isolate my own dogs. If it's a deep really sick sort of sick cough, I'd ask the vets advice. If it's going around the vet may have direct information about how long it will last, and how long it takes to show up.

I work in a boarding kennel and we get KC every christmas just like all the others!! we only get it VERY mildly - lucky us :whiteflag:

If there is one dog with it and everyone is ok we isolate to prevent a spread but if 5 come in on the same day there is no hope so we mix them with the other dogs still and i fond all the regulars are fine and NEVER get it bu the new comers are the unlucky ones! i might point out as well that we socialise the dogs in small groups so spread is practically unavaoidable, but as sandgrubber said have a KC party i find that the ones that are exposed to it build up immunity - hence why the 2 older whippys didnt suffer symptoms most likely!!

And just like the flu best treatment is bed rest and a childs dose of bendryl works wonders on most dogs :confused:

I wouldnt worry about isolating them come summer its EVERYWHERE - summer seems to be the time of yr for it.. opposite to the flu funnily enough :S

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I always thought it was 14 days after the last cough was heard.

aah OK, I'd better make sure I write it down. Feather is still huffing occasionally, I think the other 2 might be over it but I will bundle them all together, no one goes out while anyone is still coughing.

Yep I've been told this too. I always isolate all the dogs from the public until that 2 week period is up, regardless of whether an individual dog has it or not. They are most contagious just before the become symptomatic and it's impossible to tell if they are about to come down with it.

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My foster pup came down with a really bad dose which hit her so hard she ended up with a secondary infection. 2 courses of antibiotics and another bout of fresh kennel cough in between courses

Vet said to keep her quarantined for at least 3 weeks after the last cough is heard. She intermittantly coughed for a couple of weeks after that so all up I think it was about 9 weeks of lock down.

My guys are vaccinated and never caught it but they had to be in lock down also. Vet said similar for them, 2 weeks after the pups last cough.

We are only just starting to take her out of the yard now.

Her vet also said that some can shed up to 3 months after.

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