Kennel Cough

Hi

An update on above as you know Poppy and Daisy have K C ,Pops has been infected for about a week and Daisy for around 10 days ,poor Pops still has an occasional quite severe wracking cough and Daisy just the odd bout ,both have been seen by my vets and both have had injections and are on a 7 day course of Trimacare 80 tablets and 2 5 ml spoons of Benylin ,so apart from the cough they are not really physically ill .
But this morning poor Rosie had a bout of coughing so it looks as though she now caught it ,so its off to the vets again tonight with Rosie and I am taking Lily as well .So a couple of questions pls ,so far Lily has shown no symptoms so do I presume she is going to get it and start her on a course tablets and an injection or wait and see what happens and do I cancel her spaying operation which was for this Friday ,comments pls

I would take Rosie to the vets today and discuss deferring the spay op for Lily until the cough has passed through.I think it's enough to manage three sick dogs without having to mind a post op dog too.
Giving a general anaesthetic on an active respiratory infection is risky and can create a very major problem so if Lily were to come down with kennel cough just before the op you might be courting trouble.Also if she gets it after the op it would be unpleasant for her coughing with stitches and she might re open the sutures.
Get the kennel cough over and out of the way.Assume that Lily will get it.
Call her breeder and ask if she's been vaccinated recently but maybe have a stock of antibiotics from your vet to give her when and if it starts.
Don't worry about the spay, you mentioned she'd just finished her season when you bought her? So you should be fine to put it off for two/three weeks.I hope all this passes through soon.It can't be easy.
Sins

Agree with above but talk to your vet. The cough can linger long after the actual infection is long gone so the cough may really not be much of a concern or a sign of any problem at all (it probably isn't). It sounds worse than it actually is 99% of the time.

KC - and taking your dog to the Vets.

Personally I would try NOT to visit the Vets ! You might end up passing it on and if someone was taking young puppies in for example, it could be dreadful for them.

If the Vet is already aware of the issues, they ought to give medication based on your scenario.

If a particular dog is not showing any signs - leave it alone as some get KC and others dont.

A friend of mine had 22 dogs and approx half went down with it and the others were fine.

Do you happen to know which type of KC yours have ?

Regards Mark.

Hi

Just to complicate matters a bit more Rosie who coughed early this morning ,around 6.00 AM ,has not coughed since while I am at work so do I take her or cancel and just wait and see a bit longer ,I understand what Mark is saying and of course I dont want to treat an infection that is not there and possibly then have the girls may build up a resistance to any drugs that may have to be given again at a later date .So what shall I do my appointment is at 5.30 cancel and wait and see or go and start treatment for a problem that may not occur.

Thought this chart was informative:
Tried to bring it over but it reassembled itself . If the contagion days are accurate than you still have Pops very active for contagion and, to me, it looks as if you can declare a well zone in about 17 days (if no one else gets it).

http://www.kennelcoughtreatment.org/

Think not taking them to the Vets is right-contagious+immune systems are vulnerable. You should be able to communicate the problem without being on site.:xfngr:

Brian I think the best thing would be to call your vet and ask to speak to him for advice

I think Mark has made an excellent point. It might be best to just ring the vet and ask to be prescribed meds in case some unsuspecting dog is exposed to the virus or bacteria in the surgery.Kennel cough like all respiratory infections can be tough on puppies or older dogs...
and it'll be cheaper!
Sins

I agree with the above points for calling your vet for advice. When my daughter had chicken-pox, her doctor didn't even want her in the "sick" waiting room because it is so contagious. I called him when I got to his office and he came out and looked at her in the car. Oh for the days when doctors made house calls!! So, I'd see how your vet feels about having Rosie and Lily in the waiting room. Good luck. I hope Rosie's bout of coughing was because she maybe had something stuck in her throat that was irritating her and she was able to cough it up. My Riley once swallowed a cicada and she coughed for a few days becuase it was irritating. Of course I had her checked for Kennel Cough, but it was just that nasty and big cicada.

Hi
Just phoned the vets and cancelled the appointment ,after considering all points decided to sit, wait, listen and watch and after reading the excellent article after advice from frecklesmom will decide about Lilys spay later on in the week but am leaning towards postponing for a further 7 days due to the incubation period of K C .Thanks to all.

pippa said:

Brian I think the best thing would be to call your vet and ask to speak to him for advice

Click to expand...

I would agree.

Your vet may be willing to diagnose Rosie on your description of her symptoms & given that your other girls have it.

Ask him about Lily's spaying operation, he is the expert, although personally I would be a little bit concerned about going ahead, at the moment, if it was my dog.

Sorry, got interrupted when writing this, sent it off without checking, & have now realised Brian has already made his decision.

Brian; Hope that all the girls will be well soon and that Lily can have her operation.
Heather R