cold? kennel cough? something else?

• cold? kennel cough? something else? jaye Posted : 4/8/2006 10:59:50 AM emma has been sneezing since the day before i brought her home.  lots of dogs in the shelter had colds.  last night i could tell her nose was congested and she was having to breathe through her mouth.  im taking her to the vet soon but in the mean time i was just wondering if theres anything i can do to make her more comfy?  is this likely just a cold that she will get over on her own?  thanks.  oh, and is kennel cough just a name for doggy cold? LIKE 15 REPLIES 815 VIEWS LAST POST JAYE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• cyclefiend2000 Posted : 4/8/2006 11:15:46 AM i got this off a site called vetinfo.com..... "Kennel cough is most commonly associated with a bacterial infection caused by the organism Bordetella bronchiseptica. While it is hard to be certain in veterinary medicine when discussing statistics, it is estimated that 80 to 90% of the cases of kennel cough are due to this organism. The other 10 to 20% of cases are caused by a variety of other infectious agents, most of them viral. Kennel cough has been associated with parainfluenza virus, adenovirus and canine distemper virus as well as the Bordetella bacteria. The incubation period from the time a dog is exposed until clinical signs appear varies depending on which infectious agent is the cause. In general it appears to be about 3 to 5 days with Bordetella. The infection tends to be mild except for a very harsh cough that often prompts owners to think that their dog "has something caught in his throat". In some dogs it can lead to pneumonia or more serious signs. Cough suppressants can be used to control the cough and antibiotics may be necessary for stubborn infections or to try to stop the spread of the bacteria in multiple dog households. It is probably a good idea to vaccinate dogs who will be exposed to large numbers of other dogs, such as at shows, obedience classes or the classic cause -- when left in kennels. The intranasal vaccine is pretty fast acting, providing some protection in as little as 5 days. The injectable version of the vaccine may provide longer immunity, though. Some vets use both to get maximum protection. We don't use either one routinely but give the intranasal vaccine to our patients who will be exposed to groups of dogs." our puppy had a sneeze for a while when we brought him home as well. our vet didnt seem too concerned about the sneeze though and it went away after a few days. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• jaye Posted : 4/8/2006 11:42:03 AM i forgot to mention, when she sneezes, snot flies out and gets stuff  (including us and our clothes) wet, its gross! heh.   the first night we had her, she was sleeping, she woke up and it seemed like she was choking or something, it sounded like she tried to clear her throat or something.  twice and then she seemed ok.  was that a cough?   would that mean its kennel cough?  or would she be coughing a lot more?   thanks. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• cyclefiend2000 Posted : 4/8/2006 12:23:47 PM neither of our dogs has ever had kennel cough, so i couldnt tell you about how often she would be coughing if she has it. i think they cough quite a bit with kennel cough. are you going to the vet on monday? if it was really worrying me i would find an emergency or weekend vet just for my piece of mind. we took amelia to the emergency vet once when we were concerned about her, it probably would have been fine to wait until monday, but we felt better and so did she. [] 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• jaye Posted : 4/8/2006 1:05:52 PM at this point im not really all that concerned because it seems to me like its just a cold.  i just wanted to make sure im not underreacting. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• agilebcs Posted : 4/8/2006 2:01:29 PM When you take her to the vet make sure that they know that she potentially has kennel cough.  They won't want you to be waiting with her in the waiting area and will probably have you keep her in the car until a room is open so you can take her right in.      0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• nigguysmom Posted : 4/9/2006 5:48:26 PM Sounds to me like kennel cough, if you could get her in quicker, I would try.  She isn't going to die from it immediately, but for her comfort and your peace of mind, I would call and let them know that you think it's going on and see if they can get you in faster.  I know that my vet always had a few appointments kept secretly open for emergencies or cases like that. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• cakana Posted : 4/9/2006 6:04:39 PM My lab had it when she brought it home from the shelter.  Most noticeable when she first woke up or stood up and then she would cough and sometimes cough up some sputum.  The vet put her on antibiotics, but honestly, if I had it to do over again, I'd try to get by without them (if the vet agreed).  I think that sometimes we are too eager to use some medication rather than let things run the course.  If my vet thought it best, of course I'd go with their recommendation though. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• spiritdogs Posted : 4/9/2006 7:22:23 PM jaye, I would take her to the vet.  Kennel cough is usually not severe, but can, in some cases, lead to pneumonia, so better safe than sorry.  0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• jaye Posted : 4/11/2006 6:51:42 PM just to let you all know, the vet says its just a cold but she did prescribe antibiotics.  she said if it was kennel cough she wouldnt have needed to treat it at all. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• glenmar Posted : 4/12/2006 5:23:03 AM Colds are caused by a virus.  Antibiotics attack bacterial infections.  In that colds are NOT helped by antibiotics, what is the purpose of using them?  Does anyone follow my logic? 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• cyclefiend2000 Posted : 4/12/2006 8:47:47 AM i follow what you are saying. my dr. and my vet will both prescribe antibiotics when i or my pet has a virus and i think the theory is that it will boost the immune system so that you can fight off the virus easier and to help prevent getting a bacterial illness. not sure if this is a sound theory though. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• glenmar Posted : 4/12/2006 9:48:45 AM In my personal opinion, the over use and improper use of antibiotics are why we keep getting antibiotic resistent germs...... 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• cyclefiend2000 Posted : 4/12/2006 10:13:17 AM ORIGINAL: glenmar In my personal opinion, the over use and improper use of antibiotics are why we keep getting antibiotic resistent germs...... i agree with you and have quit taking antibiotics just because of that. i cant even remeber the last time i had a sickness due to a bacterial infection. i mostly will just get a cold or something like that. oj and rest do as well or better than anything else i have tried for that. not sure the dogs would drink oj though [] 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login
• jaye Posted : 4/12/2006 10:26:49 AM yes but the vet said that bacteria usually find their way in right behind a virus so that is why she prescribed the antibiotic.  i dont know if shes right or not but that was her reasoning. 0 LIKE Like Share You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available. Hey, it's way more fun when you sign up or log in Connect With Connect With Sign Up Login