Coughing dog - do we really need to see the vet?

easy

My 18 month old cocker-chihuahua cross has a cough. He's generally a strong little soul, and currently hasn't lost his appetite, nor his enthusiasm for EVERYTHING !! Not being sick (coughing up some water now & then, nothing more)

Reading around, I see he has the classic symptoms of Kennel cough. It's supposed to be included in his vaccinations, but just like the annual flu virus, it's not always 100%

So I'm thinking we don't really need to trouble the vet - in the same way as with an otherwise healthy human with Flu it's a virus that can't really be treated, and as it's so contagious they don't really want us around the surgery to pass it on to older or frailer dogs.

Obviously, if Blaze shows signs of being actually pooly (lethargic/off his food type things or coughing up anything else) I'll get him to the vet then.

I'm more worried about my middle aged king charles spaniel getting it, she has a damaged trachea, so it could be more problematic for her. No way to isolate them tho'.

marmitepotato

Why don't you give them a ring instead? You can discuss the dog with the cough and what to do about the older dog without the cough.

nickcc

Kennel cough treatment is administered through the nose and does not, as far as any of our dogs have been concerned, come with the annual booster.

minimad1970

My dog had Kennel cough despite being vaccinated, there's different strains of it apparently. You can give your dog Benylin, that's what our vet told us. I hope he's better soon.

meritaten

he may be coughing from a number of causes and you really need to take him to the vet now.
to delay could be very costly in the long run and be a very big mistake.

krlyr

I believe if dogs are put on antibiotics, it's to prevent secondary infections taking over whilst the virus is active in the body. A young, healthy dog should be OK but something like pneumonia can be much more serious than the kennel cough itself, especially with your slightly older dog.
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/kennel-cough-in-dogs

I can't give medical advice but for my own dogs I would probably go on a wait-and-see basis, reassessing each day on the level of symptoms. However, one thing I would rule out is lungworm - it can have very similar symptoms but be a lot more serious, even fatal. I know with my two that it's not as issue, as they are treated with Advocate regularly as a preventative (we're in an area lungworm has been an issue, with lots of slugs and snails around, and dogs stupid/food-y enough to eat them!), but could well be worth a vet trip for some treatment just incase. You can test for lungworm with a lung wash but the diagnosis isn't instant, so often vets prefer just to treat for it (two doses of Advocate, a month apart, or a 7-10 day course of Panacur at half the worming dose) to be on the safe side.

joansgirl

I agree with Meritaten, take him to the vet. It could be something like Lungworm which will need treatment. And even if it's not, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Hope he's better soon.

nickcc

joansgirl wrote: »

I agree with Meritaten, take him to the vet. It could be something like Lungworm which will need treatment. And even if it's not, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Hope he's better soon.

Lungworm is treated with the annual booster Kennel cough is not. Dogs can catch kennel cough off other infected dogs even if your dog has never been in kennels, walking your dog is the easiest way for your dog to get kennel cough from other infected dogs. As suggested you should seek medical advice from your Vets.

niandsa

I would definitely get the vet to check him out. It could be he has something stuck in his throat which needs removing. We are currently in treatment with our 16 month old dog. She has an abscess in her neck and further investigation has shown that there is a foreign body lodged there which has come through the back of the throat and worked it's way to under her jaw.

She is going to need specialist treatment at the vet hospital, including an MRI and it is going to cost our insurance company thousands. She did not have a cough but I will certainly be more vigilant with her in the future. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Iain_L

nickcc wrote: »

Lungworm is treated with the annual booster Kennel cough is not. Dogs can catch kennel cough off other infected dogs even if your dog has never been in kennels, walking your dog is the easiest way for your dog to get kennel cough from other infected dogs. As suggested you should seek medical advice from your Vets.

As far as I'm aware there is no annual booster that covers Lungworm. It is covered by something like Advocate.

Personally I'd be taking your Cocker-Chihuahua cross to the vets because you don't know what is causing the cough and also because of the concerns you have about your more vulnerable King Charles spaniel.

Iain

easy

Hmm thanks all. Blaze is much better this morning, hardly coughed at all -except after his usual `3 laps of the house gallop` which involves tearing thru the house at very high speed (including up & down stairs) 3 times, and always leaves him panting a bit.