Meet Grace! - sweet little Grace has passed

[molly muffin]

When Molly had kennel cough I thought I was going to lose her. Very scary. It was like not being able to breath and wheezy, labored breathing, and if she moved, she coughed. I think it would sound very similar though if there was tumors in the lung or other problems affecting heart/lungs.
I would definitely have her checked out before letting her mingle with the rest of the gang, just to be on the safe side. Nice that the rescue will cover the cost of that.

Regards,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[lulusmom]

Kennel cough and heart cough sound a lot alike and both can be triggered with excitement. A dog coughs and ends it with a gacking sound, like they are trying to bring something up. Not sure you would be able to tell the difference given that Grace is pretty senior and probably not very active but dogs with kennel cough remain very active, eat normally and are usually normal in every other way. It's usually a self limiting virus lasting a few weeks. Antibiotic precribed is Doxycycline but some vets don't always prescribe unless they suspect a bacterial drive upper respiratory infection. Other vets immediately prescribe Doxy if they suspect kennel cough. One shelter I pulled from would hand me the dog and then an envelope with a few weeks worth of Doxy. Incubation is anywhere from two days to two weeks.

[Budsters Mom]

All three of the neighbors dogs that share a fence with us had kennel cough. Buddy did not get it because he was a puppy and been immunized a few months earlier. All three of those dogs acted perfectly normal except for terrible honking coughs. They were given antibiotics and their coughs cleared within a few weeks. Xxxxxx

[Squirt's Mom]

Ok, that is as I feared - no real way to know if this is KC or tumors or heart or simple respiratory infection. I'll wait til Doc sees her again to let the gang meet her. Thanks!

[Budsters Mom]

If Grace has kennel cough. It is highly contagious! Yes, it is best to keep Grace quarantined until you know for sure, to protect your babies. Xxxx

[lulusmom]

All three of the neighbors dogs that share a fence with us had kennel cough. Buddy did not get it because he was a puppy and been immunized a few months earlier. All three of those dogs acted perfectly normal except for terrible honking coughs. They were given antibiotics and their coughs cleared within a few weeks. Xxxxxx

Chances are that Buddy wouldn't have gotten kennel cough from neighbor's dogs, even if he hadn't been immunized, and if those dogs were otherwise healthy, they probably would have recovered without antibiotics in a few weeks. This virus runs rampant in kennels without adequate ventilation, like shelters where they have rows and rows of multliple dogs in one kennel. I quit giving my dogs intranasal bordatella vaccines when I started following Dr. Schultz six or seven years ago. He believes "kennel cough is not a vaccine preventable disease because of the complex factors associated with the disease. Furthermore, this is often a mild to moderate self limiting disease." I have always been careful about bringing shelter dogs to my home and exposing my own immune challenged dogs, but they were exposed a few times when the rescue dropped off dogs while I was away and my husband didn't know any better. Though exposed, they never got the virus. My dogs are also routinely groomed in grooming shops every two to three weeks and have never gotten kennel cough. I do make sure the grooming shops are clean, well ventilated and don't overbook so as to keep dogs there for hours on end. While not really related to kennel cough exposure, grooming activities should be in plain view so customers can see how clean the shop is and how groomers interact with the animals. There are nasty groomers out there...and I'm not just talking about cleanliness. Physical abuse by groomers is common and they hide behind walls for a reason.

[Budsters Mom]

Thank for the information concerning kennel cough exposure Glynda. I do not give my dogs Bordetella immunizations anymore either. Buddy had his over over 10 years ago when I was not aware of the potential dangers of over vaccinating and unnecessary vaccinations. Buddy shared a fence with the dogs next-door and would often greet them at the fence. I was told by my vet, that he didn't get it because he was vaccinated. He doesn't know EVERYTHING.

[goldengirl88]

Leslie:
Imagine that Kathy wants to send Californians to Arkansas!!! Too Funny

[StarDeb55]

Leslie, I thought I'd chip in my 2 cents worth. Harley had a round of KC, even with the vaccine. The thing is I never, ever heard him do any coughing. He had KC after he had already been diagnosed with cushing's. All I can tell you is I got home from work, I noticed Harley was extremely quiet to the point of lethargy. He absolutely didn't want to even get off my bed. I called the vet immediately, & took him straight in. My GP who knew him almost as well as I did, could tell that something was badly wrong within a couple of minutes. Before we jumped in & started getting him ready for an ACTH, the vet did do a physical exam. The vet pressed on his larynx/trachea, & BAMM, the little guy starts hacking his head off, sounding like he was trying to cough up a lung. The vet looked at me & said he's got KC. We were sent home with the ABs for 2 weeks, as I'm sure the vet simply wanted to lower the risk of a bacterial infection. Harley was fine. It goes without saying that I kept him as isolated as I could from other dogs. Chewbacca had already been exposed, but didn't contract it. The little man didn't go out for walks or anything else.

I will say I was quite shocked when I heard KC because of the lack of a cough. The vet said it happens sometimes as each pup is different.

Debbie

[labblab]

Kennel cough has been really quirky in our house, too. All of my dogs have gotten it at one time or another, but the only time I could figure out the source was actually one time after Peg got an intranasal vaccination . We were going to board both girls and the kennel requires proof of vaccination. Luna's was still valid, but Peg was due for revaccination. She got the nasal spray, came down with kennel cough shortly thereafter, and also passed it on to Luna who was supposedly protected. So neither of the girls could be boarded since they were actively ill (thankfully my mom came and stayed with them).

With the other instances, I never could figure out a link because they hadn't been in to the vet or at the kennel. Our yard is surrounded by other dogs, though, and I do walk our pups in areas frequented by others. They've always recovered with no problems, thankfully, and without antibiotics. They have gotten a couple of doses of cough suppressant, though, to ease that awful "gacking" honk/retch (you nailed it with that description, Glynda). Cuz in our case, they've all definitely had "the honk."

So bottom line is, our dogs have gotten KC both when supposedly protected through vaccination and also at times when they've been unvaccinated. Given our experience, I would never choose to vaccinate, either, unless forced to do so due to the need to board them or have a pet-sitter in. Thankfully, in recent years since my mom moved near us, she has been delighted to come and stay with her granddaughters when we've been away.