Just as well I broke my ankle as now I am off I can look after Chepi!! She has been fine but started eating great swathes of grass today, was sick, Vet said keep an eye on her, I did and noticed she was swallowing a lot. The vet thinks she was eating grass to try and relieve her sore throat, poor thing. Chepi has been vaccinated but the vet said that it mutates all the time and the vaccination doesn't mean your dog is protected against the various strains. Any advice from anyone? She is on antibiotics.
Oh no Jane......did I miss something? You broke your ankle? I hope you are ok Our kennel cough wasn't a problem but quite mild - did mean Lilly coughed up mucous "gagging style" with the odd vomit. I think you can give Benylin but I'm not a cough bottle fan for humans and didn't need to explore this as hers was so mild (just inconvenient as we were on holiday) Get well soon BOTH of you!
If she is really bad and coughing loads, then a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as Metacam reduces all the irritation and discomfort around the throat and helps a lot. Far better effect than Benylin for sure! Hope your ankle heals quickly too.
Thanks very much. I wonder if Tesco does Metacam? I am a regular user of home delivery since I can't drive!
Lochan got pneumonia when she got kennel cough. Metacam reduced the cough/vomit cycle from around 20 per hour to about 5. Given that all drugs can have side effects I'd only go for it if she is really bad.
Crikey! Poor Lochan. The vet thinks Chepi will get worse before she gets better, so we'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for your help.
Sorry to hear about your woes Jane. I remember seeing you asking about running a few weeks ago. Hope you are both better soon. Tina
Oh Jane,bad news,remember me ripping the ligaments on my ankle last year?you have my sympathies and it's a right nuisance.sorry about Chepi too.The vet said something similar to me around booster time,the vaccination won't stop them getting it but it does reduce the severity of the symptoms.both of you feel better soon and it's great to see you on the Forum x
I don't want to speak too soon but she hasn't coughed since about 1 am. Last night her cough sounded like the gurgle you make when your straw gets to the bottom of a milkshake. Must be the antibiotic. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR KIND WORDS - I KNEW WHERE TO COME IN A CRISIS!
Pleased to hear that the antibiotics seem to be working for Chepi and that she's not coughing so much. It's a pity broken ankles aren't resolved quite as easily. Hope you are both much better soon.
Sorry to hear about BOTH of you! When Snowie had kennel cough, we called our bedroom The Vomitorium because every time he coughed he also vomited -- the coughing was so violent he had no choice poor thing. It is amazing that today the carpet looks clean, took a LOT of that special anti-stain spray and elbow grease. (Don't know why we didn't put down towels in our bedroom!!) Our vet put Snowie on an antibiotic even though the kennel cough is a virus. She said that it helped make recovery faster. He took about two days to stop coughing violently (ie we could take The Vomitorium sign off our bedroom door!) and then about a week or two to fully recover. The most difficult part was steering clear of doggy places to ensure he didn't infect any other dogs, and he being such a social boy it was very difficult for him! He had this kennel cough two years ago. It was on top of so many things, he must've been poorly at the time. He'd had a kennel cough vaccine a year before, stipulated by the doggy daycare centre. But I won't vaccinate against it again because of what I've read, that there are so many strains, and he is particularly allergic so I don't want to add more into his already over-sensitive immune system. Two years on he's not had it again thankfully.
When our oldest lab ( she is no longer with us) had Kennel cough, we gave her Bricanyl tablets and coughing syrup. No antibiotics! She was also coughing a lot and had to vomit while coughing. I must say it did help tremendously! Annemarie
I am guessing the bricanyl tablets were on prescription. It is like giving ventolin which is used for asthma. Glad Chepi is on the mend Jane!
Oh poor Chepi! One thing that I can definitely recommend for cough is runny honey. When Pongo had kennel cough, we dipped a dessert spoon in honey, then let most of it run back off... so that it was just nicely coated in the stuff. Then Pongo was allowed to lick it off the spoon....very slowly, just a little lick at a time.... and it really really helped sooth his throat. We gave him this twice or three times a day. And, of course, he thought he was in heaven. And it's a good, nutritious, anti-bacterial remedy too! Big tummy rubs to Chepi and licks from Pongo
Lovely idea about the honey. I shall remember this if (hopefully never!) Snowie gets kennel cough again.
