If your dog returns from a boarding facility and develops a dry cough, it's likely it has kennel cough. Though seldom serious, kennel cough usually persists for up to three weeks. The same infectious bacteria causing kennel cough also can produce more serious viruses.
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Bordatella Vaccine not Reliable
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Even though your dog likely received the bordatella vaccine before being boarded at the kennel as part of the facility's requirements, the vaccine does not protect against all strains of kennel cough, according to The American Animal Hospital Association; though vaccinating your dog typically shortens the duration and intensity of most episodes of kennel cough.
Know When to Head to the Vet
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Most cases of kennel cough clear up on their own in a healthy dog. However, in immune suppressed dogs, the bacteria can overwhelm the immune system, leading to pneumonia.
Puppies and elderly dogs should be examined by a veterinarian even when symptoms are mild. Healthy young dogs usually recover without treatment, unless other symptoms like vomiting, fever and eye discharge accompany the cough.
Err on the side of caution. Take your dog for a medical check-up to, at minimum, diagnose the illness.
Conventional Treatment for Kennel Cough
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Vets usually prescribe antibiotics. Antibiotics, while ineffective against virus, can prevent opportunistic bacteria from worsening your dog's condition, as its immune system is busy fighting the kennel cough virus.
Caring for Your Sick Dog at Home
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As your dog recovers, keep it warm and away from drafts. Cold air constricts bronchial tubes, making it more difficult to breathe. In colder weather, shorten walks. If your dog's appetite is suppressed, boil chicken and mix it with cooked rice to encourage eating.
Providing extra nutrition during recovery helps the body regain strength. K911.com recommends feeding one-half to one teaspoon of honey three to four times daily to soothe a dog's throat. Most dogs will lick it from a spoon.
Isolate your sick dog from other dogs in the house. Kennel cough spreads through airborne organisms and could infect other dogs.
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