looking for info Re an adult, male chihuahua with "kennel cough"........?

Question

have recently adopted a male, adult chihuahua from a local "no kill" shelter that came to me with the above. his condition was withheld from me & being ignorant about it, I am seeking info. Yes, I took him to the Vet.........costly. that's ok. but he doesn't seem to be responding to the Rx. It's been 5 days now. donna.

Answer 1

You should talk to the kennel you got it from and see if they know anything about the dogs background.

Then go to the vet and tell them that the meds arent working.

Answer 2

Kennel cough is very common and if treated properly, not a big deal. My dog has had it a few times when I've been forced to board him for a long period of time. Most vets are content to let the kennel cough work its way through the dog's system rather than prescribing an antibiotic, to which a dog can build up a tolerance thereby defeating the purpose. However, if the kennel cough is very bad, i.e., the dog isn't sleeping, the dog can't keep food down, the dog is hocking up gross looking piles of god knows what, a more proactive approach will be necessary.

Of the 3 times my dog has had this problem, only once was severe enough to warrant medication. He was given antibiotics and a cough suppressant. After a few days, he was good as new.

What medication did the vet give him? If he was only given cough suppressant, tell the vet that the symptoms haven't improved and you'd like to treat the KC with antibiotics. If he was given antibiotics, tell the vet that the dog has not responded to the medication. He may prescribe a stronger antibiotic as the KC strain might not be susceptible to the one he prescribed.

Additionally, it might be worth mentioning the bordatella vaccination. I'd check with your vet to see if your dog received this vaccination after his adoption. Bordatella is the vaccine that prevents kennel cough. However, if your dog was given the vaccine after recent exposure to kennel cough, there is a chance that this is what caused the outbreak. Just something to ask your vet about because this might effect what whether he prescribes antibiotics, or which antibiotic he chooses.

In the future, if you know your dog is going to be exposed in a kennel setting, make sure you do have him vaccinated for kennel cough at least 10-14 days prior to the exposure. This will keep him kennel cough free.

Answer 3

Hi and welcome to the exciting world of Chihuahuas. I have included an informative link from Drs Foster & Smith's site Pet Education. The article includes information about the disease and discusses 2 treatment options. Please let the vet know that the treatment many not be working so that other treatments can be considered.
Kennel Cough is highly contagious so aside from a preventive shot there isn't much that can be done to prevent it once it is in the area. There are cleaning solutions that can be purchased to help control it but most no-kill shelters lack funding to purchase a lot of the necessary items. I hope you can understand as well. When my vet did dental surgery on my 10 yr old Female Chihuahua they warned me that it was possible that she could get Kennel Cough. Vets can afford the cleaning supplies but the bacteria seems to be so easily spread that even they have to warn clients about it.
Please save the link in your Favorites for future reference, it has a lot of info on many pet issues.
I praise you for rescuing this little dog from a life of sadness, he will reward you many times over. Bless you ;)

Answer 4

Kennel cough passes after a while. It normally last anywhere from 10-20 days. You might ask the vet to prescribe some cough supressants unless he is gagging things up. If he is on medications it gives him a good prognosis. If in a week it really hasn't gotten better. Take him to another vet and get another look at it because it can turn in to pneumonia. I hope he gets better!

Answer 5

It's like a dog-flu.
Was the dog recently spayed or neutered also? Sometimes anesthetic will cause fluid build up in their lungs and they can cough for a while.

If not and it is just bordetella, finish the meds, if no improvement then go back to the vet, or just call them tomorrow with an update and maybe they will want to change the meds.

Kudos to you for saving a shelter dog!

Answer 6

look up kennel cough on the net you should get lot of info on this condition but i would also call the vet back and let them know the dogs not responding to the meds and get the dog tested for heartworms

Answer 7

what ar the rx? cough suppressents?

it could be k9 influenza.it can sometimes be hard for dogs to get over and have the same signs as kennel cough