Just picked my dog up from the Vet who boarded him while we were on vacation...now I think he has kennel cough

Question

He had his shot for kennel cough about a month before we dropped him off. We even called while we were away to check on him and they said everything was fine...they never said anything about him coughing.

What is the treatment?

I'm pretty mad...should I try to hold the Vet responsible and make him take care of the costs?

Answer 1

There are hundreds of types of kennel cough, none are fatal. Even if you got the vaccine, your dog can get another type. Basically you treat it like a cold. There aren't a lot of costs involved. I probably would be looking for another place to board your dog though. Perhaps you can get a neighbor to come in. Unfortunately in a kennel, your dog is susceptible to a lot.

Answer 2

Kennel cough for dogs is the same as the flu for people. You can get the flu shot and still get the flu because the shot only has the three most dangerous strands it vaccinates for. This is the same for the kennel cough vaccine. You can give your dog common over the counter cough suppressants to relieve their cough. It may take up to three weeks for the cough to go away so be patient. It can also sound pretty bad so be prepared for that too. There is no antibiotic to get rid of the cough either. A vet will only give you a suppressant. By the way, just because your dog has kennel cough doesn't mean he got it in a kennel. This is very contagious and dogs can pass it through a fence or by just saying hi in the park. It can come from anywhere. Just keep your dog from other dogs so it doesn't spread more. Good luck.

Answer 3

Sometimes after the kennel cough vaccination a dog will develop the symptoms of kennel cough, but these should clear up.

Please tell your vet your concerns!

By all means ask if they will cover treatment, but I don't know. For one thing, it could just be the 'post-vaccs' cough that is going to clear up on its own. For another, vaccination is the ONLY way to prevent dog's catching kennel cough - it's an airborne bacteria, or sometimes a virus - it doesn't matter how thoroughly clean a surgery is, if a dog with kennel cough comes in and coughs once, that's all it takes.

Don't be mad until you've discussed this with your vet. If they don't seem to care much THEN I would be cross - but I think, since your dog's had the vaccination, it's likely just to be post vaccs exposure.

Another reason to talk to the vet is that this might not be kennel cough at all - dogs cough for other reasons!

Chalice

Answer 4

Honestly Kennel cough isn't that big of a deal. Most often the dog will overcome it on their own. If the dog had the vaccine for kennel cough then it would not be the vets fault. Their may be some kind of delayed immune respnse to the vaccine that caused your dog to become exposed to it. It wont do any good to get mad at the vet and it wont cost anything because you don't need to be seen by the vet. Keep him away from other dogs for a while and let the virus run its course. Good Luck

Answer 5

Call the vet and ask them if they were boarding other animals and if they had their vaccinations for kennel cough. Most place will NOT board dogs unless they can prove that they had the bordatella vaccination. You may need to bring your dog in to be checked over to make sure it's not something else.

There are two treatment options depending on the severity of the disease. In the most common mild form, antibiotics are usually not used. If the dog has a good appetite and is alert but suffers only from a recurrent cough, the vet will often let the disease run its course just as we would with a cold in humans. Treating the mild case does not shorten the length in which the animal will be a potential spreader of the disease. Many times, prednisone is given to help reduce the severity and frequency of the cough and to make the dog more comfortable. In addition, Bronchodilators like aminophylline or cough suppressants may also be used.

In more severe cases where the animal is not eating, running a fever, or showing signs of pneumonia, antibiotics are often used. The most common ones are tetracycline or trimethoprim-sulfa. However, many other choices are also available. Steroids or cough suppressants are not usually recommended.

Answer 6

There is no better place to pick up a disease then at the vets office and in their yard! That is where all the sick dogs hang out.. If you had to sign anything upon leaving your dog there, I'd say it probably had a disclaimer for this type of thing. If you confront the vet, chances are they will deny, deny, deny and blame you anyway. They may suggest a vaccine.. DO NOT do that. Vaccines are for healthy animals and do nothing for a dog who already has said disease. Many vets will offer the vaccine regardless.
Antibiotics are in order. I would ask that they cover this. Probably won't do you any good but I'd ask anyway.
Also as long as your dog is healthy otherwise, he would recover on his own with in a couple of weeks. Please keep your dog away from other dogs for at least 30 days after his symptoms are gone. Kennel cough incubates for 10 to 14 days before the first symptoms.. this might help you figure out where he got it.

Answer 7

I also wonder how your dog got access to another dog. It should be the responsibility of the kennel to keep them separated. Also, your dog should have been kept in clean conditions, regardless. If no one was there to witness the incident, how did they know it was your dog, unless they were kenneled together? Why didn't your dog have its own run? Regardless of whether someone witnessed it or not, they should have contacted you immediately, once it was discovered. And unfortunately, since your dog is a bully breed, it's likely that they will try to put the blame on your dog, whether it is at fault or not. It sounds like this is not a particularly good facility, based on what you say.

Answer 8

His shots are vital to have but are not 100% effective, 1 month is fine before boarding, kennel cough usually has a ten day incubation period, so he may not have had it whilst in the vets, but if he is coughing alot then he may have had it longer, and if so they should have informed you of that fact.
A presciption of antibiotic's for two weeks is needed, it wont go by itself and can last for a few weeks even with treatment.
If he got it in the vets they should hold responsibility and not charge you.
I have worked in many vets and some take responsibility and some say that this is the risk you take when boarding.
Do mention to them if they do charge you for your visit.

good luck

Answer 9

Our vet won't board a dog unless it has had its kennel cough vaccination.

Answer 10

Kennel Cough is almost always in the kennels. Are you sure she didn't just bark until she made her throat sore. i once had a dog that barked in the kennel so long that he went hoarse and coughed for a few days after that. Even though your dog had the shot they can still pick up the virus, it just usually doesn't last as long or become as severe.