The vet says my dog has kennel cough and he is antibiotics. Have you ever dealt with this before?

Question

She says its a virus and thinks he is over the worst part of it. He is very hoarse and cant bark.
He has started eating again and has an appetite.
He was caught by the dog catcher and put in the pound 3 weekends ago, and has been sick ever since I brought him home.
A lady who lives 2 blocks from me claims to be a vet tech and calls every complaint imaginable on my dog. The police have been here, He has been in the pound once. She sent her husband to my house to complain he was running around town and she was going to impound him. He was not loose, he was in the machine shop in the garage sleeping on the floor.
There are about 4 or so labs in our area. We live in a farm community and she really is working on my last nerve. The dog runs in a fenced in back yard and slipped away 3 times in 4 yrs. Everyone in our area have dogs to keep druggies out of the farm chemicals etc.
Im mad because he was in the pound and now is very sick.
What can I do to help the situation?

I also need to add. I do not let my dog run. He has a very expensive $3K chain link fence and he also has a garage attached to go in and out and a very nice mowed clean back yard. Toys and I play and walk him every single day. He spends nites in the house on the floor. He certainly is not neglected. Its very expensive to keep taking him to the vet. If she really cared about my dog, she would return him home, not call the police for crying out loud, he is a brown lab, not a vicious, killer dog.

Answer 1

Here is some good info about the disease. Sometimes it will go away on its own, but it is commonly treated with antibiotics and cough suppressants to help your bet get better more quickly. If not treated and your dog's immune system is compromised, it could lead to pneumonia, which is more life threatening.

Kennel Cough (Infectious Tracheobronchitis)

What is it?
Kennel cough is a bronchitis characterized by a harsh, hacking cough which most people describe as sounding like “something stuck in my dog’s throat.” It is analogous to a chest cold for humans and is only a serious condition in special circumstances; in general, it resolves on its own.

How Does Infection Occur?
The normal respiratory tract has substantial safeguards against invading infectious agents. These safeguards are compromised during times of:

shipping stress
crowding stress
heavy dust exposure
cigarette smoke exposure
infectious agents (viruses such as reovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, and even the distemper virus can be initiating infections)
Cold temperature
Poor ventilation
Without this protective mechanism, invading bacteria, especially Bordetella bronchiseptica may simply march down the airways unimpeded.

Classically, dogs get infected when they are kept in a crowded situation with poor air circulation but lots of warm air (i.e., a boarding kennel, vaccination clinic, obedience class, local park, animal shelter, animal hospital waiting room, or grooming parlor). In reality, most causes of coughing that begin acutely in the dog are due to infectious causes and usually represent some form of kennel cough.

THE INCUBATION PERIOD IS 2 TO 14 DAYS

How Contagious Is it?
Bordetella infection can be picked up by rabbits, guinea pigs, pigs, cats (if they are very young and housed in groups), and other dogs. It is not contagious to humans though it is closely related to Bordetella pertussis, the agent of whooping cough. Among dogs it is fairly contagious depending on stress level, vaccination status, and exposure to minor viruses.

My hospital recommends keeping all dogs current on their Bordetella vaccinations as you never know when they be in an unexpected situation.

How is it Treated?
Although most cases will go away on their own, we like to think we can hasten recovery with antibiotics to directly kill the Bordetella organism. Alternatively, kennel cough may be treated with cough suppressants to provide comfort during natural recovery. Or antibiotics and cough suppressants can be combined.

When Is it a Serious Condition?
In very young puppies, especially those with a recent shipping history (i.e., pet store puppies) are especially prone to severe cases of infectious tracheobronchitis (frequently progressing to pneumonia).

In dogs where the distemper virus is involved (usually shelter or pet store puppies), there is tremendous potential for serious consequences.

Vaccination Options
There are basically two options for Kennel cough vaccination: injectable and intranasal.

Injectable is a good choice for aggressive dogs, who may bite if their muzzle is approached. It provides good systemic immunity as long as two doses are given after age 4 months (with an annual booster). Injectable vaccination may only lead to less severe infection and not complete prevention.

Intranasal vaccination may be given as early as 2 weeks of age and immunity generally lasts 10 to 12 months. (Usually this vaccine is boosted annually.) The advantage here is that the local immunity is stimulated, right at the site where the natural infection would be trying to take hold.

It takes 4 days to generate a solid immune response after intranasal vaccination so it is best if vaccination is given at least 4 days prior to the exposure. Some dogs will have some sneezing or nasal discharge in the week following intranasal vaccination. As a general rule, nasal vaccination provides faster immunity than injectable vaccination.

Parainfluenza, Adenovirus type 2, and canine distemper, all members of the Kennel Cough complex, are all covered by the standard DHLPP vaccine, the basic vaccine for dogs. Adenovirus Type 2 serum also immunizes against Adenovirus Type 1, the agent of infectious canine hepatitis.

VACCINATION IS NOT USEFUL IN A DOG ALREADY INCUBATING KENNEL COUGH

What if it Doesn't Improve?
As previously noted, this infection is generally self-limiting. It should be at least improved partially after one week of treatment. If no improvement has been observed in this time, a re-check exam (possibly including radiographs of the chest) would be a good idea.

Answer 2

I've had dogs get kennel cough before. In pounds, boarding kennels, and vet's offices it's very common. There's not much you can do except keep the dog comfortable and give him his medicine. He will get better soon.

Your dog can't be impounded while it's on your property unless there's an abuse case or the dog attacks someone. If it's just been "running loose" but when animal control shows up, there's no sign that the animal was out of the yard, they can't impound it. Just tell animal control that this lady has it out for you and your dog is kept safely in the fenced yard.

As an aside to your comment, though, it's possible for ANY breed to become a dangerous dog, so don't dismiss it just because it was a lab running loose instead of a pit bull.

Answer 3

Talk about the neighbour from hell!!!. Anyway, don't worry too much about the kennel cough. When I rescued my dog from the pound about 3 months ago, she had a really bad kennel cough (it's highly contagious). took her to the vet and basically the cough can be either caused by a virus (most common) or a bacteria. If it's a bacteria, antibiotics can help speed up recovery. In case of the virus, the most they can do is give your dog a syrup. It did work in my dog's case and she was over it in about 10 days. She did loose her appetite a bit but if you give her dry food, maybe put a bit of lukewarm water to soften it or put a bit of gravy on it to enhance the flavour and entice your dog to eat it. there is a vaccine but it would only be efficient against the virus form of the cough so not 100% guaranteed. Good luck and I hope things get better with your neighbour.

Answer 4

Please don't worry about your dog. The antibiotics will keep anything more serious from developing. It will take a while for him to get better, but the fact that he is eating again is great. He may have a cough for a few weeks or more, even after he gets over his illness, but it really won't harm him in any way.

Unfortunately, kennel cough is very common in shelters and pounds. There really is no way to control it-it is an airborne virus-just like the common cold. You may want to consider a Bordatella vaccine just in case he gets away again, but even these vaccines do not protect 100%.

The best way you can protect your dog is find out how he is getting out of the yard and fixing it so he never gets out again.

Answer 5

Your dog will be fine. KC is just bronchitis and does pass in 3weeks or so. If he is eating well, he will be fine. It sounds worse than it really is. I hope he is feeling better soon.

As far as the nasty neighbor-- you have to just learn to ignore people in the world who are nasty. It's just a part of life. You do and say what is right and just and let the other people earn their own eternal rewards. What she sows is eventually what she will reap. She is acting like a bully. Don't let her push you around, but don't do anything to be mean to her either. Just keep your dog safe from her and basically ignore her. Do keep your dog confined just to keep him safe from her.

Here, as long as your dog is in your physical custody, nobody can impound it. If they find it running at large then they can, but not if it is confined. Hopefully, it is that way where you are too, so if your dog is in the fence, she can't do anything to it. Let her whine. It just raises her own blood pressure and causes her to eventually reap the rewards of being mean.

Answer 6

i haven't dealt with it myself, but my friend had a bloodhound that had both kennel cough and heart worms. he had been neglected when he was a puppy so some relatives of the neglector took the dog and gave him to my friend. my friend spent a lot of money to get the dog healthy and now the dog is completely spoiled and has healthy as can be. I think your dog will ok.
and as for your neighbor just keep up what your doing and she cant have that dog taken from you.

Answer 7

Kennel cough is a bad cold basically. Adult dogs recover on their own, antibotics just speed up recovery. As far as the lady in your community , just keep your dog contained & in good health. She can't do anything if you can prove you take care of your dog. Saving your vet bills,ect.... would be a start.

Answer 8

I hate it when people are like that. I know how you feel.
As far as your dog goes, just give him loving care and follow your vets instructions. My dog got kennel cough before. He had a hoarse bark for a few weeks. But he was fine after that.

Answer 9

Sorry for the grief. Kennel cough is contagious he can get it from even brief contact with other dogs. There is a vaccine for it.

Answer 10

if he doesnt run loose, how did he end up in the pound?