final question regarding kennel cough-I SWEAR!=)

[Sally]

OK So my doodlicious Duncan is all better! He's totally back to normal. But i am now left with the task of cleaning and disinfecting the house. 

The bedding was easy washer and dryer did the trick. I used hot water and the hottest settting on the dryer. (i managed to burn the mattress pad so i just bought a new one)

But the toys? I keep reading to use a bleach solution. But i don't feel comfortable using bleach on items that he will have in his mouth. Especially rope toys and softer toys. Will boiling water work? I was thinking of letting his rope toys, bones and anything else of that nature go in a big pot of boiling water for a few.

the stuffed toys I could toss in the machine i suppose.

Lastly, I am actually going away for a few days so will bacteria just die on it's own in the house if i air it out? 

I don't want him to re-infect himself. This was the first and last time hopefully for kc. It's a total drag being isolated. My well behaved dood has actually become quite a brat. 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't think that he bacteria will just die on it's own. It is known to persist in the environment. Bleach is a wonderful disinfectant and you could was the toys in a bleach solution and then rinse them thoroughly, I think. it would be unlikely that he will be reinfected with the same bacteria in the near future, anyway but other dogs could become infected.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I guess I am really out of touch but when one of our dogs got kennel cough we didn't do anything but treat him - I didn't clean or disinfect anything. All three of our dogs must have been exposed at the same time (all three were vaccinated) but only the one caught it.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Same here, Nancy. I remember my Vet told me to be sure and wash his beds....I threw them in the machine on the hot setting. I don't think I did anything with the toys though. He wasn't reinfected.

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

Same here. When my Lab came back from boarding years ago with kennel cough (despite inoculation) we kept him in a large bathroom during most of his illness but didn't scrub down anything. It ran its course and he never experienced another bout.

Glad to hear Duncan's all better and hope he stays that way :-)

[HeatherA]

Daycares use a bleach water solution to wash toys, and put it in a spray bottle to disinfect. So, if its safe to go in the mouth of teething, slobbering 6 month olds -- it should be fine for your dog. Here is an article on what mixes are used for what

http://www.familymanagement.com/childcare/practices/cleaning.practi...

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We didn't do anything to the toys - vet never mentioned it. My dogs are fine and it has been around 5 months.

[Sally]

Thanks everyone! I ended up doing a little of everything. Washed soft toys and rope toys in machine hot water and a little detergent and a little bleach. I boiled a pot of water and dropped all his hard toys in. Then used a little soap and water and rinsed. A few rather large toys i just tossed in the freezer. I actually remember dr. oz saying that was a great way to kill bacteria on things like lipstick and kitchen sponges.

I'm usually much more relaxed when it comes to germs. But if my dood gets isolated in this house again for 2 weeks i'll go out of my mind! HA! He is going to be the happy boy in the world when we return to the dog run.