Stew has kennel cough, apparently :(

[Jess & Stewart]

I have no idea how or when he got kennel cough but last night he suddenly started hacking like a seal. I watched him all night and this morning he started coughing up white foamy mucus. Took him to the vet this morning and they said he seemed fine, it's mild and gave me a week's worth of a cough supressant. Hopefully that eases the coughing and he won't irritate his throat more.

Now that I think back over the week & weekend, he's coughed a bit more lately, 2-4x more a day, but he usually coughs like he's clearing his throat daily too.

It's painful to hear him cough like this. At first I thought he'd swallowed something on a walk & got really worried. I still don't know how he could have gotten it so suddenly, we don't interact with many dogs during the day aside from maybe 1-2 of his friends we occasionally see on walks, like 3 times a week.

I've read some previous discussions on here about kennel cough. Now I'm wondering if he should have been given antibiotics along with the suppressant? I have class later today and I'll be nervous to leave him now :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm sorry to hear this.

Kennel cough often clears up on its own without antibiotics, especially a mild case. I wouldn't worry.

As to how he got it, it's hard to say. Bordatella is highly contagious, and even dogs who've been vaccinated can still get it, although it's usually a milder case, as with Stew.

I hope he feels better soon.

[Jess & Stewart]

I know it's airborne so he could have gotten it during any interaction with dogs over the past 2 weeks. We've been home about an hour, he ate & went to the bathroom, then I gave him the suppressant. He's hacking more now and coughing up foam. I'm hoping the sedation starts taking affect soon.

Now that I think of it, he's been MUCH more cuddly since Monday. Guess he wants his person since he isn't feeling well. He's currently draped across my lap laying down :) Poor thing.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Hope Stew feels better soon! 

[Mari Bezanson]

They do not have to be in a kennel environment to catch kennel cough.  I hope he is feeling better soon!

[Richard Crowe]

There are many viral strains which are covered under the blanket name of "kennel cough" or "bortadella".  The vaccine protects against some strains but not against all strains.  Our vet usually gives antibiotics; not to treat the bortadella (which is viral and not impacted by antibiotics) but to prevent and/or cure secondary infections which can be bacterial in origin.

Most dogs can recover from kennel cough with no medications required.  However, we received one pregnant female from a shelter who was said to have kennel cough.  We isolated this girl but, she took a turn for the worst.  By the time we were at the emergency vet (less than 24 hours after receiving her) she was diagnosed with full blown double pneumonia. It is a good practice to maintain a close watch on any dog with kennel cough.

Cough suppressant will ease most dogs coughing and make life happier for them and for the owners.

Bortadella (regardless of origin) can be quite contagious.  Ont time we had an epidemic run through all the dogs in our home. It was not serious for any of them but, it set our adoption program back a couple of weeks since we wouldn't adopt out any dogs with active kennel cough.

[Jess & Stewart]

He seems so sad today. He's spent most of the day laying around, hacking and coughing up a lot of mucus. Right now, I'm trying to get him in his crate because I need to get to an afternoon class. He doesn't want to move!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I can't get my reply under Richard's but Bordatella is a bacteria. There are other varieties of kennel cough, a generic term, which are viral.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Feel better Stew!

[Jaime + Oliver]

Poor Stew, feel better quickly!

Oliver got kennel cough from daycare despite being vaccinated.  He spent a few days hacking things up, but after a few days on the suppressant & a course of antibiotics everything cleared up a-ok.  Hang in there!

[Jess & Stewart]

It was rough in the middle of the day. After I got home, I even had him lay in my bathroom while I took a shower for the steam, lol. Not sure if it helped, but I figured it couldn't hurt. He ate and was actually pretty active earlier tonight despite me trying to keep him calm. He gets another pill at 10, so I hope it helps him sleep pretty well through the night!

The vet only gave me cough suppressants, hopefully it clears up in a few days and I don't need to get antibiotics. I was planning on boarding him next weekend, guess I need to make other arrangements now!

[Jess & Stewart]

Weird question but how much is too much phlegm? It just seems like a lot to me. But maybe it'll lessen each day.

[Gail and Bailey]

Sorry to hear poor Stew is sick!  Sending wishes for him to feel better fast!