Kennel Cough

Well, been up all night because Diamond started with a slight cough late yesterday afternoon which escalated to her hacking and HONKING (like a damn goose!) all night. She sounded so bad I ALMOST took her to the ER even though I was fairly certain it was just kennel cough. Then, about 4 or so this AM, Brogue started coughing in the other room. And now Cotton just had a coughing fit.

Took Di to the vet first thing today because I was worried about the pups and Jane put her on some antibiotic (Clavamox) for secondary infection (should it show up) and something else to try to tone down the cough, and put Brogue on OTHER stuff.... Since Diamond is nursing newborns, she can't take the better meds. I'm supposed to treat anybody else who starts with the same stuff. Pretty sure EVERYBODY here is going to be going at it in the next few days.

Jane thinks the pups will be fine.

Di, Brogue and Cotton... and Emy who hasn't coughed YET... WERE all in the same room and a little isolated from everyone else BUT I had to move Di last week into my bedroom... on the other end of the house... 'cause that's the nursery. And two days ago I moved Brogue into the "dog room" away from Emy because she's just come into season and he's not the chosen one... so now the dogs in THERE have been exposed (if they weren't already.)

For anyone not familiar with kennel cough, it is caused by any number of viruses... 5-6 DOZEN different ones... and generally is non-threatening to the dog, no matter how bad the coughing sounds. Dogs that are otherwise healthy USUALLY do not have a problem with it... they don't act sick... don't run elevated temperatures, don't have runny noses or goopy eyes, DO eat/drink/play/sleep normally. They just cough a lot (and it can be very annoying.) Some vets... ok, MOST vets... will put the dog on an antibiotic, NOT for the kc, but for any secondary bacterial infection that might occur... or because the owner is frantic and needs to do something to "help" the dog. If Di did not have newborns, I probably wouldn't put her on anything. (Brogue, on the other hand, has had an allergy going on all Summer so maybe this antibiotic will wipe that out.)

Now, you're probably asking about a vaccine. There IS one. However, it covers maybe a dozen or so of the viruses that cause kc. You're still vulnerable to the rest. And where do you get kennel cough... it's a virus, so ANYwhere, EVERYwhere. In this case, I'm pretty sure Brogue was exposed when he went to the groomer almost 2 weeks ago... and he's shared with everyone else.

Over the next couple weeks, while this runs its course, I will try to stay civil in my sleep deprived state... but I'm making NO promises!