WHY IS MY DOG COUGHING?

The common cough, we all get it, and our dog is no exception. A cough is an annoying physical side effect of illness that has us hacking and sometimes bothering those around us with its frequent occurrence.

There are a variety of reasons our pup, as well as ourselves, come down with a cough in the Los Angeles area, from allergens within our environment to sickness.  One such illness that can wreak havoc on the happiness and health of our puppy is kennel cough.

It is medically known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis and is a respiratory infection that is highly contagious among dogs.  It includes a cough that is annoying and can sound like a honking horn. This type of cough should be a red flag for any puppy owner.

Other symptoms may include a runny nose, sneezing, and tiredness as well as a low-grade fever and lack of appetite.  Such symptoms are very similar to the common cold or illness in humans.

If you see your dog displaying these symptoms in the Los Angeles area one of the first things to be done is to take them to the vet to ensure that these are not symptoms of a more severe type of illness that could be harmful to your puppy.

Once you have taken your pup to the vet and other illnesses have been ruled out, if your dog does have kennel cough, then the vet will probably prescribe rest for your pet to aid in its recovery. Sometimes, they may prescribe an antibiotic to prevent a secondary infection which can happen to any person or animal that is sick.

Likely, they will prescribe a cough medicine for you to give to the dog to help to ease its symptoms.

It is also recommended for the dog’s owner to use a harness instead of a collar while walking their ill dog not to cause damage to the trachea.

With multiple dogs in one home, you can safely bet that if one has kennel cough, the others will get it as well.  Therefore, watching all your dogs for symptoms and taking affected animals to the vet for proper care and evaluation will be vital in combating this illness.

Thankfully, your dog's vet offers a vaccine in the Los Angeles area against this if your dog happens to spend time in daycare or boarding.  This vaccination ensures that illnesses like this are kept in check and not spread throughout the dog community.

While a cough can mean several different things in humans and dogs, kennel cough is just one of the causes.  Kennel cough can be a complicated and severe illness for a dog to suffer through if left untreated.  So visiting your dog’s vet is the best way to care for them if they show signs of coughing or any other type of physical distress.

Kennel cough is treatable with proper diagnosis from the vet, medications, and of course, some much-needed rest to promote your dog’s recovery.  Before you know it, your pet will be back to their old self in no time at all.