Truman is sick, may have kennel cough

[sheshistory]

So on Tuesday, Truman was doing a little coughing before bed and I thought nothing of it because allergies are so bad around here so I gave him a Benadryl and he went to bed - no problems.

He went to daycare yesterday and when he got home, he was tired but I noticed the coughing was still there. I gave him a little lemon juice to see if it was phlegm and he threw up a bunch of mucous. I thought maybe that was it but he is still coughing so we're going to the vet.

I've done a little research and learned something I didn't know: Truman is fully up to date on his shots, including bordatella (which prevents against kennel cough) but that is basically the equivalent of a human getting a flu shot and hoping they don't get the flu. The only way to guarantee not getting kennel cough is to avoid other dogs. Of course, being at daycare twice a week is certainly not avoiding other dogs. I was totally unaware of that so perhaps that might be useful to other bully owners.

I am not sure what else it could be but we're off to the vet now and I will report back later.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Poor baby! Sounds like kennel cough! After my mom adopted Cookie last year (5 year old small bred mix from the local shelter) she took her to the vet for an exam, my mom had noticed her coughing and brought it up to her vet. My mom's vet said it was kennel cough but there really wasn't anything to prescribe, that it would just go away on it's own like a human cold. And it did, it just went away!

 

[Alice Kable]

Good information, I thought bordatela prevented kennel cough, too!
I hope Truman feels better soon!

 

[kazzy220]

I knew that the bordatella shot didn't prevent against all strains of kennel cough .. you are exactly right, it is like the human flu shot. Basically a gamble!! When we first got Kaylie as a puppy (schnauzer/poodle mix) she developed kennel cough within a week so must have had it before we got her. The vet told us it was highly contagious, but we were lucky and only one of our schnauzers caught it and even then it was an extremely mild case.

If it is kennel cough I would call the Doggy Day Care immediately, but I'm sure you will do that anyway!!

Poor little Truman .....

 

[izstigspunks]

Stiggy caught a bug too back in December. It was either kennel cough or this horse flu that some dog owners in my city was talking about. All I remember was he got worse before he got better. I felt so bad for him because it seemed as if he was really uncomfortable whenever he coughed. I don't think he got a decent sleep for a week. And there was a 1.5 week stint of throwing up! What kept me hopeful was that he never denied a meal. We kept him hydrated by putting a little chicken broth in his water.

Hope Truman feels better soon. At least he'll be immune to this type of bug once he surpasses it.

 

[Lacey28]

I had a cat that had kennel cough. She went on meds for a week and then was fine! Good luck! Hope all is well!

 

[sheshistory]

Thanks everyone.

Truman went to the vet and they think he has an upper respiratory infection (kennel cough) and so he's on a 10 day cycle of antibiotics. He's coughing so hard his tummy is upset so he's on a bland diet too in order to see if that will calm down. They said if he doesn't get better in a few days, he needs to come back for different medicine.

I am definitely going to call the doggy daycare and let them know Truman (and probably other dogs) are sick.

 

[kazzy220]

Hopefully in a couple of days the antibiotics will have started to work and he will be feeling better ... poor little thing! Just keep a watch on Linus for any signs too.

 

[sheshistory]

Hopefully in a couple of days the antibiotics will have started to work and he will be feeling better ... poor little thing! Just keep a watch on Linus for any signs too.

Yes, definitely - so far, he is fine. The vet said that since Linus had a bordetella, he might have been resistant to it plus he's older with a better immune system so we'll see.

I'm a bit disenchanted with the doggy daycare. They seemed wholly uninterested in hearing about Truman, even though he most certainly picked the respiratory infection up there. I know these things happen and I don't blame them but you'd think they'd want to know this kind of thing so they can watch for other sick dogs and disinfect the place?

 

[Momma2Bullet]

awww hope he is better VERY soon.

 

[kazzy220]

Yes, definitely - so far, he is fine. The vet said that since Linus had a bordetella, he might have been resistant to it plus he's older with a better immune system so we'll see.

I'm a bit disenchanted with the doggy daycare. They seemed wholly uninterested in hearing about Truman, even though he most certainly picked the respiratory infection up there. I know these things happen and I don't blame them but you'd think they'd want to know this kind of thing so they can watch for other sick dogs and disinfect the place?

Hmmm... if it were my Doggy Daycare I would want to know and I certainly would show my concern to the person calling me with the information.

 

[KMARINO]

Oh poor Truman, I hope he feels better soon, and the antibiotics might hurt his belly, and THANK YOU for the education, Vegas gets this shot because we board him a couple times a year and I thought it covered it all!?!? YIKES yet another thing to worry about, when he is boarded I pay extra for doggie daycare every day he is there.

 

[Luvin My Bullie]

Poor Truman!!

 

[bullmama]

Yes I also knew it did not guarantee no kennel cough. But even if your dog gets parvo shots your dog can also still get parvo. What you are protecting against is a particular strain- and these illnesses manipulate themselves and change their 'properties' (cannot think of another word to use, sorry).... so the manufactuers of the shots are constantly changing them according to the latest and greatest illness. If you give your own shots like I do, you should throw them out if over 4 months old and get new ones that have a more current date.

I sure hope Truman gets better soon, give him a hug from us!

 

[sheshistory]

Why thank you everyone! Truman and I appreciate the well wishes. He's really so pathetic right now, with his nose all runny. He's eating good still and doing lots of napping so hopefully he'll be on the mend soon.