Spike had a similar type of thing last year. He didn't seem to be getting over it, so I took him to the vet, who basically said he had a cold (to put it in human terms). He got better on his own within a week.
The kennel cough vaccine is essential if you take you dog anywhere where they encounter other dogs, as it is highly contagious. Typically, dogs will recover from kennel cough on their own (think human colds, again!). However, in severe cases, elderly dogs, or ones with weakened immune systems, the kennel cough can develop into something more severe like pneumonia, or allow other illnesses to take advantage of the weakened immune system. If your dog is not getting any worse, then I would feel pretty confident in his ability to get better on his own. The kennel cough vaccine, while only about 60 percent effective, is good at preventing the illness from reaching the more advanced stages, as the dog already has some immunity.
Antibiotics are fairly useless against kennel cough as it is a virus, however many vets prescribe them as a defence against secondary illnesses. To the best of my knowledge, the vaccine is not a 'live' vaccine, so it is impossible that your dog got the illness from the shot (the way lots of people believe you can get the 'flu from the flu shot, which is also impossible), however, he may have caught it from another dog at the vet's office! The shot takes about a week to become fully effective in your dog's system.
Hope this helps! |