[Beabble]

I'll try and make this as short as possible. Our boxer boy now has kennel cough, he's been on meds for it since March 29th. Two days later, our boxer girl came down with it, she's been on meds since March 31st. So far, Mags (our yorkie/chi mix) and Jazzie (our full yorkie) don't have it. I don't let the big dogs and small dogs mingle together, I always used gates to keep them apart or do crate and rotate. I know kennel cough is airborne, but I guess just as extra precautions, I've disinfected floors, carpets, furniture, furkids, beds, toys, kennels. I've read so many conflicting things about keeping the furkids apart. I'm a member of another forum for boxers, and there's a lady there who's been going to school to become a vet, been going for a few years now. My own vet said keep the big dogs away from the lil ones, so, 4 days ago I started keeping the lil ones in my bedroom all the time. The lady that's going to school to become a vet says there's no reason to do that, they've already been exposed. Unless my bedroom is air tight and I have a different ventilation system to my bedroom, the lil ones are still being exposed. I have had the furnace on a few nights cause it's gotten cold out and I don't want the sick ones becoming chilled, nor the lil ones for that matter, so I know the cool air return is just taking in the airborne virus and spitting it back out through the heating ducts, so ultimately, the lil ones are still being exposed even though I've kept them in the bedroom the last 4 days. The lil ones are hating being cooped up in the bedroom and I feel horrible making them stay in there. But on the other hand, I just feel if they are in here, not being so close to the big furkids, they'll be better off. Mags has a compromised immune system and can't have anymore vaccinations for the rest of her life. The last 2 days she's been making a funny noise, not like reverse sneezing, cause she does that and I know what that sounds like, but it's not a cough either. Our vet said first sign of kennel cough in the lil ones, call him and he'll get them started on meds as well. I called my vet yesterday cause of the noise Mags is making, it's not constant, not anything at all like what my boxers are doing, she's eating, drinking, pottying like normal, just sad that they are cooped up in my bedroom. Anyhow, I didn't know if I was just being paranoid cause the big furkids have kennel cough and we just lost Dottie to cancer on February 4th, but I called our vet to let them know what Mags was doing and should she be started on meds or was I just over reacting. The doc was in surgery, when he came out, the receptionist spoke with him and she called me back. He said it isn't time to put Mags on meds yet, but should she start with the coughing, call and they'll get her started. The receptionist explained to me when I went in to pick up meds for Gracie that, the reason Mags is not on them yet is, she already has a compromised immune system, so they didn't want to start her on meds until she was showing symptoms, they didn't want her to get immune to the antibiotics and then when she really needed them, them not work. As I said, she's acting normally, just fed up with being stuck in my bedroom and making a weird noise, but nothing constant, almost like she's gonna reverse sneeze but then stops soon as she starts. So, my questions are, should I continue to keep the lil ones in my bedroom, and, Jazzie needs a bath, she needed one a week ago, but I was afraid to give her one in case she had kennel cough and wasn't showing signs yet, I know it can turn into pnemonia and kill a furbaby. She isn't showing any signs at all, but I would have to bath her int he kitchen sink where my boxers do go daily to drink and get meds. For the most part, if they aren't pottying, taking meds or drinking water, I've made them stay in their kennels to rest. The meds are helping, Gracie hardly coughs at all now, Elijah's cough is A LOT less and now doesn't sounds as horrific as it did a week ago. I so want to let the lil ones out of the bedroom and into the living room, but I'm so scared. Thanks in advance.