Was Kennel Cough - Now Sneezing/Snorting. HELP!
 

My little guy is about 4 1/2 months old. About a month ago, we took him to a puppy preschool at a kennel with lots of other dogs. After that first class, I decided that since we'd be going to a kennel for the classes, I should go ahead and get him the Bordatella vaccine.

Four days later, he started showing signs of kennel cough. My breeder says it's common for Yorkies to come down with kennel cough after being vaccinated, but of course my Vet says that's unlikely. We treated him with a round of antibiotics, and it started to get much better.

A few weeks (3) have passed, and the coughing is still not gone. Middle of night and morning hacking with a few episodes during the day. I've been to the vet nearly every week to make sure it hasn't progressed into the lungs, which as of three days ago, it had not.

HOWEVER, just in the past few days, his cough has turned into more of a wet snort with sneezing. He sounds just like a pug! I'm so worried about him. This is going on for way too long. My vet says it should be gone by now, but the breeder says it's normal for kennel cough to last several months!

What is everyone's experience with this? I am going crazy with worry.

When I got Cali as a puppy she had Kennel cough and gave it to my then 8 year old pom. It took over 3 months and 3 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of it. I just had her checked every couple of weeks to make sure it didn't go into pneumonia. So it can take a long time to get rid of. It was the same thing coughing in morning and night mostly. Hope he gets over it soon.

Hi,

I hope this makes you feel a little better. I bought Baxter and Cooper from two different breeders, a year apart. I had both of them home for about a week, and then they each got kennel cough. Both of them had had the first set of shots with the "well puppy check up" at my vet, then developed Kennel Cough. They hadn't even been in the grass yet, let alone around other dogs.

If you recently brought your puppy home, which I couldn't tell for sure, chances are the puppy got the kennel cough at the breeders, because my vet said the incubation period for it can be as long as 3 weeks.

When Baxter (puppy number one) started coughing and sneezing, I freaked and rushed him to the E_VEt. They gave me some antibiotics, and told me to follow up with reg vet if it didn't improve in say--maybe 3 days. (i don't remember the specifics)

Anyway, my vet said, both times, that Kennel Cough is kind of like a human cold, and antiobiotics (pills taken by mouth) won't stop it. He said you can see if it goes away on its own, and run the risk of it turning in to pneumonia, or getting what he called "trachea washes"

I had to bring both pups in 3 days in a row for injections in to the throat. It was costly, but I would say within 2 days of the last injections, they symptoms had vanished. I know it is upsetting to you, but just follow your vets advice (which may not be the same as my vet's) and this will all work out!
Amy

I am going through the same thing with my little Chip. He got sick about 1 week after I got him. It started with a runny nose, 3 days later turned into a hacking-sneeze combo. It has gotten better but it's still there and it gets worse at night. It's been about 2 weeks, but x-rays and everything is normal. I'll pray for both of our babies :)

Jamie

Still going on - The Never-ending cough + now sneezing/runny nose
 

I'm so sorry, it's really awful, isn't it? We're going on 6 weeks now that he's had it. Still coughing every single night. My vet has basically given up on me! :(

It is heartbreak to look at their little face and be unable to do anything. I've been to the vet so much, i wish I could just get a job there to make it more convenient. Meanwhile, 2 types of medicine later he is still miserable :mad:

I know! It just breaks my heart to watch him. Yes, I've spent a LOT of money at the vet as well, and in the end it was probably worse to have exposed him to all the stuff he could pick up by taking him to the vet! The antibiotics helped for a few days, but then it came right back. I've heard that KC can last for months, but I don't think I (or pixel!) can take much more of this!

I feel your pain... My baby just turned 4 months a few days ago and he's been having this KC for a while now, but the only thing I can tell you, that my vet told me is that KC may or may not be cured by medicines. My puppy has had so many antibiotics [YES! It's very EXPENSIVE!] but the antibiotics can only cure a portion of this cough.. The other portion is all on our puppy to fight the virus within themselves! Needless to say my baby is starting to get better!! But I'll for sure pray for yours!!

KC can take a loooong time to clear up and, as you know, can lead to pneumonia. Your vet can easily prescribe a suppressant to ease the coughing and help him sleep at night - I wonder why on earth he hasn't done this - or has he?

I'm so sorry you're going through this, I'm sure it's just horrible to watch your baby go through all of this. :(

Actually, he has not even mentioned using a cough suppressant. Does that seem to work?

Can anyone comment on the fact that this started out (months ago) as just coughing, and now is also snorting/sneezing/runny nose. The vet says it may be something besides KC, but can't tell what.

Hi, my dog had the same symptoms you are describing and indeed it was KC. She had it when i got her and it lasted a couple months. It got worse before it got better. She got the point where she would cry when she coughed cuz it was hurting her throat. I took her back to the vet and they gave her a cough suppresant. It definietly helped. You just got to wait it out. It takes a while to het rid of it. I felt myself wondering if it was ever going to go away but it did. The snorting you are mentioning sounds like reverse sneezing. She did it alot when she coughed then after she got rid of it she does it when really excited or eats or drinks to fast. I pray for your little one a speedy recovery.

Hope that helps.

Alternative Kennel Cough Treatment
 

HI, my Yorkie Gigi, had kennel cough for what seemed like forever when she was just a pup (16 weeks). It lasted for about 4.5 months. She was given 3 rounds of antibiotics which did not work. Apparently, she was antibiotic resistant. I then tried homeopathic remedies which seemed to alleviate her symptoms but did not eliminate her cough. My vet was very hesitant in prescribing more antibiotics.

I came across this website (Robert McDowell- Herbal Treatment) and ordered the Kennel Cough mixture:
`Kennel Cough Herbal Treatment - Robert McDowell's Herbal Treatments. Human, Canine and Equine. Cancer Support, Radiotherapy Support, Articles and Online Consultation.

After administering the herbal treatment for 2 weeks, she began to recover. After the 3rd week, no more coughing. I know it was probably a bit extreme (ordering from Australia) but I had pretty much tried everything and nothing worked.

I hope your furbaby feels better!

Our new puppy had the same issues - although my vet just called it an upper respiratory infection instead of KC. Clavamox did not work on her so he added an additional antibiotic called Zeniquin. They can only be on this for a short period of time-we did 3 days. Her symptoms seemed to stop but shortly after stopping the Zeniquin, she began coughing, sneezing, hacking, wheezing, runny nose again. She started another round of Zenequin and finally we got the symptoms under control. In addition to this, he also prescribed a cough suppresant to use at night so our puppy could get some good rest (and this also helped me get some rest). He also suggested putting our puppy in the bathroom with us each time we took a shower as the steam from the shower would help her breathing. My husband takes very long showers and this seemed to help her.
At times I was scared to death that she was going to stop breathing. We made two trips to the emergency clinic and several to our regular Vet. If your dog still has an appetite, that is a good sign. Make sure she is getting plenty of water as this helps the stuff in their chest break up more easily. I hope your little one gets well soon. Ours has fully recovered and is doing great.

Thanks! How long was he sick? My little guy has been sick for almost 3 months now, and it seems like it will never end. All the vets say this is too long for it to be KC, but from what I've read on here, that seems almost normal!

I'm thinking of trying that remedy, thank you for posting! I had actually purchased a homeopathic remedy (for $60!!!) that doesn't seem to have worked at all. But, this herbal remedy seems like a good alternative. I think I'll give him a few more days, he really is getting better, just not fully recovered. Three months so far!

Kennel cough
 

I feel like an ole pro with this. I have had 4 dogs come down with kennel cough. First just from being exposed to cool air blowing on them from a bedside fan. Second possibly from me having a mild sore throat. 3rd being exposed to new dogs. 4th just stress of a new environment.
I have cleaned the areas were I keep my dogs, with multiple things, make sure they have dried before letting your dogs go back in areas where you have cleaned. There noses are sensitive and moist areas seem to irritate them more. Keep dogs who actively are coughing separate from your other dogs. Now I have treated my dogs with clavamox to Cepha drops. It has taken any where from 2-6 weeks to completely clear this up. Actually I have noticed Bordetella did not exaserbate the symptoms, if anything it helped clear it up. Exposure to the bacteria or virus from another dog was actually what caused the cough. Your dog may not show symptoms the same day they are exposed it could take 1-3 days to 1-2 weeks before showing signs of kennel cough. It all depends on the immunity level of your dog and its ability to fight off these offenses.
good luck and keep on giving them the medicine. A warm moist vaporizer helps decrease the irritation and a cough suppressant without alcohol, just a little advice Robitusin works but they hate the taste.

Daisy was sick for 4 weeks. She is not coughing at all anymore however she has started to show some new symptoms. I had posted this question on another area of this forum regarding cloudy eyes. We noticed her eyes were getting cloudy and didn't remember them being that way. She also has a very small nervous tic (that is the best way I can describe it) where she kind of shudders her little head back and forth for a second or two. That has become more frequent. I just took her to the vet today and he thinks she could possibly have distemper. Evidently distemper manifests itself with the respiratory symptoms, and also can attack the GI system (she has had some diahrea but I thought it was due to her constantly trying to eat everything outside). It also can affect the eyes -- after examination by my vet he determined that she has inflammation in both eyes and we started some steriod eye drops. But lastly it can affect the nervous system which could be the cause of the tic that is getting more frequent. We are watching her closely and I am taking her back to my vet on Friday. Everything I have read about Distemper is very scary so I am praying that this is just a series of coincidences and that she in fact does not have distemper.
I hope your little guy gets better soon. If he is also experiencing any GI symptoms, changes in his eyes, or perhaps you notice some odd muscle twitches, it might be worth your while to ask your Vet about the possibility of distemper.

Hello everyone, I just read what you all said and I came here to look for answers to my baby's horrible "snorting, runny nose, weird breathing problems" and this sounds just like it. It all just started one day and when it happens he has a runny nose, he makes awful snorting noises as he's breathing in and it just sounds awful. He's having a hard time breathing. He is around 9 to 10 years old but he has always been at home. I have three other inside dogs but he is the only one with this problem. I've taken him to the vet three or four times and each time he's had some antibiotics and some breathing medicine and has gotten better for a week or so then it starts back up again. It's weird - when I take him out of the house all of the symptoms stop. He never does the snorting at the vets - ever - except that one time I was smoking while holding him cause I wanted the vet to hear what he does, Lol - I know, I'm awful but I was at my wits end and needed the vet to see what he was doing.

My house is VERY dusty. I live in a little lake cabin with NO insulation and the dust gathers in giant balls behind EVERYTHING. I used to be diligent about cleaning it but the more I dust the worse he gets. Also after I smoke and he licks my face that will set him off too. The other morning he started up and the only thing I could think of is that it was cold outside. I don't know what to do anymore. Could it be kennel cough? I don't take him outside because he's allergic to EVERYTHING - literally. The grass makes him choke down and he gets this awful rash and it's much worse when he eats the grass which he always tries to do. He loves outside but everytime I've ever taken him out he has had to get a shot from the vet.

Any help would be much appreciated. Could this be kennel cough? Allergies? Some weird yorkie disease - the poor things seem like they have more problems than your average mut. Or what? It's driving me crazy, he's getting old and I fret about losing him to this. He's my best friend and I can't imagine my world without him. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you all.

Hey about the cloudy eyes. I don't know if this is it but one of my dogs eyes started looking a bit cloudy. The poor thing only had one eye - he was born that way. Anyway it turned out it was a bad cataract and he's now mostly blind. I feel so bad - by the time we realized what it was it was too late and even if we had paid ALOT of money to remove the cataract he would still be blind. We had always gone to great lengths to protect his one little eye. His name is Winky because he always winks at you : ) He does very well though and can "see" better than alot of people I know. I guess their nose makes up for it in a big way cause he gets around great only running into things if we change up the rooms. I believe he can still see - just not very well and not very far. I don't know if this is what yours has - I imagine the vet would have noticed that right away but it's something to keep a watch on. If it gets more cloudy and starts looking like a weird sheen - kinda like a round thing of wax paper over his eye then you may want a second opinion. Take care and good luck.

Don't smoke around your Yorkie!
 

It sounds obvious to me that he is sensitive to your smoking and the dust in the house. Second-hand smoke affects pets too, and can cause major health/lung problems as they age.

Clean your house and keep it clean. My Yorkie also develops some snortiness when the house is less clean than it should be. And, don't ever smoke around your pets. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it seems completely obvious to me that is what's going on, especially since you say he is totally fine when you go outside in the fresh air!