Wish I'd Known What Kennel Cough Sounds Like
 

Last week our three-year old Kasey was up at night, sounding like she had a bone or hair stuck in her throat that she couldn't get out. She ended up throwing up again and again - mostly a white foam. I got her right into the vet in the morning, but by that time she'd stopped throwing up. The vet thought it was likely some type of stomach bug, and gave her an IV to rehydrate her.

The next night the same thing happened, and we were up for hours with her until she quieted down and finally went to sleep.

Long story short, after talking with the vet on the phone and then going in and having x-rays taken, we figured out that she apparently had kennel cough that turned into pneumonia. (She's never been to a kennel, but we do go to a dog park, and apparently kennel cough is highly contagious.)

For the last eight days I held a nebulizer machine to her nose while she inhaled misted meds every 12 hours. The vet gave her a shot, a one-week dose of an antibiotic. She also had an anti-inflammatory pill which she could take if necessary to prevent coughing and further irritation of the trachea. She responded well to the nebulizer so we didn't need the pills for long.

In the process, we also discovered that she has a collapsing trachea, which is something she inherited. My poor baby!

Anyway, if any of you don't know what kennel cough sounds like (to me it wasn't a cough, but more like a throat-clearing before she gagged), be sure to listen carefully. If it sounds like something is stuck in your doggie's throat, and it happens especially at night, resulting in throwing up white foam -- it could be kennel cough.

I read an article saying that you can just let it run it's course, but I'm so glad I didn't! I never would've found that she had pneumonia.... My poor baby!

Thankfully, she's doing great now.

Just wanted to share this story in case it helps someone else....:)

I am so glad she's doing better! Thanks for letting us know. I've never heard kennel cough either and wouldn't know what it sounds like.

I to had no idea what the sounds of kennel cough were but one of my new foster dogs had it. The vet told me to watch for duck or geese sounds. Also gaging. Its good to know so we can help in the future.

Another sign it's kennel cough...gently press two fingers on their trachea if it results in coughing...it's kennel cough.

I am glad that Kasey is doing better. Thanks for the info. Now I will have some idea of what kennel cough sounds like.