we just have all the luck...

[Geoff]

after what we went through with our cats... we just had to pick a dog that wasnt in the greatest of health.. not only did he have heartworms.. and is pretty underweight... he seems to have come down with a case of kennel cough. ive been told that Robutessin DM works well to ease the symptoms and that this should go away on its own.. but does anybody have maybe any other things that might help stop him from the nasaly snot discharge that he keeps retching up? its pretty gross and my stomach turns every time i hear him

oh.. i dont know if erica has mentioned what kind of dog we got.. if not.. we got a 3 year old Great Pyrenees.

-Geoff-

[jdf]

I think you may need to get some antibiotics from your vet if bacteria is involved. Bacterial KC can lead to pneumonia. Only your vet can determine whether this is a viral or bacterial infection or combination of the two.

Here's a link to info on KC:

<a href="http://www.peteducation.com:80/article. ... eid=452</a>

[Erica]

I'm sorry but I just started laughing when you were discussing your reation. I don't know why. I think I need more sleep. Ok, so yes, my 77 lbs. Great Pyrnees has kennel cough. Guess where he got it? The vet. Figures. He actually seems like he's doing better. Yesterday his coughing/retching was very productive, but it was clear with a little bit of foam. Today, he's still going through the motions, but nothings coming up. I'll call the vet and see what she thinks.

[davet]

put them on antibiotics because the integrety of the throat and trachea are compramised so it might allow the normal staph or strep in the body to become active....yes a 77 pouind G.P. can be a challange and you would dose him allmost like you would do a pony.....

[Traci]

Yep, amoxicillin right away, probably for about 7-10 days, may be extended. The robitussin will help also, but ideally, ask your vet for a course of amoxicillin....

[Erica]

he's already on amoxi for all the bacterial junk that was in his ears because his last owners didn't realize that there was anything wrong...I guess the head shaking, pawing at the ears and the funky smell didn't give it away. NOw I just have to get it in him. We were making progress by putting it in sliced cheese. He won't eat it now, probably because he's not feeling the greatest. If he were smaller....maybe I could just shove it down his throat like a cat but...he's huge. My hand would be gone if he chose to do so. Sad thing is, he's horribly underweight as well. So my 77 GP should weigh...oh at least 100 lbs. Tonights going to be fun.

[Traci]

just a question, but when was the last negative heartworm test??? Has your vet declared they are cleared?

The problem is multiple infections, your vet may want to either slightly up the dose, or change the antibiotic altogether, with something more potent. (maybe a pen-g injection, ask him about that or something else)

[Erica]

Oh I"m not even going there. HIs last test was a couple of months ago. Someone in the office wrote down negative & told the rescuer he was negative. When he was at the vets last week for his ear cleaning the vet checked his records and oh, what do you know? The lab results actually showed that he was positive. So he was treated for that and is on Ascripten, Amoxi and something that goes in his ears, can't think of the name. I don't know exactly what the dosage is but the amoxi I think is in the 500 range. I'll check tonight.

[Julie B.]

IF it is a simple case of infectious tracheobronchitis, ITB, or kennel cough caused by bordetella bronchiseptica. If the coughing is bothering you, your pup or keeping either of you up at night, a cough suppressant is fine, and your vet can prescribe something like butorphanol or hydrocordone. Now, if this is complicated by the heartworm disease or any immunosuppression, that is another issue altogether which should be discussed with your vet. Good luck, if it is a simple case of kennel cough, it should subside very soon.

[Erica]

It already seems like it's easing up. He's not coughing as much anymore, only when he gets excited. we're trying to keep him as calm as possible, which isn't hard. He's a big couch potato. We'll just wait it out.