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Coughing


~*Regina*~
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Willow for a little while now has been doing this cough thing when she gets excited, sometimes it looks like she is trying to cough up a hairball but it doesnt last long. It does not happen everyday but last night she had done it a little more then usuall. She is up to date with all her vacines including the kennel cough one. When I called and talked to the vet she said to keep an eye on her but says it should pass. Could it have something to do with all the pollen or the hot humid air? She has never experienced this type of weather before.

I hate it when the vet says to wait and see, I hate waiting... I want to know, lol.

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Regina, dogs don't generally get hairballs so I doubt that is Willow's problem. Good for you for calling the vet. I have no medical training, just experience with life. :blink: Lewie has Evan's Syndrome which is an autoimmune disease that can be fatal if not treated and managed. His symptoms started much like allergies, mainly sneezing a lot. He would get bumps on his body that would come and go. It actually took over a year to finally diagnose him and that was only after he'd become seriously ill (I thought his lethargy was due to the hot, hot weather) and a second vet who took things more seriously that the first.

 

It can be very frustrating and worrisome when a loved one is "out of sync" regardless of species. Diligence is key here. I blame myself for allowing Lewie to become so ill. I was stupid and assumed MY dog could never get anything life threatening.

 

I don't tell you this to alarm you, just to caution you to watch Willow closely. Don't be afraid to insist on testing if things don't improve. There are tests that can be done to determine if Willow is allergic to something. You are her caregiver and she depends on you.

 

With all this being said, not every symptom is a foreboding of something terrible. It could be something very simple.

 

Good luck. Keep us posted.

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LMAO, i know they dont get hairballs, just looks like she is trying to cough one up :). Thank you for the Information Patty, will definantely be keeping an eye on her!

 

She actually went for a trial day at a doggy day care Tuesday, could she have cought something that fast?

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Does your veterinarian give the canine influenza virus (CIV) vaccine in addition to the bordetella vaccine? The reason I ask is because my regular vet does not, so I have to go to my 'backup vet' who also owns the kennel I use that requires it for boarding. I believe CIV is another source of "kennel cough" (or it mimics it). Disclaimer: I am not a vet (and I scraped by in college science classes).

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Not sure if she is given the CIV shot. all her shots were given by the shelter before I got her. She isnt due for any unitl August.

 

I keep reading that if she does have kennel cough that most of the time if minor will go away on its own?

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I keep reading that if she does have kennel cough that most of the time if minor will go away on its own?

 

I had one dog that developed kennel cough many years ago, but she was treated by my vet once I noticed her coughing, so it wasn't life threatening or anything.

 

 

 

ETA: My dog was coughing a lot, and not just when she was excited

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It has always been my understanding that because there are so many strains of kennel cough, the vaccine does not guarantee that your dog will not get kennel cough...however, if contracted, it should not be as severe. If that is true, then yes, your dog could have contracted kennel cough at doggy daycare (it is highly contagious), and she just may not have a bad case of it because of the vaccine. I believe most vets give an antibiotic for it, and I have heard some people tough it out without anything. Me, personally, I would get something to prevent it from developing into a bacterial infection.

 

I had a horrible case of kennel cough go through one of my obedience classes. Person showed up with a coughing dog, which I dismissed and told him to go to the vet. I asked him if he had recently boarded the dog, and he said no...but his dog played with the neighbor's dog and it had been boarded. So next week he shows up again with the coughing dog, much to the annoyance of the entire class. He went to the vet and the vet said it was not kennel cough, but was probably caused by obedience training by pulling on the collar. So then, everyone in the class got it, and boy were they mad. Those who had the bordatella vaccine did not get is as badly as those who did not get the vaccine. And the vet...well, it was HIS kennel that the neighbor's dog had boarded at...and I guess he used that as an excuse for a lot of dogs. After it ran through the class, all was well and no more coughing.

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Jedi does this clearing of the throat/coughing up hairball thing every once in a while. He's done it for years and I've never really worried much about it because he's perfectly healthy and active. Not trying to minimize any trouble your dog might be having. If it happens a lot, you probably should check it out.

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yes, she has been tested for all of the above (actually it was about a month ago). She didnt cough all weekend until after our walk, I think it may have something to do with the collar and pulling on her neck :(. I will keep watching her but it doesnt seem like Kennel Cough. Thanks everyone!

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LMAO, i know they dont get hairballs, just looks like she is trying to cough one up :).

 

I have a dog that is an obsessive licker - furniture, carpets, other dogs etc - and she certainly does get hairballs that she coughs up.

 

However, she is unusual and it wouldn't be my first thought for any other dog.

 

She didnt cough all weekend until after our walk, I think it may have something to do with the collar and pulling on her neck . I will keep watching her but it doesnt seem like Kennel Cough.

 

Coughing when there is pressure on the throat is a common sign of kennel cough and is one of the diagnostic tests for it.

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Could this be a collapsing trachea cough? My JRT has issues with that from pulling, but I don't know if that's ever an issue with BCs. I do know that some breeds are "more" prone to it than others, just haven't ever read about a BC having it.

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