Recognizing kennel cough

1. Understand the risk factors

Kennel cough is an extremely contagious disease. When dogs play with other dogs in the park, It is possible to get infected, and it is possible to get infected if you stay in your own kennel.

2. Listen to the coughing sound

Dogs infected with kennel cough will cough. The coughing sound will change from mild to severe, and will eventually evolve into a severe and continuous coughing sound. Sometimes, a dog's cough may be mistaken as something stuck in the throat. If you can't tell, you can try to ask the dog to open its mouth and check whether there are bones or the like in the dog's throat.

Of course, you can also give your dog treats to check his throat this way. If the dog is stuck, then it will not be able to eat the treat. If it has no difficulty eating, then there is no foreign object in its throat.

3. Observe vomitus

Just like humans suffering from influenza, dogs with kennel cough will also have a sore throat and symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Some dogs' symptoms are very severe, with foam at the corners of the mouth or drooling. It is worth noting that if your dog’s vomit contains yellow bile or food in his stomach, there may be other problems and you should seek help from your doctor.

4. Observe the mental state

Some dogs with kennel cough have no symptoms other than coughing, but they will appear very tired, lack of energy, and lack of appetite. If your dog suddenly becomes lethargic or doesn't eat for more than 24 hours, he may have kennel cough.

Treatment of kennel cough

1. Isolation

Since kennel cough is a highly contagious disease, every time a dog coughs, it will release infectious viruses, which in turn will The spread of disease. If you think your dog has kennel cough, isolate him or her from other dogs immediately.

2. See a doctor

It is best to take a coughing dog to see a doctor. The doctor will diagnose whether the dog’s cough is due to infection or some other reasons, and will also tell you whether it is necessary for the dog to cough. Get treatment, as mild cases of kennel cough will clear up on their own.

3. Increase moisture

Close the doors and windows, give the dog a hot bath, and let the dog stay in a humid environment for 5 to 10 minutes, which will help evacuate the dog’s chest cavity of mucus and relieve coughing. This process can be done several times a day if necessary.

4. Get more rest

Try not to let your dog do strenuous exercise, and do not take your dog for a walk. This is not only because walking carries the risk of infecting other dogs, but also because walking is very dangerous. May irritate your dog's respiratory tract and aggravate coughing.

5. Give cough medicine

For treating cough, it is very important to clear the phlegm from the dog’s chest and keep the lungs fresh.But in fact, it is impossible to completely stop coughing. If your dog coughs very badly and cannot even sleep, you can give him some cough medicine appropriately. Please consult your doctor for the dosage.

6. Relieve itching

If your dog’s throat is inflamed, the following method will help relieve the itching. Mix one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of lemon juice in warm water, mix well, and feed it to your dog once an hour, but never feed it to a diabetic dog.

7. Enhance immunity

In order to enhance your dog’s immunity, you can ask your doctor whether you can feed your dog vitamin C, wild berry peel, mint, etc. Although these methods have not been scientifically proven, there are suggestions that they can be helpful.

8. Vaccination

The kennel cough vaccine can prevent dogs from contracting diseases, especially for those old dogs with weak immunity, it is worth considering.