My husband and I recently took our Beagle to the groomer. I usually groom her myself, but this time I wanted to take her a good groomer. She came back looking gorgeous.
Three days later, she suddenly passed on her dinner.
If you own a Beagle, you know that Beagles love to eat. So much so that they are very prone to weight gain. When my Beagle wouldn’t eat, I knew something was wrong. She also began making loud noises that sounded like she was choking. So it was time to go to the vet.
After a thorough examination and tests, he informed us that our dog had Kennel Cough.
I thought how could this happen? We just took her to the groomer. He told us that Kennel Cough is very contagious and pets can get it when places are crowded.
I remembered that the groomer was very crowded that day.
When I called to let the groomer know that my dog had contracted Kennel Cough, we found out that someone brought their dog infected with the virus to the groomer, that day. This how it can spread. If your dog has Kennel Cough, keep them home and isolated from other dogs.
Kennel Cough is easy to catch, but at the same time, it is treatable. Our vet gave us some antibiotics to treat our Beagle. You can ask your vet about vaccinations.
Kennel Cough is basically a combination of a viral (canine parainfluenza) and bacterial (Bordetella) infection.
It causes inflammation in a dog’s windpipe and voice box. If you have ever had bronchitis, than you will understand what this feels like.
Some of the classic symptoms of Kennel Cough
- Persistent hacking cough
- Sneezing
- Eye discharge
- Can develop a fever
- Nasal discharge
In our Beagle’s case, she also coughed up a white foamy phlegm.
Our Beagle had a loss of appetite that’s a common sign for this. It took her three weeks to recover, which is very common. During that time, we used a humidifier to give her some relief for her irritated breathing passages. I also remembered how much relief that gave me when I had bronchitis. It really helps to soothe your dog and help them rest easier during recovery.
If you smoke, avoid smoking around your dog at this time. It will irritate their breathing passages. So smoke outside away from your dog.
Be sure to give your dog a quiet restful place to eat and drink. It really helps with recovery. This is what we did for our Beagle.
If you suspect that your dog has Kennel Cough get them treated right away.
If you wait too long, just like untreated bronchitis, they can lead to pneumonia or other complications. So get them treated right away.
Make sure to isolate your dog from other dogs. Its very contagious. Our Beagle is now all better, after treatment, and restful recovery area.
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