If you've noticed that things have been a little quiet around the blog lately, you're right! We've been battling a case of Kennel Cough!! UGH!!! It started with ONE puppy having a slight cough and then all of a sudden a slight cough and a fever!! I promptly got the 3 foster pups up to the vet's office and heard the words I had REALLY hoped I wouldn't hear..Yep, it's kennel cough! NOOOOOO!!!
The easy part was getting everyone on antibiotics, we've been battling the hard part for the last week!! Isolation, sanitation, and Poor Puppy Syndrome!! All of the dogs were put on antibiotics (even the ones with no cough) but the ones with any sounds of congestion (turned out to the 3 out of 9) would have to be isolated from the rest of the pack. This means scheduled potty trips outside instead of free access to the doggie doors. Their inside time is spent in the "doggie room" because it is the one room we can keep about 90% sterile 90% of the time!! I suppose it's good in a way that there are three and not one stuck in there, at least they have each other! But "Poor Puppy Syndrome" sets in fast, we stand at the door looking in through the window and think Poor poor puppies stuck in there all alone instead of being with the rest of the pack.. It's heart breaking!!
No one is allowed in or out of that room except my husband and myself and we use hand sanitizer like mad people before we leave the room! 500 cans of lysol, bleach water solution, lysol wipes, and gloves (exam gloves) and even more hand sanitizer help to make sure no germs go in or out! I am the designated snuggler which means I am pretty much the only one who is allowed to pick them up and love them and let them lick me or climb on me, and immediately after I have to change clothes and shower before I reenter my pack.
Luckily all of our coughers seem to be responding to the antibiotics and all that congestion mess seems to be making it's way out of their systems. We are hoping for an all clear from our vet in about another week. In the mean time I do my best to make sure they get as much personal attention and outside time as possible.
This is my first interaction with Kennel Cough and though I think so far we have been successful at catching it early and stopping it from spreading throughout the pack I still feel a little intimidated by it all! I've never been one to let a little cough or sneeze get me very worried, but I find myself questioning every cough, sneeze, whine, and pretty much every other body function of my pack!
So tell me fellow pet bloggers have you ever had to deal with kennel cough? What was your experience like?
Ahhh kennel cough! What a pain. I've had a few fosters that had it, including my very first foster. The shelter that he came from didn't notice that he had kennel cough so he got incredibly sick, had to go in IV, and then it turned into pneumonia. The little dude was on different meds for weeks and weeks.
ReplyDeleteThankfully it happened to only one dog at a time in my household, though - not 3! Poor puppies. It must be so hard for you too!
I was wondering if you have heard of SallyeAnder Soaps? They have a pet line called Purrrfect Puppy. They have three products, one is a relief cream that is an all in one preventative and after bite treatment. It is DEET free. It is effective on fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and black flies. Their other product is a dry shampoo. Their last product it a hot spot treatment cream that provides relief from the scratching and burning hotspots. Check them out. Your pet will love it and love you.
ReplyDeleteMel - OMG that sounds awful!! Luckily we caught it early enough that the round of antibiotics seems to be helping!
ReplyDeleteWow, it sounds like you're dealing with a lot. I hope that the pups are back to 100% in no time.
ReplyDeleteWe've been lucky never to have had to deal with Kennel cough.
Nubbin wiggles,
Oskar