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I recently got a new puppy (Yorkie) and he came down with ...

Sent to Dog Experts July 04 10:36 AM

I recently got a new puppy (Yorkie) and he came down with Kennel cough. the vet prescribed an antibiotic and cough medicine for him. He has been on it for 4 days now and I don't see any improvement in his cough. He is acting fine, playing and eating. Last night he was up all night coughing which normally he sleeps fine through the night. Can this be something more? Also I have an english bulldog that has gotten sick from the puppy I beleive. She is coughing, throwing up, loss of appetite, and has nose and eye secretions. She has been laying around not doing much of anything. I was reading up on distemper and those were the symptoms. Can this be a worse form of kennel cough? How can I treat her at home since the vet is closed today because of the holiday? Is there anything I can give her to help until her vet appointment tomorrow? I also have a maltese but she seems to be fine, is there a way to protect her from getting sick?

 

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
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July 4 10:55 AM (18 minutes and 40 seconds later)
         
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The one who is not sick has already been exposed so there's little chance of her not getting it. If you are able, you may want to get her away from the other two, just in case there's a chance she can get away with no catching it.

Kennel cough is a virus so the antibiotics don't help with it that much. They do help with the secondary bacterial issues so you DO still need them (particularly for that second dog). You will usually see the cough for 7-10 days so what you are seeing is not uncommon.

I would go ahead and boil some chicken and white rice and feed them this, including the broth.

You can give your vet a call and ask if he wants you to use an anti-tussin like robitussin. But I would not use it without the vet's permission.

Keep them well hydrated, get what food you can into them and you can use pediatric nasal saline in the nose to help clear mucus. You can also use plain pedialyte to keep them hydrated.

Then give your vet a call tomorrow to get antibiotics for that second dog.

Let me know if you still have questions.

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