I think about 2-3 weeks total of a lingering cough is normal. Not dissimilar to a chest cold in a human which often is about 1 week of feeling really miserable and then another 2 weeks of a lingering cough or a cough that picks up in dry or cold air. As long as she is improving rather than regressing, I wouldn't worry. The shower steam is helpful so I'd keep that up and just make sure she's drinking plenty of water.

I don't vaccinate against KC. I don't board my dogs though and while they are around other dogs, they aren't hanging out with any dogs with obvious symptoms of KC either.

 

Yea, generally I'm not for vaccinating just because or over vaccinating but I'm wondering if in this case it would be worth it.

Where I volunteer with the dogs at the shelter I come into contact with sick dogs or dogs that may be sick but not showing symptoms. Although I don't touch Luna when I get home until after I change clothes and wash my hands.

Since I want her to be a therapy dog I'm trying to take her with me to as many places as possible, which could expose her to it more than an average dog. Also, there are lots of dogs in our neighbourhood in general so she's certainly in places on a daily basis that other dogs have been- sick or not. (to give an idea, there is only one house in our row that doesn't have a dog and a few have more than one)

The trainer we were working with said that she could be contagious up to a week after the cough has stopped, so we're waiting until the day she doesn't cough and then another week before she can return.

 

Ranger and a foster had KC here recently (a month or two ago...it was two foster dogs back) and Ranger was out for two weeks with it. I did the immune boosters, wet their food, and shower steams as needed. The foster got better on his own with supportive care, but Ranger required ATBs since he was having more issues breathing (his nose swelled up and he sounded like I do with a sinus infection. He was only on the ATBs for a few days so I'm not sure if he would have been fine on his own.

I'm still not vaccinating for it unless I have to so that we can do something.

 

kennel cough is like flu or a cold. There are many strains, and presumably some dogs suppress it better than others. Some strains seem to be two day varieties, others go for weeks.

We had it go through the boarding kennel a few times when I was running a kennel. Vaccinated dogs DO get kennel cough, and unvaccinated dogs don't necessarily get sick. And the immunity from the vaccine doesn't last THAT long.

One of the vets I worked with said she, personally, wouldn't bother with vaccination, and if she did decide to vaccinate before sending a dog to boarding (or whatever) she would do it two weeks before they went in.

Vets sometimes prescribe antibiotics to protect against secondary bacterial infections. Doesn't sound like you need this. Aside from that, in my experience, it's mostly a matter of keeping the dog comfortable while the virus runs its course.

If you do want to vaccinate, you can buy KC vaccine online . . . if I remember right, the shipping costs more than the vaccine, and it's not very expensive. Intra-nasal isn't a lot of fun to give, and dogs don't love it . . . but it's not that bad.

 

If you do want to vaccinate, you can buy KC vaccine online . . . if I remember right, the shipping costs more than the vaccine, and it's not very expensive. Intra-nasal isn't a lot of fun to give, and dogs don't love it . . . but it's not that bad.

We're in Canada...can't even buy flea meds without seeing a vet first