Kennel Cough Dogs

Natural Cure for Kennel Cough in Dogs and Cats

One of the most common diseases to infect your pet dog, or puppies is kennel cough. It is a highly contagious illness, leading to inflammation of the respiratory tract, especially its upper part. It is quite similar to the chest cold in humans. In fact, just like in humans, it even starts with a viral infection usually, which can eventually progress to a more severe bacterial infection too.
Medically known as infectious tracheobronchitis', this canine disease spreads rapidly through air borne virus and bacteria, when you're pet is exposed to an already infected dog. It can also transmit through direct or indirect contact with contaminated surface, such as the ground or the sidewalks. Kennel cough is so named because it usually spreads among dogs confined in close quarters, such as in kennels. A dog can carry the infection causing virus and bacteria for as long as three months after catching the infection.

Symptoms of Kennel Cough

Dog cough is diagnosed on the basis of its symptoms that usually start showing in a dog 3-5 days after exposure to infected surroundings. The symptoms include:

Frequent, dry, harsh coughing, that sounds like something is stuck in the dog's throat.
Sneezing, snorting, gagging or retching, especially after a period of physical exertion or excitement.
Nasal discharge in some cases.
Fever is usually not seen, but may show up in more severe infections.
The dog generally remains active and displays normal appetite. Lethargy and listlessness may be visible in severe infections.
Even slight pressure on the trachea can make the symptoms more pronounced.
If left untreated, dog cough can progress very fast and can even lead to pneumonia and death.

Kennel Cough Treatments

Generally, dog cough shows up as a mild condition only, and goes away on its own after running its full course, that may last from 10 to 20 days usually. Lots of rest, clean, hygienic surroundings, and plenty of water is all that is needed by your dog during this time. But, if the viral infection is accompanied by an infection of the Bordetella Bronchiseptica bacteria too, antibiotic kennel cough treatments may also be required, along with some cough suppressants.

The fact that dog cough usually initiates as a viral infection makes it practically impossible to eradicate it completely from the world. The best that can be done is to strengthen your pet's immunity from within. If your dog has a strong resistance to infection causing virus and bacteria, there is less likelihood of his catching this illness. And in this respect, natural preventive and remedial medicines play a very important role.

Just like humans, animals too show a remarkable response to natural healing treatments, such as homeopathy. Many people nowadays use herbal medicines rather than allopathic medicines in combating viral or bacterial infections in pets. The biggest advantage of using homeopathic remedies is that there is no side effect.

The author is a pet lover and webmaster of kennel cough treatment website. He is also an acting member of PETA and tries to raise awareness about holistic medical alternatives for pets.

Next page: Kidney Disease Canines

Bookmark/Share This Page:

Kennel Cough Dogs News