Kennel cough, or collar trouble?

[Daigga]

So my dog Odin has been having some coughing/hacking fits lately, and I'm not sure if he's getting sick, or if maybe his constant pulling is becoming a problem. He's a pretty high energy dog (sheltie/border collie mix) and I take every opportunity I can to take him out to the local dog park and tire him out, so he spends a good bit of time around other dogs. When he isn't at the dog park he gets walked around my apartment complex where there are lots of squirrels, cats, and dogs that he isn't allowed to play with (The dog owners in my complex are weird that way) and he's constantly pulling at his leash to try to go closer. I'm not sure if this hacking and coughing he's been doing lately is a sign of kennel cough or some other sickness or if he's just strangling himself trying to run after things. His collar is pretty loose fitting and I can easily get almost my whole hand in it while he's wearing it, so I know it's not on him too tightly. I'll probably pick him up a harness in case that's the problem, but I'm still worried it could be something more severe.

He has been pretty slow/lethargic when at home, but I don't know if this is sickness related or because I take him to the park for about an hour at a time every day I can to work out any energy he has. He's not slow or lethargic at all while we're out. He's going to the vet on Monday for a checkup, so I can ask there, but I would like some opinions before I go since this vet likes to charge a lot of money whenever I bring up a problem. This may be the last time I go to this vets office with him, since I'm really tired of paying the monthly fee (We're using Banfield right now, shopping for others).

[Timelugia]

If he's only hacking and coughing on the leash then its probably just from pulling. If he's coughing off leash I'd be more concerned about disease.
Has he had shots for kennel cough? Even if he doesn't have kennel cough now I'd recommend getting shot if you frequent parks where there are other dogs. Sounds like you definitely need a better vet, you shouldn't have a vet that makes you not want to bring your dog in.

[Daigga]

If he's only hacking and coughing on the leash then its probably just from pulling. If he's coughing off leash I'd be more concerned about disease.
Has he had shots for kennel cough? Even if he doesn't have kennel cough now I'd recommend getting shot if you frequent parks where there are other dogs. Sounds like you definitely need a better vet, you shouldn't have a vet that makes you not want to bring your dog in.

He coughs off leash as well as on. I didn't know there were shots against kennel cough itself and I'm not sure if he's gotten it before, but his last visit to the vet was March 30th so he would probably be overdue? Part of the reason I'm agitated with this vet is that he's almost a month late for several shots (including his heartworm shot) and I never got a call to remind me to schedule an appointment even though I pay monthly for a plan... They also take him into a back room away from me for pretty much anything besides taking his temperature, which makes me uncomfortable considering every other vet I've been to will do pretty much everything right there in the examination room with you. I kind of understood when they wanted to do a blood test, but they even took him back for his last fecal and to give him his shots, which just doesn't seem right to me.

I'll ask for a kennel cough shot while I'm in just to be safe and I'll start looking into other vets.

[Prognathodon]

The technical name for kennel cough is bordatella, which is probably how it is listed on the records/receipts. It is given as either a nasal spray or an injection. I'd be surprised if he hasn't had a bordatella vaccination.

The other possibility in Canine Infuenza Virus, which has been running riot in some areas. It only made the jump from another species (I forget which) to dogs in the last decade or so, so most Dogs have no immunity to it. There is a vaccine, although if it protects against the most recently detected strain was unclear when I was researching CIV when our beagle came down with It in the spring (and then the other two dogs). The biggest problem with CIV as I understand it is secondary infections developing into pneumonia. CIV is extremely contagious and can survive on surfaces for a while; our vet figures it came in our hands or clothes after a stop at the pet store for dog food.

Call your vet and let them know you have a possible upper respiratory issue before you go - they may have you go to a different area to wait, or come out to your vehicle to examine your dog (what our vet has done) to try to protect others from transmission if it is CIV.


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[GoingPostal]

Kennel cough usually gets worse fast, how long has he been doing it? The vaccine isn't very effective, much like the flu vaccine for us so dogs can still get it anyways, it's why a lot of people and vets don't bother with it anymore. Coughing and hacking with low energy would make me concerned for heart issues but if he runs around without issue at the dog park probably not. It could be a trachea issue, sometimes dogs have it where they partially collapse or close up and that can cause coughing. Either way I would get him in soon, if it's a illness you don't want it to turn into pneumonia.

[Daigga]

The technical name for kennel cough is bordatella, which is probably how it is listed on the records/receipts. It is given as either a nasal spray or an injection. I'd be surprised if he hasn't had a bordatella vaccination.

The other possibility in Canine Infuenza Virus, which has been running riot in some areas. It only made the jump from another species (I forget which) to dogs in the last decade or so, so most Dogs have no immunity to it. There is a vaccine, although if it protects against the most recently detected strain was unclear when I was researching CIV when our beagle came down with It in the spring (and then the other two dogs). The biggest problem with CIV as I understand it is secondary infections developing into pneumonia. CIV is extremely contagious and can survive on surfaces for a while; our vet figures it came in our hands or clothes after a stop at the pet store for dog food.

Call your vet and let them know you have a possible upper respiratory issue before you go - they may have you go to a different area to wait, or come out to your vehicle to examine your dog (what our vet has done) to try to protect others from transmission if it is CIV.


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Well his records show that he got a bordatella shot at his last appointment about 7 months ago and isn't due for another one until next year. Guess I should have checked that first, but does that rule out kennel cough? A google search is showing me there was an outbreak of canine influenza in the Dallas area back in May, and Odin has been to several areas in the metroplex since then (Mostly between Irving and Rockwall since we take him to my parents house with us every Sunday, but I did take him to the dog park at white rock lake about a month ago) and it's possible he's been exposed?

He's been having what we thought were minor allergies since the weather changed. Just a little bit of lethargy, minor goopy eyes (like when a person has sleep in their eyes, no kind of film or anything), and some scratching/licking on and off, but no nasal discharge and the coughing is brand new just in the last week. A vet tech friend of mine suggested giving him a baby benadryl for it, but it didn't seem to help any so I only gave him the one pill and quit.

[Prognathodon]

I'd be getting hi to the vet sooner rather than later. Some dogs don't seem sick unless/until they're really sick. One of the huskies we used to have went through a bad bout of bordatella and two rounds of pneumonia over the years, so I tend to jump on possible RIs hard.


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[AxRegius]

Hello. I agree the bordetella vax isn't as protective as some of the other vaccines. There's many different strains of the disease so the few types we vaccinate for doesn't cover all of them. About how old is your dog if you havent stated it already? Any known heart murmur? Any exercise intolerance you've noticed?

[Daigga]

I'd be getting hi to the vet sooner rather than later. Some dogs don't seem sick unless/until they're really sick. One of the huskies we used to have went through a bad bout of bordatella and two rounds of pneumonia over the years, so I tend to jump on possible RIs hard.


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I'll see about moving his appointment up, but it's hard since the husband and I are usually working the same hours as the vets office and they're closed on Sunday. I'm only off on Sundays and Mondays, so it's a bit of a challenge to get him in.

Hello. I agree the bordetella vax isn't as protective as some of the other vaccines. There's many different strains of the disease so the few types we vaccinate for doesn't cover all of them. About how old is your dog if you havent stated it already? Any known heart murmur? Any exercise intolerance you've noticed?

He's 2 years old and had his last bordatella shot in March. Nothing has come up with his heart in any previous visits and he's certainly not exercise intolerant in any way. When he's at the park or my parents house you wouldn't know he was tired at all until I get him into the car where he finally lays down and rests, and if the park is full of other dogs he'll resist attempts to leave until I catch him, even if we'd been there for over an hour.

[Timelugia]

Part of the reason I'm agitated with this vet is that he's almost a month late for several shots (including his heartworm shot) and I never got a call to remind me to schedule an appointment even though I pay monthly for a plan...

Wow. That is not good. You don't want to mess with heartworm. And no, your vet should not be taking your dog into the back room for shots. What happens if you ask him to give the shots in front of you?