Dog question.....

[UT-Engineer]

I know this is not a vet forum but just thought i'd ask...

I have a 9month old 5lb chihuahua dog and it has all its shots and vaccinations. However, i believe it may have kennel cough. For the past 2 days he has been coughing and making a raspy sound.. trying to clear his throat. Anyway, has anyone experinced this issue and would it be safe to give him a low low dosage of cough medicine, say robitussin? thanks.

[angie7]

You need to get him to a vet. human meds are not meant for dogs. good luck!

[rmpackers]

Agree, NO Tussin. Needs antibiotics.

[Lbness]

yup no human drugs please for the K9
if he has been in a kennel it will go away usually within a week
Make sure he has easy access to his water and keep it clean ... change the water 3/4 times a day

[mickss]

As others have said and I`m sure more will tell you under no circumstance use medication meant for humans.

My dad and I use to breed and train Beagles and I`m very familiar with Kennel Cough, it can be caused by viral or bacterial infections. More often than not, kennel cough could be a symptom of another, and is some cases (but not always) a much worse disease. Get your dog to the vet pronto.

Another thing, if you have other pets, isolate the dog from them until the vet can determine if it is indeed a viral or bacterial infection.

Good luck.

[FenwickHockey65]

Don't try to play veterinarian by giving your animals human drugs.

If you suspect Kennel Cough, keep the dog away from other dogs and get it to your veterinarian soon.

[2ndgenz28]

Cept folks should check into it more, most drugs they give to animals are just human drugs.

They just play like its special to chagre you 3 times more then it would cost you to get it filled at a corner drug store.

I know in Europe there was big law changes, letting folks do just that.
Save money having them filled themselves when they are just human drugs.

-------

But you should never give a dog people drugs unless told so by your vet.

Ours has had us give our dog baby asprine and Benadryl before.

when Sugar had a bad rash on her belly, the vet said to go buy some Benadryl and give it to her. little 15lb dog, said to use the childrens dose.
fixed her right up.

[FenwickHockey65]

A lot of animal drugs are indeed human drugs but the dosages vary wildly. Can't tell you how many idiots I've seen walk in with a sick animal because they tried to be smart and gave their animal a human dose of (insert medicine here).

[8cd03gro]

Take it to the vet. Could be kennel cough, could be something else. It's not worth risking.

[HeatherR]

Kennel cough will need meds from the vet. Ours picked up Kennel Cough from Doggie Day Care, and make sure you mention what you're bringing the dog in for...Our vet had us bring him in the back door to avoid the waiting room...very contagiuos for other dogs.

[Sasquatch]

chihuahua's do tend to get specific cough, esophagus related, it sounds like they are choking and then ends with a "GAK" sometimes.

try to find a vet that your family knows or someone you know trusts, because they are about money and will lie to you about your pet's health to get you to pay for services and meds you dont need.


they gave one of my three chihuahuas pills for this.

[midnighter]

Bordetella Vaccine at your vet!

[NavyDood]

Originally Posted by midnighter

Bordetella Vaccine at your vet!

Yep. The kennel we take our dogs too on occasion will not take them in unless they are current on Bordatella and the yearly cocktail of vaccinations.

Get the little guy/girl to the vet pronto.

[HeatherR]

Bordetella is important, but like the flu there are different strains. Ours gets vaccinated, the day care requires all dogs have it, and we still ended up with it. So, just be aware that the vaccination is important, but you can still get it...