Kennel cough help

[hsutopia]

Hi there, I feel like I should know this or be able to figure it out, but am going out of town late tomorrow and don't have much time.  Is anyone available to help?

I just found out today that one of my dogs has been exposed to kennel cough.  A friend's young dog started coughing today, a hacking cough 3-4 times an hour, and is coughing up some green discharge.  No other symptoms- appetite & behavior unchanged.

I'd like to make sure I have the most likely remedies with me in case my dogs get sick, since I won't be able to purchase them there.  *Hopefully* their vitality is good enough to withstand it.  If you have any recommendations given kennel cough and green expectoration, I'd be most grateful.  I'm trying to look up the mini repertory KC remedies in the MM, too.

Thank you!!

 

[hsutopia]

After going through the MM, pretty certain Pulsatilla is the one to pack!   It addresses coughing, and "expectoration bland, thick, bitter, greenish".

 

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Christine-

Yup, when your pups have sufficient natural defenses (immunity) from high enough vitality and a stable enough balance, Kennel Cough exposure like this should not be a problem.

In general, Pulsatilla is a good choice. As you know, there are others, and among them I'd especially consider Aconite (for dosing at the first sign of a cough), Drosera and Ipecac.

Do you also have a full emergency kit to pack? If so, bring that also as it contains many (49) other remedies.

If not, you might want to get one when you get back.

This is the one that many of my clients use (in 30c):

Homeopathic remedies medicine remedy kits pharmacy: Homeopathy Kits/First Aid Emergency Kit

This would also be a good place to use kennel cough nosode for proactive prevention after exposures like this (but before symptoms start).

Good luck! Please let us know what happens.

 

[hsutopia]

Just wanted to give an update about what ended up happening back in October with the kennel cough. (Better late than never!)

My 3 dogs did end up getting KC (or something like it). I've listed what happened with each of them. Interestingly, my older girl who I was most worried about, had an extremely mild version. We were on vacation at a lake with the dogs while they had KC, with no one else around, so we didn't have to worry about isolating them. They swam and hiked the whole time - for the most part it really didn't slow them down.

I'm posting the timeline of symptoms and remedies for each of the dogs, and welcome any suggestions for how to improve in the future. Given how much dosing I did, I'm not sure if Drosera was the perfect choice, but it did seem to help. I'm not sure why dog #2 would be fine for a day, then have it come back again. I also wish I had responded more quickly to the sneezing/congestion on dog #1 - might have been able to shorten the duration of that part.

Dog #1 (exposed dog):

-Started coughing 8 days after exposure. Symptoms were occasional gagging, hacking cough, sometimes hacking up some white, saliva-like foam. Worse when drinking water. Better with activity. Worse overnight.

Day 1 - dosed with Aconite 30c twice, hoping that would nip it in the bud.

Day 2-3 - switched to Drosera 30c, dosing 2-3x/day - generally I'd dose every time the improvement stopped.

Day 4 - the coughing mostly stopped, so he was dosed only once with Drosera, but his symptoms changed to sneezing and congestion. Clear, watery nasal discharge. No other remedies given.

Day 5 - BEAM impacted in the AM: subdued, seeking solitude, lack of appetite, maybe some nausea (because of grass grazing). in the PM, slight coughing with neck pressure. No remedies given.

Day 6 - lots of sneezing, runny nose, and congestion. Dosed with Nux Vomica 30c (no response). Started coughing again in the afternoon so dosed with Drosera again in the evening.

Day 7- coughing went away but sneezing, runny nose, and congestion persisted. Dosed with Pulsatilla 30c. congestion went away very quickly but returned in the evening. Pulsatilla dose again. Symptoms largely gone after that.

Dog #2:

Day 1 - Possibly some coughing the day after dog #1 started. Dosed with Aconite 30c for early coughing.

Day 2-3 - Maybe a bit of coughing. Drosera 30c once.

Day 4 - no coughing, no dose

Day 5 - lots of coughing- honking cough and coughing up white foam. Drosera twice that day.

Day 6 - long reverse sneezes in the morning. still some coughing. Drosera once.

Day 7-8 - still some coughing. Drosera both days.

Day 9 - no coughing, no dose.

Day 10 - brief sneezing and snottiness. some coughing. Drosera once.


Dog #3: (13 years old)

Day 1 - Minor possible cough, 2 days after exposed dog started. Aconite 30c, once.

Day 2-4 - nothing

Day 5 - possible cough, possibly slightly labored breathing in the AM. Aconite 30c, once. Some coughing for sure in the evening, Drosera 30c, once.


Interestingly, the dog that my dog caught it from, had a slightly different manifestation. He coughed green discharge, and was put on antibiotics right away. His cough lasted about 4 days, and there was no sneezing/congestion at the end.

 

[Dana]

Help! I dont know that it is KC but Murphy started to cough a little this morning... It is not constant ...every 1-2 hours or so he will act like he has something stuck in his throat.... how do you know if it is KC and what should I do? He is also shaking his head but ears look pink and clean.

 

[Deena]

Hi Dana...My opinion ONLY. Based on his vitality, I personally would let this run it course. While you watch & learn how a healthy immune system handles things. It's hard to do at times, but an amazing experience if you are disciplined enough to put your hands in your pockets and resist intervening unless his BEAM starts to tank. If the cough gets real bad, raw honey will calm it and is also antiviral. Or find a well fitting homeopathic remedy that best matches his symptoms. KC is one of the few situations where I will dose the others with the KC nosode if it is not a good time for them all to get sick. It is highly contagious.