Normal Kennel Cough Symptoms: How to Recognize the Symptoms
Normal kennel cough symptoms will appear anywhere from 6 days to two weeks after a dog becomes exposed to the disease. If you board your dog in a kennel or take him to a dog show, these are likely places that he might pick up this disease. When you adopt a pet from a shelter he could also have kennel cough even if there are no signs at the moment.
Kennel cough is an upper respiratory disease which is very contagious. If you notice that your dog has contracted this illness, you should immediately separate him from any other pets that you have, as he could transmit it to them. Make sure you wash everything that your infected dog uses until well after he is done with the disease.
Normal kennel cough symptoms are not hard to recognize. Here are the main symptoms to watch out for:
- A very intense dry cough. Your dog will cough continually and have coughing bouts. This cough will go on intermittently throughout day and night and can become very irritating both to you and your dog. You can try to sooth his throat with honey and by giving him wet food that will not irritate his throat.
- Coughing up phlegm. Your dog will cough up phlegm, many times at the end of the coughing bouts. Make sure the phlegm is a light color. It is important to keep an eye on the color of the phlegm, as a dark color is an indication of a secondary bacterial infection and the dog should be treated by a veterinarian right away.
- Nasal discharge and conjunctivitis. Your dog will have symptoms of congestion, but this is normal.
Aside from these symptoms your dog should remain alert and show no signs of distress. His appetite should remain normal.
Normal kennel cough symptoms usually last for about 10 days and should be treated like a common cold in humans. There is no need to become alarmed unless the symptoms persist and the disease takes a turn for the worse.
A dog with a good immune system is not likely to get kennel cough. This is why a good immune system is very important. If he does contract it, he will easily be able to fight it off on his own.
There are great natural pet home remedies that can be used to strengthen your dog and build his immune system. Instead of giving them the Bordetella vaccine, of which there is more and more evidence of its toxicity, you can give your dog the best health care at home, and save thousands in vet bills.
The pet health care industry is very profitable and is treating our pets with a lot of synthetic chemicals which are very damaging to their immune system. Bordetella, as well as many other vaccines and prescribed medications, cause severe damage to their immune systems and will weaken them to fight off other diseases in the future.
You can prevent normal kennel cough symptoms or at least have a healthy dog who will have no further complications by taking charge of the health care of your dog. Learn about the hundreds of different pet home remedies that you can use effectively for all kinds of diseases.
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