CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Health => Topic started by: maddy74 on May 20, 2012, 12:02:54 PM
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Sorry to post again about Willows cough. I posted about a week and half (ish) ago to say about 6 days after her spay Willow began coughing. To cut a long story short took her to the vets and he said it was kennel cough. At the time she was coughing more at the time of getting excited or during running about, very rattly first thing in the morning etc and following being still and after sleep etc. . She generally was more sleepy than usual and looked un happy.
We were given anti biotics and anti inflammatories and within a few days saw an improvement.... The improvement continued until early last week at a guess. From which time her cough doesnt seem to have improved further!! We returned to the vets on thurs (our usual vet is away) and he said her throat that was swollen the previous week felt better and she seemed more full of life. He said to take her off the anti inflams and weve got another weeks worth of anti biotics. He said the cough will probably last another week.
My concerns are, she is still coughing and sometimes gagging, mostly at night (quite a bit) she is her own worst enemy as she has never been a big drinker so I am guessing this is not helping. She coughs quite a bit still after she has been sleeping and when she has been static and first moves, also she sounds like she has a tickle and has been coughing whilst asleep too. When excited she coughs a little but its worse during the night. When we play in the garden she has an initial cough and then runs around like a loony and rarely coughs during these times... I thought Kennel cough was the opposite them coughing following exercise or excitement. (this is how it was initially)
I do have an active imagination and worry often too much about my fur baby, but as she is coughing more when static and more at night, have we been given the right diagnosis? I cant help thinking that maybe some damage was done to her throat during anesthetic, how common is this as she was fine prior to the op!!?? :'( :'(
Sorry for another long post and thanks in advance.....
Maddy xx
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Hi Maddy,
poor Willow and poor you.
Millie has been under anaesthetic several times, and she also suffered from KC after having her pyometria, which was the last time she was anaesthetised.
Although her 'rattle' subsided she has obtained a dry gagging cough - this happens usually when she's been lying still for some time and then gets up quickly and becomes excited - for example when we come home, or after lots of play. We've mentioned it to our vet, but her chest is clear, there's nothing visible in her throat and her breathing is normal.
I put it down to 'damage' caused by the tubing whilst under anaesthetic, though whether or not this is the case I have no idea - and without anaesthetising her and putting another tube down there with a camera or something, we're not likely to find out, and I'm not having that done!
Jennie on the other hand has been anaesthetised more times, and especially recently and she doesn't suffer from this at all.
All this said Millie doesn't cough whilst static, nor whilst asleep / over night - it is only upon moving after being still and getting excited. It's possible that Willow is still just recovering from her KC. Thinking about her in terms of being poorly as a person - when I had my last chest infection my cough hung around for weeks and weeks, a stupid tickly dry cough which made me gag and was always worse when lying down and over night.
If she doesn't drink a lot perhaps you could encourage her to drink more by making some chicken stock ice cubes up - my 3 love them.
big hugs for you and Willow xx
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Thanks Kelly,
Im thinking today it seems a bit worse but she kept me awake most of the night!! I didnt know whether to give her the rest of the anti inflammortories as I still have a few days worth and see my regular vet when she returns from her hol??
I know what you mean when we have been unwell we take a while to get rid of the cough. I guess the worry is I thought I would be seeing an improvement on a daily basis as the vet said it was a mild dose... Also I am mindful she has not had off lead exercise for 2 and half weeks and if its not kennel cough its not fair to keep her confined to the garden.
I did give her ice cubes initially but she soon lost interest, do you mean you add chicken juices to water and then freeze, I am cooking chicken today?
She just isnt right and although others (friends etc) have said she is fine as she is running about she isnt herself, the neighbour hit the nail on the head when she said the other day, "She has lost the sparkle in her eyes". :'( :'(
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ps the only way of getting her to drink outside the approx 6 sips a day of water she has max (she does have wet kibble so wont dehydrate) is at the moment to put a teaspoon of nat yog in with her honey water or to add a few flakes of tuna into the water.... I dont want to encourage fussy habits but at the same time I need her to drink to lubricate her throat!!
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Aww Maddy i do feel for you, it's such a worry when they aren't right and we wish they could tell us :'(
I don't have any experience myself of K.K but are you trying the Manuka off of a spoon rather than in her water (unless i have the wrong end of the stick)as if she rarely drinks she won't be getting much of the honey.
MY friends dog was poorly for around 2-3 weeks with K.K so maybe Willows isn't as mild as first thought :-\ I'm sure she will rally round eventually she has had her spay and now this to contend with so she bound not to be "bright eyed" and bushy tailed as they say.
:bigarmhug: to you and Willow,wish i could be more help.
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Thank u toni uk, She will drink the honey if mixed with water and nat yoghurt, although not all the time!! She isnt mega keen on taking the honey off the spoon!! Strange doggy :005:
Just strange no improvement for a few days, she has been okay in general with it with exception of the first few days when she didnt play as much and didnt want to eat. Sometimes I look at her and wouldnt think anything was wrong and then she cough like mad and looks all sad!! :'( :'(
I am beginning to regret getting her spayed!! :'( :'( She was fine before she went in for that!!
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Aww Maddy, you and Willow are having a rough time of it. :'(
Just wanted to send some hugs :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: and hope things improve soon
Wendy, Lottie and Lola :-*
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I use a chicken oxo, crumble it up and dilute it with boiling water, then freeze in ice cube trays :)
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Thanks Wenco18 and KellyT xx
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Maddy...so sorry to hear you still having concerns about Willow and that she gets back to her old self soon and hopefully the cough goes too.
:bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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Poor Willow,It s such a worry for you Kennel cough can be so different in other dogs.My young son had touble with his tubes after his op and had croup aswell She has had a real rough time hoping she will soon be feeling better and you can both enjoy the sunny warm weather and she can run and runLots of treats for yourselves are needed
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I did give her ice cubes initially but she soon lost interest, do you mean you add chicken juices to water and then freeze, I am cooking chicken today?
Chicken juices although a tad greasy may be better than oxo Maddy as they are very high in salt,though if you do use oxo make it up so there is just a hint of taste in the ice cube.
When Ruby was ill with a bug for a few days and wasn't drinking someone here gave me the tip of saving the water i had boiled her chicken or fish in,(refrigerate it and use over several days) and add to her food or diluted with water on it's own as a drink,Ruby loved it. :blink:
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Ok, if it were me, I would be going back to the vet. Kali coughs all the time due to her palate but she is always Kali. Iykwim? It would worry me if my girls lost their sparkle and I would probably be asking for more tests.
:-\
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Just strange no improvement for a few days,
Not unusual with KC :-\ It generally takes 2 weeks to run it's course, with or without anti-b's. Add to that having the tube for anasthesia, no wonder she is having a rough time, poor little thing :luv:
Go with your gut tho, you know her the best. :shades: If you have concerns I wouldn't hesitate to ring the vet ;)
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Thanks for the advise, I will give it a few days and see how she goes, its deffo been worse today than last few days, it will be two weeks on tues that the cough started and three weeks on wed since her spay.
Sheryl what does Iykwim mean?
If her tubes have been damaged with anesthetic will this ever get better? :'( :'(
Maddy xx
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ps I started her back on the anti inflammortories tonight.... the vet said on thurs he didnt think she needed them now but after today i thought I would put her back on them until the bottle was gone, at a guess we have another 4 days worth left....
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Sheryl what does Iykwim mean?
If her tubes have been damaged with anesthetic will this ever get better? :'( :'(
Maddy xx
Not Sheryl, but it means "If you know what I mean" :blink:
Yes, it will heal, it may just be scratched, and it also dries out quite a bit when they are under
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thank you spaniel crazy ive been using this forum for about 14months now and i still struggle with some of the abbriviations :005:
When she first started coughing I did ask the vet if it could be due to the tubes but they said the sore throat would start almost straight away and only last for 2-5 days i think they said!!
Maybe the more frequent coughing is the last bit of whatever it is coming out... :-\ :-\