Experienced and professional animal trainer provide their insights in answering this question :
A. Kennel cough is a term loosely used to describe a complex of infections—both viral and bacterial—that causes inflammation of a dog’s voice box and windpipe. It’s a form of bronchitis and is similar to a chest cold in humans. The incubation period is generally 3- 10 days. Infected dogs shed Bordetella organism for 2-3 months following infection.

Most dogs with kennel cough recover completely within three weeks, though it can take up to six weeks in older dogs or those with other medical conditions. Because serious, ongoing kennel cough infection can lead to pneumonia, be sure to follow up with your veterinarian if your dog doesn’t improve within the expected amount of time. Also, if your dog at any time has symptoms of rapid breathing, not eating, or listlessness, contact your vet right away, as these could be signs of more serious conditions. Although most cases of kennel cough will resolve without treatment, medications may speed recovery or minimize symptoms during the course of infection. These include antibiotics that target Bordetella bacteria and cough medicines.

You may also find that keeping your dog in a well-humidified area and using a harness instead of a collar, especially for dogs that strain against a leash, will minimize the coughing.

How to Identify Common Pet Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced pet care professionals :

So, adding raw honey to your dog`s water, or even letting them lick it off a spoon, will help soothe their throat and suppress their coughs. Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is a strong anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-microbial agent. So giving your dog a little bit a day, can help fight off the bacteria.
Treatment. Bordetella bronchiseptica is sensitive to potentiated sulfas, chloramphenicol, quinolones, tetracyclines, gentamicin, and kanamycin. Use of antibiotics is indicated when severe or persistent clinical signs occur and should be continued for 14 days.
In the absence of culture results, tetracycline, doxycycline, or quinolones (i.e., marbofloxacin, enrofloxacin) are appropriate choices. Amoxicillin-clavulanate may be useful in mixed infections, and severe cases (e.g., pneumonia) may respond to aminoglycosides administered by injection or nebulization.
Dogs with an uncomplicated Bordetella infection will recover quickly without any treatment. Animals with a chronic cough or more severe signs associated with pneumonia may require more involved treatments and possible hospitalization.
Add Honey to Warm Water

Honey can be a great home remedy for kennel cough as it can help soothe your dog`s throat and minimize coughing. You can give your dog 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of honey mixed with a little warm water in a bowl.

Treatment. Bordetella can typically resolve without intervention but antibiotics such as doxycycline can help speed recovery. Medications to decrease coughing may also be prescribed to improve a dog`s comfort and prevent inflammation.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends erythromycin as the drug of choice in these cases except in infants 2 weeks of age or younger. The treatment should extend over 14 days for the prevention of health care-associated pneumonia.
The antibiotic of choice is doxycycline. In cases where the coughing prevents rest, anti-tussives — such as hydrocodone, butorphanol or codeine — may be prescribed.
Encourage Your Dog to Rest

Adequate rest is one of the best remedies for kennel cough. If your dog gets plenty of sleep, it will give his body a chance to fight the virus and recover properly. Put your dog in a room by himself, away from kids and other pets. This way, he will not be disturbed while trying to rest.

Adult dogs should receive a booster form of the bordetella vaccine every six to twelve months, depending on the risk factors for the dog.
A mild case can be resolved within about six days if it is caused by the parainfluenza virus. However, if the Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria has infected the dog, then the illness may last longer. In this case, the symptoms can persist for about 10 days.
Many milder cases of Kennel Cough can be treated at home with herbs and homeopathics, under the guidance of a holistic veterinarian. A trip to the vet may be necessary for persistent cases lasting more than a couple of weeks, or where the dog becomes weak with a loss of appetite or any other signs of discomfort.
Because kennel cough is contagious to humans, catching kennel cough from a dog is possible. However, the people most at risk are those with an underlying medical condition. Even then, it is still unlikely to develop symptoms.
Although there is the chance that a mild respiratory infection may become more serious, the majority of infections are typically self limiting and characterized by a mild cough that lasts 1-2 weeks.
Bordetella bronchiseptica causes inflammation of your dog`s upper respiratory system. This inflammation leads to coughing and illness and can expose your dog to secondary infections.
Is kennel cough dangerous or life-threatening? While a nuisance, kennel cough is not normally dangerous and is likely to need no treatment at all. But in puppies, elderly dogs or those with existing illnesses, the condition can be more serious and can develop into pneumonia.
In general, treatment with doxycycline (or possibly a fluoroquinolone antibiotic) is likely to be most successful. If infection is severe, further supportive care and hospitalisation may be required.
Will amoxicillin treat kennel cough? Yes, amoxicillin or doxycycline are the antibiotics I use in most kennel cough cases. Doxycycline is also a good choice to treat cases involving mycoplasma. In some chronic cases anti-inflammatories (like cortisone or an NSAID) may be used to reduce the inflammation in the trachea.
Complicated kennel cough, usually a combination of virus and bacteria, should always be treated with antibiotics and may last14-20 days. Some common antibiotics prescribed are Clavamox and Doxycycline. In more severe cases, Baytril (enrofloxacin) and a relatively new antibiotic, azithromycin, are usually effective.
Treatment for kennel cough may also include antibiotics prescribed as a preventative measure against the dog developing a secondary infection that could be more life-threatening. They may also recommend a cough medication to provide some relief from the symptoms of kennel cough.
Coughing generally worsens with activity or exercise, which can irritate the airways. Not all dogs with CIRDC will have a cough. Other common signs include sneezing and a runny nose or eyes. In most cases of CIRDC, the illness is mild, and dogs fully recover within 7 to 10 days.
The symptoms of kennel cough can last up to a month, although they often last two or three weeks. The symptoms are usually more severe in the first week, when your dog might have very regular coughing fits, with retching and gagging.
Most OTC cold medications contain decongestants that are not safe for dogs, so steer clear. Many OTC cough meds, however, like Robitussin DM, contain ingredients that are relatively safe for dogs. Check with your vet before administering a cough medicine.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Q. What’s the best way to train a dog to use a lead again?
ANSWER : A. It depends on how serious your issue is. If you need to start from scratch: Bring out the leash, place it on the ground. Click and treat your dog. Say his name, work on attention, click and treat for attention. Work with the cheese sticks, or with some chicken.. something stinky, soft, and high value. Allow him to sniff the leash, praise him, click, treat, click, treat. Pick up the leash, click treat him. Hook the leash to his collar and allow the leash to drag, click treat him. Have him just follow you around, click and treat him to hold his attention.

Then, pick up the leash, click and treat him. Then drop the leash again, click and treat. Take baby steps. Then, hold the leash while you take a step, click and treat him for following. Open the front door, click and treat him. Then, take off the leash, click and treat him, and end training.

Pick training back up in an hour, and do the same exact thing from start to finish, only this time, “finish” will be you two going outside, you clicking and treating him a bunch, and then you bringing him back inside. Work your way up slowly. You can’t expect to just bring him outside and bring him on a walk right away.

When outdoors, use a front hooking harness like the Sensible/Sensation harnesses: http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ible-harness / http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ation-harness. These harnesses will eliminate the pulling power of your pup in a positive way. This will put you in control without the use of force. Carry high value treats with you everywhere, and offer them for good walking behavior – treats like white meat chicken, cooked fish, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon, diced ham, mozzarella cheese sticks, hotdogs, all cut into tiny little pieces. The more you work on walking on-leash/attention indoors, the better it will be outdoors, remember that.

Read Full Q/A … : Proven Ways to Train Your Dog – wikiHow

Q. We have a 4 yr old lab-pit mix we raise from 6 weeks.If my husband tries to take hin by the collar and make him go out to pottie he growls.Problem?
ANSWER : A. This is not good behavior. Rather than take him by the collar, call him to come with you. If he’s not good about coming when called, you can work on that. Keeps treats on hand to to entice him out and reward him when he does go potty and he’ll come to look forward to it. Clicker training is another great way to teach a dog all kinds of things, from obedience to tricks.

Have treats on hand that you know he loves, then simply click and treat. He will come to associate the sound with getting a treat. Start putting distance between you so he has to come to you. Call and click and when he comes to you for that treat, treat him and give him lots of praise. Move to hiding somewhere in the house, call and click. When he comes to you reliably inside when you call, click and treat. When this behavior is consistent, move outdoors with a very long leash. Call and click, if he doesn’t respond, give a light tug on the leash. If he takes even a single step toward you, click, treat and lots of praise. Keep doing this until he comes eagerly. Next, try him off-leash in a securely fenced area. Call and click. At this point he should be responding well and coming easily to the call and click. If he does not, go back to the last step he performed reliably and work on that again until he responds well. Eventually, you can start not treating him every time, but still praise him. Gradually lessen the frequency of the treats until he comes just to the click and praise.

Keep training sessions short, ten or fifteen minutes to start, no more than 30 minutes at a time and do it a few times a day. Try not to do it any time he is overly excited so that he can pay attention to you. Always end a training session on a good note, even if it is just getting him to do something he already does well on command. And never, NEVER punish a dog when they come to you, no matter how far they’ve made you chase them, no matter how frustrated and angry you might be. That teaches your dog that coming to you is a bad thing.

Read Full Q/A … : Causes of Limping in Dogs

Q. My puppy refuses to walk outside on the leash. This only happens when we’re outside… Is it stubbornness or fear?
ANSWER : A. It is never stubbornness. Dogs are not stubborn, they can’t be. Dogs do not generalize well, and dogs display fearful behavior that appears to be stubbornness. Absolutely NEVER force this dog to walk outside when he is uncomfortable with doing so.. the more you force him to do it, opposition reflex – the more he will resist. The more he resists and is forced into it, the less he learns about being comfortable, and the more he becomes fearful of you and of the situation.

What you can do is carry extremely high value treats outside with you. Things like cooked white meat chicken, cooked fish, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon, diced ham, mozzarella cheese sticks – all cut up into tiny little pea-sized pieces. You can also use peanut butter in a squeeze tube. First, put on the leash indoors and begin feeding him the treats. Help him make positive associations with having the leash put on. Then, take the leash off, and start over in 10min. Put the leash on, feed treats, walk to the door, open the door, feed treats, close door, take off leash. Start over in 10min. Put on leash, feed treats, go to door, feed treats, open door, feed treats, go outside, feed tons of treats and praise. Keep Titus in his comfort zone. If he doesn’t want to go far, just feed him tons of treats where he IS comfortable going. Make sure everything is calm/happy/positive. I bet in a week of doing this, he will be happy with walk further and further all of the time. If ever he is uncomfortable, feed him lots of treats for being a brave boy, and then turn around and go back home. It’s all about keeping him in his comfort zone.. it’s all about remaining within his threshold and never forcing him to feed uncomfortable.

This is very common for puppies. The world is scary! It’s brand new to them, and it’s up to you to make their interactions and discoveries positive, happy, calm, and to never force them into anything.

Read Full Q/A … : My Puppy Won’t Walk on Leash! 3 Ways to Train Your Puppy to …

Q. My puppy will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. I’ve had her for a week now, and she still isn’t responding to any training or her name. What can I do?
ANSWER : A. Try clicker training her to come when called. Clicker training is an effective way of training you dog to not only come when called, but can be used to teach a variety of tricks and tasks.

Have treats on hand that you know she loves, then simply click and treat. She will come to associate the sound with getting a treat. Start putting distance between you so she has to come to you. Call and click and when she comes to you for that treat, treat him and give her lots of praise. Move to hiding somewhere in the house, call and click. When she comes to you reliably inside when you call, click and treat. When this behavior is consistent, move outdoors with a very long leash. Call and click, if she doesn’t respond, give a light tug on the leash. If she takes even a single step toward you, click, treat and lots of praise. Keep doing this until she comes eagerly. Next, try her off-leash in a securely fenced area. Call and click. At this point she should be responding well and coming easily to the call and click. If she does not, go back to the last step she performed reliably and work on that again until she responds well. Eventually, you can start not treating her every time, but still praise her. Gradually lessen the frequency of the treats until she comes just to the click and praise.

Keep training sessions short, ten or fifteen minutes to start, no more than 30 minutes at a time and do it a few times a day. Try not to do it any time she is overly excited so that she can pay attention to you. Always end a training session on a good note, even if it is just getting him to do something she already does well on command. And never, NEVER punish a dog when they come to you, no matter how far they’ve made you chase them, no matter how frustrated and angry you might be. That teaches your dog that coming to you is a bad thing.

Read Full Q/A … : How To Teach Your Puppy His Name – Puppy In Training

Q. Whenever I take my dog on walks he always barks at people and others dogs in my neighborhood. What should I do to resolve the problem
ANSWER : A. The very first thing to do is to make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good, happy dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.

Figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don’t give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior.

Ignore your dog’s barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don’t give him attention at all while he’s barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don’t talk to, don’t touch, or even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. Yelling at him is the equivalent of barking with him.

Get your dog accustomed to whatever causes him to bark. Start with whatever makes him bark at a distance. It must be far enough away that he doesn’t bark when he sees it. Feed him lots of good treats. Move the stimulus a little closer (perhaps as little as a few inches or a few feet to start) and feed treats. If the stimulus moves out of sight, stop giving your dog treats. You want your dog to learn that the appearance of the stimulus leads to good things.

Teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. Oddly, the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to “speak,” wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say “speak.” Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the “quiet” command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to “speak.” When he starts barking, say “quiet” and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat.

As in all training, always end training on a good note, even if it is just for obeying something very simple, like the ‘sit’ command. If you dog regresses in training, go back to the last thing he did successfully and reinforce that before moving on again. Keep sessions short, 15-20 minutes max, and do this several times a day.

Read Full Q/A … : Help! My Dog Barks & Lunges At Other Dogs! — Your Dog's Friend

Q. How can I train my 4 month old puppy to sit?
ANSWER : A. Training basic commands such as sit is very easy using a positive reinforcement method and does not require any more materials than a place to sit and some very yummy treats! When beginning to teach your dog new tricks, starting off in a distraction free area (such as a quiet room in the house) is best. The training can then expand to more distracting places once your dog has the hang of things.

Start by showing your dog a tasty treat and placing it over his or her nose. When they begin to sniff at the treat, gently move the treat backward. Most dogs will follow the treat with their head, and the backward motion will cause their back ends to sit down! Once your dog sits, reward with the treat and some praise. If your dog tends to walk backwards instead of sit, doing this technique against a wall will prevent your dog from walking backward and encourage sitting.

Once your dog has done this a few times, begin to add the word “sit” every time you put the treat above your dog’s head. Only say the word once, and then continue with the luring motion. Your dog will begin to associate the word with the action after several tries! After this, you can begin to attempt to offer the word “sit” once, and if your dog does so, reward with a treat and praise! If your dog forgets, or appears bored, stop training and try again at a later time- most puppies only have an attention span of a few minutes at most!

Read Full Q/A … : Your Puppy: What to Expect at 4 to 6 Months – Vetstreet

Q. I’m almost positive my dog is afraid of the dark! Every time I turn off the light she starts crying! Is there a way I can teach her not to be afraid
ANSWER : A. You may need to take things very slowly. First off, you should consider using a night light in the room you have your dog in. I have a night light in my room for my dog, even though I don’t feel the need to use one. You should have a handful of treats, and toss several of them to your dog. While your dog is eating the treats, shut off the light, and then turn it back on and toss several more treats to your dog. While your dog is eating the treats, turn off the light and count to three, then turn it back on. Toss several more treats to your dog, turn off the light and count to five. Turn the light back on, toss several more treats to your dog, shut off the light, count to four. Turn on the light, toss treats, turn off light, count to eight. Turn on light, toss treats, turn off light, count to five. The key is to randomly increase and decrease the amount of time the pup is in the dark. Work on it slowly, slowly build duration. Do not expect it to happen all in one session.

Read Full Q/A … : Comments for Fear of being alone in the dark

Q. How do I determine how much my overweight pet should weigh?
ANSWER : A. There are many tools to determine overweight and obesity levels in pets. A new tool, morphometric measurements and body fat index, are available to accurately determine a pet’s ideal weight; this will allow an accurate determination of the amount of food a pet should receive to achieve weight loss. Feeding the correct amount will lead to greater weight loss success.

There are many weight loss food options to help pets reach their ideal weight. Your veterinarian can help make a ideal weight recommendation. Here are some tips to help your dog lose weight in a healthy and safe way:

1. Diet: Providing a healthy and well balanced diet is essential to your pet’s overall health. Finding the right food for your dog can be a challenging process. For those overweight animals many commercial dog companies offer weight loss diets, but it is important to evaluate food labels for adequate nutritional content.

You want to ensure you are not missing other essential vitamin or mineral content. Volume of food is also important and the amount of food that works for one breed of dog may not be the same for another breed of dog. Portion control as opposed to free-choice feeding can help your dog to drop a few unnecessary pounds.

There are also prescription weight loss foods designed by veterinary nutritionists, such as Hill’s r/d (http://bit.ly/1AoENSd). Some pet owners find that home cooking is the best option for helping to provide a well-balanced and realistic diet plan. There are websites such as balanceit.com that offers recipes to fit your dog’s specific needs. Consulting with your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist to find the appropriate diet is a great way to help your dog be as healthy as possible.

2. Exercise: Another great tactic for weight loss for your dog is exercise. Whether this is through running, walking or playing with a favorite toy all of these are wonderful types of exercise to help keep your dog at a lean and healthy weight.

For those pet owners with busy schedules utilizing professional dog walking services or playtime through dog daycare services is another option. It has been shown that those pet owners that exercise regularly with their pets generally live a healthier lifestyle.

3. Physical therapy: As animals age pet owners offer encounter their favorite canine having more difficulty walking and have a dwindling desire to play with toys. Physical therapy, specifically hydrotherapy is a wonderful way to help older and arthritic animals gain more mobility and lose weight. Hydrotherapy has been proven to have several therapeutic effects on the body including, muscle strengthening, relief of swelling, decreased joint pain, less stiffness in limbs, improved circulation, weight loss, and increased tissue healing to name a few. For more information on the benefits of hydrotherapy:
http://bit.ly/1w1qqoy

4. Veterinary visit and blood work: Weight gain can also be related to underlying health concerns such as hypothyroidism or other endocrine disorders. Scheduling a veterinary evaluation and routine blood work can be another important component in increasing the longevity of your dog’s life. Conditions such as hypothyroidism that predispose dogs to gain weight can be treated with a daily medication to improve hormonal balance. If feel that your dog is unnecessarily overweight there can be an underlying health condition that needs to be addressed.

5. Healthy treats: Pet owners love the chance to reward their favorite canine companion with treats and most dogs jump at the chance to consume these delicious products. The problem is many treats, which can include commercial dog treats or table scrapes can add many unnecessary calories to your dog’s daily intake. Reading labels and making note of the calories in these treats is an important component of understanding your dog’s overall health. Treats should not exceed more than 10 percent of your pet’s daily calories. There are healthier treats that can be offered to your pet to keep calories lower yet provide a fuller sensation. A pet owner can add steamed or pureed vegetables, such as carrots, green beans or sweet potato to add more fiber and thus a fuller feeling for your dog.

Read Full Q/A … : How Do I Determine if My Dog is Overweight? – Pet Health Care

joliana smith

My name is Sarah Smith and I am a dog owner, lover, and trainer. I have been working with dogs for over 10 years and have a passion for helping them learn and grow. I am a certified dog trainer and specialize in positive reinforcement methods. I believe that all dogs can learn and that the best way to train them is to build a strong relationship based on trust and respect.