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My dog has kennel cough. What OTC meds or home remedies can help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund miniature | Male | neutered | 6 years and 10 months old | 15 lbs

I think my dogs have kennel cough. Are there any over the counter meds that will help them?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Amber W

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on September 22nd, 2017

Unfortunately there is nothing very helpful over the counter that can be given for kennel cough. You can try to run a hot shower and let them inhale the steam for 10-15 minutes as sometimes this will help with airway congestion. The good news is that most dogs recover from kennel cough on there own fairly quickly. Make sure they keep eating and drinking normally because if they are stop this can be a sign of a more serious illness. If they aren't feeling better within a couple days or at any point their symptoms get worse you should have them examined by your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I hope Tango is feeling better soon!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on March 18th, 2015

    Kennel Cough can be both viral or bacterial in nature, so treatment may vary depending on the cause of your dog's cough. If your dog is experiencing a bad cough, or signs of a bacterial infection, then making an appointment with your local vet is best as medications used to treat chronic cough are regulated and not usually available over the counter, and antibiotics may be needed if the cause is bacterial. Do NOT give any over the counter medications to your dog without first consulting a vet, as the dosage, amount and duration may be different in dogs than humans, and some medications may be toxic to pets. For viral Kennel Cough, caring for your dog's symptoms and helping him to overcome his illness are best. Make sure he is well hydrated, still eating and has plenty of rest to help recover. As Kennel Cough is contagious, keeping him away from other dogs until his symptoms resolve will help stop its spread. If your dog frequents locations such as the dog park, day cares, or kennels, it is a good idea to start him on a vaccine protocol for Kennel Cough. The vaccine can be given either yearly or every 6 months, and is usually given in the nose or mouth. This does not protect against all types, but is useful in preventing and lowering the chances of Kennel Cough in the future.

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    Answered By Chad Brown, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 8th, 2018

    Hello and thank you for your question. Because all of the cough medicines that are over the counter are not labeled for dogs, we cannot recommend any of these medications to you because we have not examined your pet. However, your regular veterinarian has multiple anti-tussive medications at their clinic that can help with this cough. Even if they do not have these medications at their clinic, they can write a prescription for you at a human pharmacy for you to pick them up. So yes, there are many different cough medications that you can give your pet but it has to be at the recommendation of the pets regular veterinarian. Thanks a lot for your question. I hope I have given you some help.

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