My dog's kennel cough won't go away. Is it serious? What can I do?

Question

Lucky was adopted on 10/8, he caught kennel cough at the shelter & received antibiotics there. On 10/13, the cough had not gone away & I took Lucky to a vet. The vet prescribed hydrocodone cough syrup & rimadyl. Due to an issue with the pharmacy, Lucky did not begin medication until 10/17. He still has the cough, it is awful at night. His nose runs & he sometimes will spit up mucus (mainly the morning). How much longer will it be before this goes away? Can I do anything to speed up the process? Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 10 years and 9 months old | 10 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Lucky! I'm sorry to hear that he's sick. Kennel cough usually runs its course in 7-14 days even without treatment, and the duration of illness is typically quite a bit shorter with antibiotics. So I'm concerned that he's still coughing so much at this point - even without any treatment, he should have gotten over his cough by now. Rarely, kennel cough can progress to a more serious infection such as pneumonia. It's also possible that Lucky has some other medical condition that is contributing to his cough, such as heart disease or chronic bronchitis. I would recommend taking him back to the vet for a recheck since he's still sick - your vet may want to try a different antibiotic, or may recommend some diagnostic testing such as blood work or chest x-rays to get a better idea of what's going on. In the meantime, you can try bringing him into the bathroom with you while you take a hot shower. The steam and humidity often help to break up congestion and may temporarily help him to feel a bit better until you are able to see the vet.

My dog's kennel cough won't go away. Is it serious? What can I do?

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