Kennel Cough Relief

[Dr. Jeff]

Dr. Sara just posted this great info in another thread.

I have re-posted it here so everyone who gets the weekly digest of forum topics can see it:

Kennel Cough (KC) is a name for a contagious form of tracheobronchitis. Tracheobronchitis is an inflammation of the trachea (windpipe) and bronchii (big tubes between the trachea and the lungs). Infectious tracheobronchitis is called kennel cough because dogs that are in close quarters in kennels can easily spread the disease. It is relatively rare for a dog to get KC without close contact with an infected dog.

Irritation tracheobronchitis is another matter! It can cause change in the voice and a gagging or honking cough quite similar to KC. I had some tracheobronchitis yesterday morning after enjoying myself at a noisy wedding on Saturday night. Irritation tracheobronchitis can be caused by overuse of the voice, chewing on irritating plants, excess exposure to irritants like pollens or dust, taking in too much water during a swim - anything that could irritate those upper airways. Irritation tracheobronchitis responds quickly to soothing drinks. I will use Throat Coat tea, as it has soothing demulcents, or raw local honey, or coconut oil. It is most likely that Murphy had irritation tracheobronchitis, and your treatment was fine.

Infectious tracheobronchitis (kennel cough or KC) tends to last longer because there is an infectious agent perpetuating the irritation. The KC organism, whether bacterial or viral, has the goal of the causing the host to cough to enhance the spread of the organism. The KC organism, like most efficient parasites, doesn't have the goal of making the animal feel horrible, as that would decrease the spread of the organism. That is why most animals with infectious KC are pretty normal except for the hacking cough. If an animal has low vitality, they may feel quite ill, but that is the exception. Most animals with KC feel pretty good, but cough for two weeks.

I have had a number of patients develop KC after boarding - the typical deep, honking cough which persists throughout the day. All of them responded within a few days to soothing local treatment and appropriate homeopathic prescribing. I have used Aconite, Spongia, Rumex, and KC nosode, depending on the signs.