dibbons
Well-Known Member
Our loyal, well-behaved French poodle "Corazon" was coughing every once in awhile until the early morning of November 5, 2019. I lost count, but it was between 50 and 100 times she coughed/gagged/swallowed in a row. I thought if she didn't stop she was going to die. Continued to cough all morning, but episodes not as severe as the first one.
Our mainstay veterinarian prescribed one does 1 ml. of liquid "Meloxicam" daily, used to treat pain and inflammation. His prognosis was not encouraging because now approaching 11 years old, he believed Corazon (which means "heart" in Spanish) had an irregular heartbeat which was causing the coughing by way of an oxygen problem of some sort. I am still hoping that is not the case.
Corazon kept coughing many times daily since then. Maybe less frequently every day, but no sign of a cure. So last Wednesday I decided to search for a veterinarian that offered x-rays and dropped by that office for a second opinion (and hopefully shoot an x-ray to examine the esophagus, heart, and lungs).
The second veterinarian took his time with the exam (similar to the first vet) and concluded Corazon had clear lungs and a regular heart rhythm. He refuted my claim for an x-ray (would have cost an additional $39.00 USD) as being unnecessary in this case. He explained the possibility of a contagion causing the problem, although Corazon has contact only with our second (now healthy) dog, a four-year old Doberman. He administered a dose of Bordetella vacinne via the nasal passages and gave me two half-tablets (anti-inflammatories) to administer that night and the following morning. He explained that this particular vaccine was shown to be effective even after the illness had been diagnosed (hard to believe-but I was hoping for the best). I was charged about $32.50 USD for the exam and meds.
That evening at dinner time, I gave Corazon the first half-tablet. I recorded her coughing spells after 7:00 PM which worked out to about once every half hour. She slept in her little dog house in the corner of our bedroom. During the night, things were all quiet.
The morning after the treatment Corazon coughed on several occasions. Then I left her home along and took the Doberman back to the same veterinarian for the same Bordetella vaccine, just as a preventative measure. I returned home to find Corazon never having coughed even once the rest of the day, last night, or early this morning. Seems like a miracle.
Doing searches on the Internet, one finds many possible causes for ugly, hoarse, persistent coughing. "Kennel cough" is stated to have often resolved itself after 3 to 6 weeks. I don't know what has transpired here, but apparently Corazon has snapped out of it. Let's keep our fingers crossed. This is posted in case anyone on the forum runs into a similar situation.
P.S. Her behavior during this episode was not at all different, although it seemed she ate a little less and slept a little more.
Our mainstay veterinarian prescribed one does 1 ml. of liquid "Meloxicam" daily, used to treat pain and inflammation. His prognosis was not encouraging because now approaching 11 years old, he believed Corazon (which means "heart" in Spanish) had an irregular heartbeat which was causing the coughing by way of an oxygen problem of some sort. I am still hoping that is not the case.
Corazon kept coughing many times daily since then. Maybe less frequently every day, but no sign of a cure. So last Wednesday I decided to search for a veterinarian that offered x-rays and dropped by that office for a second opinion (and hopefully shoot an x-ray to examine the esophagus, heart, and lungs).
The second veterinarian took his time with the exam (similar to the first vet) and concluded Corazon had clear lungs and a regular heart rhythm. He refuted my claim for an x-ray (would have cost an additional $39.00 USD) as being unnecessary in this case. He explained the possibility of a contagion causing the problem, although Corazon has contact only with our second (now healthy) dog, a four-year old Doberman. He administered a dose of Bordetella vacinne via the nasal passages and gave me two half-tablets (anti-inflammatories) to administer that night and the following morning. He explained that this particular vaccine was shown to be effective even after the illness had been diagnosed (hard to believe-but I was hoping for the best). I was charged about $32.50 USD for the exam and meds.
That evening at dinner time, I gave Corazon the first half-tablet. I recorded her coughing spells after 7:00 PM which worked out to about once every half hour. She slept in her little dog house in the corner of our bedroom. During the night, things were all quiet.
The morning after the treatment Corazon coughed on several occasions. Then I left her home along and took the Doberman back to the same veterinarian for the same Bordetella vaccine, just as a preventative measure. I returned home to find Corazon never having coughed even once the rest of the day, last night, or early this morning. Seems like a miracle.
Doing searches on the Internet, one finds many possible causes for ugly, hoarse, persistent coughing. "Kennel cough" is stated to have often resolved itself after 3 to 6 weeks. I don't know what has transpired here, but apparently Corazon has snapped out of it. Let's keep our fingers crossed. This is posted in case anyone on the forum runs into a similar situation.
P.S. Her behavior during this episode was not at all different, although it seemed she ate a little less and slept a little more.
Last edited:
