Recently both my dogs caught a Canine Respiratory Infection (was this Kennel Cough again?). Stetson caught the cold first and about 5 days later Linus was showing similar symptoms. It seemed to me like it was just a common cold the same one I’d get as a kid playing with all my friends on the playground. When I look back I think Stetson caught the cold in similar fashion that is playing with a group of his doggy friends. One of his friends must have had the same respiratory infection and past it on the Stetson.
Canine Respiratory Infection Symptoms
A few days after one of Stetson’s play dates he started showing symptoms of a cold. He first started blowing out his nose like there was some kind of blockage. I took a closer look and it appeared that he had a runny nose. He also started wheezing, sneezing, and hyperventilating from time to time. Besides all that Stetson acted as if nothing was wrong…his behavior was normal. I checked in with Guide Dogs of America and they asked me to bring Stetson into the veterinarian.
Veterinarian’s Recommendation
The veterinarian took a look at Stetson and also observed many of the symptoms I mentioned above. After a few minutes she recommended he start taking antibiotics. He was prescribed Doxycyclin and was to take one pill twice a day for ten days. After about seven days I noticed Stetson’s symptoms cleared up.
Antibiotics Vs. No Antibiotics
If you recall when both Stetson and Linus had kennel cough I kept Linus off the antibiotics to see if his symptoms would clear up on their own. Here’s a link to that article:
My Dog’s Got Kennel Cough…Now What?
I tried the same idea of antibiotics vs. no antibiotics with the canine respiratory infection.
Linus had the same symptoms as Stetson, but unlike Stetson I didn’t put Linus on antibiotics. I decided that because Linus did not have a loss of energy or act any differently besides his respiratory infection that I would keep him off antibiotics. I figured Linus would get better on his own after all I don’t run to the doctor at the first sign of a cold. So, I let Linus’s natural immune system fight off his infection and after about 5 days he stopped showing signs of the canine respiratory infection.
Has your dog or puppy had a canine respiratory infection? Did you give your dog antibiotics?
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My 3 cats were around a dog that had the canine respiratory infection….they are currently sneezing…can cats catch this infection from a dog? Thanks for any input on this.
I’m not too sure if cats can catch infections from a dog. However, both my dogs were around my mother’s 3 cats and my sister’s cat while they were sick and none of the cats got sick.
nice article..do not let our pets attacked respiratory disease. I realy hate respiratory infection.. .
I have to pomeranians who are seniors now, my oldest dog is 14 and my younger one
is 9. I took them into the vet for annual shots and ect. The vet said my older dog had
a respiratory infection. My older dog coughs sometimes, not all the time, and I gave
that to old age. She prescribed anitbotics and a drug to open breathing passage way.
Well the drug to open to open breathing way, made my dog pant and shake and I thought
he was dieing. I stopped giving him the breathing drug and all the panting and shaking stopped.
@Pam, I hope you’re dog is feeling better today.