Ask Me Help Desk - Puppy has mild cough

I bought a Lab puppy in the beginning of November, her 1st vet appointment was on the 15 about a week after that she started to have a mild cough. At the randomest times though never when she is playing, running etc. Its always like when she's laying down, or at night when she's sleeping. She has never thrown anything up its like a hack almost you can say. Its probably Kennel Cough but it seems to be really mild she only does this about 2 or 3 times at the most a day. She's a very active and alert dog, she's been vaccinated 2 times for Bordatella. She has a vet appointment this Saturday, do you think I should take her sooner?:(

My initial reaction is if it is mild, I wouldn't panic and I would wait until Saturday. It does sound like a lower form of kennel cough and may very will be a mild reaction to the vaccine. If you think of it in people terms with the flu and the flu vaccine, people can have mild reactions to those and exhibit flu like symptoms.
But, in thinking about this whole scenario a bit more, if it was MY puppy and I were in your position, I would just give the vet a call and talk to him about it. Let him decide if it is necessary for you to bring the puppy in sooner than Saturday.

My lab does the same kind of hacking cough thing, or at least it sounds like it, kind of like an internal sneeze over and over again? I thought that it was because my doggy was getting over kennel cough but as it turns out the Vet said that it was kind of like when people get a stuffed up nose they either blow their nose or try to "sniff" it away, dogs can't blow their nose like we do so they try to suck all the gooey stuff back in. My dog is kind of unintelligent, because sometimes when she starts doing it, she has a hard time stopping. The vet also said that the stuffy nose was probably a result of some allergies and to only be worried if discolored discharge started running frequently out of her nose.

I've found that when Annie (my black lab) does this if I call her name, try to comfort her, and try to point her head upwards she stops pretty quickly.

Awww. Lindsay. That poor thing. She isn't unintelligent. My dog has the same problems and I have dealt with it for years. It is really out of their control. There actually is a difference between an adult dog having an issue such are yours and mine, and a very young puppy having the issue that Cbg's pup is going through.

Your vet's info is very much right. And your description of it is very accurate. When she has this trouble it is usually the result of what is referred to as a backward sneeze. Very often, once it starts, they can't stop. Sort of like how our hiccups work. You can take how you respond to get her to stop, one step further if you wish. When your dog has one of those backward sneezing fits, appears to be having trouble breathing, and can't seem to stop, call your dog's name as you do now, talk to her, get animated, take a toy or do anything that will refocus her attention away from her predicament and onto something else, waive the toy in front of her, get her to come to you, you can run around and create a distraction if you wish. It will stop it. After she stops the comforting begins! ;)

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Originally Posted by RubyPitbull

awww. lindsay. That poor thing. She isn't unintelligent. )

I meant unintelligent in the most loving way possible, my doggy is actually quite smart and responding to her obedience classes and crate training really well, thank God.;) :p