How to Spot a Canine Respiratory Infection in Your Dog

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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