[purelegance]

a few weeks ago, i finally gave in and got DH "a real dog" (aka.. not a chihuahua). he's a german shepard/beagle mix. then last week, my poor chihuahua started coughing & had a fever & runny nose, basically the flu. i've never called a vet so fast in my life! she's been on antibiotics & robotussin for about a week now and she's finally feeling better!! no more coughing or hacking and she ate twice as much for her dinner. such a relief. she's my other baby. i think she knows the new dog got her sick, she's been chasing him all around the house for the past 20 minutes. just picture a chihuahua chasing a beagle sized dog, and that's what my house looks like right now. "never get me sick again!" poor DH, the chihuahua's still going to run the show around here.

[MommaColleen]

Glad your dog is feeling better, doesn't it stink when they are sick? That is funny that your chihuahua is setting the ground rules.

I remember when we got our doberman (Apollo) we had a 15 year old shepard collie (Goldie). She was older (and soon smaller than the new dog) and didn't get around all that well. Apollo tried to come in and act all dominant...Goldie would not have it. It was like she got her second wind and used to chase Apollo away when he tried to take her toys or food. Even towards the end of her life when she was blind she still made him realize who was there 1st and in charge.

[DivasMomma]

I worked at a puppy store for years (just stopped a few weeks ago actually) and kennel cough is way to ocmmom. Ill give you the scenrio of how the puppies get to the store, and why they wind up sick.

These trucking companies pick the puppies up, could be from a breeder where they take great care of them, or a puppy mill where they will already be sick. The trucking companies make about 5 stops at different places, usually a mix of both good and bad.
They take the dogs and stick them in cages, usually 2-3 pups in each. They dont get food and water in the cage because the trucking companies do not have to let them out to go to the bathroom (which isnt HORRIBLE because they arent trained yet anyway) If it is a long trip they are supposed to be feed morning and night. The prob is. they dont clean the cages the whole trip either. Sometimes these pups are on the road for days. There has been way to many times to count that the dogs have come into the store off the trucks and need baths because they are SOAKED in their own urine and feces. Its a shame. You wouldnt even want to know how many pups ive seen on the verge of death getting of that truck.

Anyway now that everyone is depressed that is where kennel cough starts. And its airborne, so once one has it, that whole store does UNLESS they have a great policy like my old work and seperate the new pups for a week before they bring them on the show floor with the other healthy dogs.

Also, a pup can get it on the street, just like a kid can get a cold on the street. Since it is airborne, its common to get.


dont be alarmed if ur baby still coughs from time to time at night, in the am when she wakes up, or after playing rough. all it is, is a bunch of mucus build up and it will go away eventually. I have known some dogs thats are still coughing a full yr later!

[purelegance]

a full year? good grief. chihuahuas already have trachea problems as-is, so i'm used to a little bit of coughing. it was the runny nose that had me freaked!

we adopted the dog from spca, his owner surrendured him, but he was only there about a week before we got him. they're the only spca in the county, and "largest" in the state (they only hold about 20 dogs, that's why it's in quotes), so they're pretty full. i don't blame the spca, which my vet was concerned about. i just wanted my baby healthy! i feel bad though, my mom's chihuahua got it too, but not nearly as bad. she just has a slightly worse than normal cough.

puppy mills are horrible & exactly why i will never buy a dog from a pet shop. adoption only, unless i'm working extremely close with a breeder.

[Samual]

Hearing this is odd as here you cannot buy dogs in petshops, you can only get one from a rescue shelter or a breeder.