Kennel Cough | Causes | Symptoms |Treatment

If you have a pet living with you, you probably know a thing or two about how devastating parasites can be to pet dogs.

Its unrelenting infections like tracheobronchitis, which many pet owners commonly know as the kennel cough that may be keeping you awake at night as your pet may be coughing and gagging all night, and it may have left you wondering why do my dog gag and cough at night?

Well, a canine respiratory infection caused by a bacterial parasite Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus may have been overlooked overtime and now it is escalating.

And if your pet has suffered lately, coughing phlegm or white foam at times, she may have been under attack from the pathogens that invade the cilia lining of the respiratory tract and cause inflammation of the upper airway.

What To Watch For?

In most cases, your pet dog may begin showing signs of hacking away if not constantly making noises that make it sound like he’s choking on something that has lodged into her throat. Once you notice things like that, they are usually tail tell signs that he may have a developing case of kennel cough, or what others know as canine infectious tracheobronchitis.

Make no mistake, the mention of kennel cough can be alarming and a real cause for concern to the majority of pet owners!

I mean, it really makes it sound terrible, but I can assure you that there are properly documented evidence that backs the fact that most pets whose immune system is in good standing, will shake it off and it is not considered not to be a serious condition, as said, most dogs will recover without the need for treatment.

Kennel cough treatment

Treating kennel cough is often done with a round of doxycycline, Clavamox or Baytril which are not ideal for dog’s gut bacteria.

Herbaceous home remedies are always the best and as a bonus, your pet may also not have to visit your local veterinarian for a prescription round of the menacing antibiotics to help the dog fight parasite infection to recover at a much faster rate.

Natural herbal extracts and mixtures administered orally in controlled doses can go a long way to avoid some of the most widely prescribed medications for Kennel Cough.

Don’t get me wrong, over the counter rounds like Baytril, Doxycycline, and Clavamox helps the dog to get healed from kennel coughs.

However, because these medications are aggressive in the way they kill bacteria inside your dog’s gut and intestines, your dog is often left suffering from indigestion as the good bacteria, the dog will require for digesting food inside their gut is depleted to the lowest levels.

And that leaves them vulnerable to other infection as dogs with a low supply of gut bacteria will eat other dog’s poo, rotten rodents, grass and other nasty things that expose them to infections.

Is kennel cough contagious to humans?

Kennel cough is a highly infectious respiratory disease in dogs. … The evidence of transmission of bronchiseptica from pets to people is relatively weak and circumstantial – it is not clear whether the human Bordetella infections in these cases were truly due to contact with a pet.

How do dogs get kennel cough

If your pet dog is coughing and gagging, she may have contacted the parasitic viruses known to make dogs more susceptible to contracting the contagious Bordetella infection, canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, canine herpesvirus, parainfluenza virus, or canine reovirus.

The commonplace for healthy dogs to catch the kennel cough is mostly when they come into contact with an infected host. This can be through licking the host, sniffing each other which dogs may inhale bacteria or virus particles into their respiratory tract.

Like it or not, Dogs, much like humans deal with various parasite infections that are said to be prevalent in nearly 50% of the pet dog population in American.

Parasites like Heartworms are as a result of foreign pathogens that make their way into your pet’s bodies through a whole range of ways and methods including dogs who drink unclean water, shellfish, eating infected pork products and other forms of contaminated food.

In fact, apart from the popular coughs in pet dogs, the majority of dogs suffer from common internal parasites like tapeworms, heartworms, Candida – yeast, and pathogenic bacterial infections.

Without a doubt, there are numerous ways to treat pet ailments these days. The old and new, natural and scientific medical treatments are all available at the flick of your fingertips.

Yet there is also a growing list of pet owners who are conflicted and wondering if choosing natural ways to kill pet parasites is a prudent way.

And truth is that most dog owners know very well the risks of their beloved pets catching dog heartworms which is a relenting parasitic roundworm type of filarial worm that kills dogs slowly.

Sadly, these small thread-like worms that cause dirofilariasis are overlooked despite being avoidable with simple oral over the counter petcare medications as a preventative measure when dogs are at any stage of their development.

And if you have no idea of what heartworms are, they are long, skinny and sort of look like spaghetti. Since heartworms live inside the heart, they can cause the dog’s heart not to work properly and then the dog gets sick.

All parasitic infections like Heartworms occur in all breeds of dogs, be it the large or small, short-haired or long-haired, inside-dogs or outside-dogs.

So, do not take refuge or comfort in the fact that your pet dog looks healthy today, and she is from a well-renowned dog breed.

I share this with you, knowing too well that parasitic infections that ravages a healthy dog’s life are often overlooked, and yet the most critical and life-saving step in overcoming a ranging countless of chronic pet health challenges is available over the counter.

Good news is that even serious pet diseases like heartworms, kennel cough and many more, can now be cured with the help of various herbs known to kill parasites which can make a big difference in your pet’s health.

Imagine being able to kill parasites without affecting the good dog’s gut bacteria? You will never get that with any form of antibiotics for dogs like doxycycline for pets and other antibiotics. They are aggressive and will deplete the bacteria level overnight!

Pet dogs are always under pressure from various infections and other parasitic every day. They suffer when their gut bacteria drops and when it overpopulates as it is capable of overrunning the dog’s health.

So, for dogs, it’s a constant balancing act to adapting the production of essential gut bacteria.

But with the help of specially formulated herbal dog supplements that are made from unique compounds, can really help to ward off the overgrowth of bad bacteria and parasites.

There are huge benefits to the use of formulated herbal compounds which are typically bitter and known to be of astringent in nature.

These properties can be derived from their tree barks, roots as well as the leaves of many natural herbal plants.

You only have to look online for the best herbs that kill parasites and you will notice that there are literally tens of thousands of different anti-microbial herbs for pets.

The trouble is the majority of pet owners get easily confused in their attempts to find the best herbal astringents that will work best for treating parasites in pets.

That’s why we took our time to research and list some of the best herbal based natural treatments any pet owner can use, to particularly keep gut bacteria at manageable levels, while also effectively killing parasites that endanger pet’s life.

While the majority of herbs are uniquely formulated products, it is the responsibility of the pet owner to make choices of what natural pet treatments or supplements are administered orally or topically with the absence of clinically tested doses of some of these herbal treatments for pets.

Black Walnut For Dogs

This herb can expel intestinal worms and even heartworms. Although it’s safer than conventional veterinary dewormers, black walnut can be toxic to your dog if given at the wrong dose. … The strong tannins and alkaloid ingredients in black walnut can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and gastritis.

Why You Should Give Your Dog Black Walnut

The black walnut extract is one of very few effective topical natural herbaceous treatment for ringworms in dogs.
While that is all good news for dogs with ringworms, caution must also be taken as Juglone is considered toxic and only used in many cases as a herbicide can actually be fatal if not carefully use along with the black walnut.

As with most medication, the dosage is key here and not otherwise. So if you are going to administer black walnut to your pet, It is recommended to start with a low dosage of 1 or 2 drops per 10 pounds weight and increase by 1 or 2 drops per day until parasites are expelled.

It does not require a lot to discover that black walnut extracts can be an astringent that’s aggressive when used to kill parasites.
Under normal circumstances, Juglone’s only use outside of killing of parasites is the occasional use of it as a herbicide.

However, at a traditional level, juglone has been used as a natural dye agent for clothing and fabrics, especially wool in particularly as it is a natural ink too.

Sweet Wormwood

Oregano

Treats:

• Nail fungus In Pets
• Treats Gingivitis

Tribulus

Mimosa Pudica

Is Mimosa pudica safe for dogs?

Mimosa pudica is listed as a non-toxic plant for humans on the University of California’s list of safe and poisonous garden plants. It is also listed as safe for humans and pets on the University of Connecticut College of Agriculture and Natural Resources website.

Is Mimosa poisonous to dogs?

Toxicity. While mimosa trees are not fingered by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as toxic to dogs, studies conducted on the tree’s seed pods found them toxic to livestock. The seed pods contain neurotoxins known as gingkotoxin.

Benefits Of Mimosa Tree

• Heals pet wounds
• Improves Animal Digestion And Diarrhea.
• Helps reduce joint pains in old aged pets

Wormwood For Dogs

Wormseed, also known as Chenapodium ambrosides, is an uncommon herb with significant activity against fungi and certain bacteria.

Is Wormwood safe for dogs?

Like black walnut, wormwood’s tannins can be hard on your dog and irritating to his liver and kidneys. The FDA lists wormwood as unsafe for internal use. It should never be used in dogs who suffer from seizures, kidney problems or liver disease and should not be used in pregnant or lactating dams.

Wormwood Gets Rid Of Parasites In Dogs?

Any new pet entering the home should be tested for GI parasites as soon as possible and treated if parasites are found. If possible, prevent your pet from killing and eating rodents and other small animals. Use effective flea control to reduce the risk of tapeworms. Thoroughly wash all fresh fruit and vegetables.

So, if you are wondering. How often should you use wormwood to deworm your dog? In short 14 days in between from the first treatment of your puppy until the puppy dog is six months old.

And if you did not know, the majority of common worm infections can be kept in check (controllable ) with a routine wormwood dose worming treatment.

Especially puppy dogs which must be routinely wormed every two weeks until twelve weeks of age, then monthly until six months of age.

Beyond the six months, all dogs need to be wormed every three months for effective protection.

The takeaway here is that the majority of worming and flea treatment for dogs can easily be avoided if parasitic herbal treatments that can kill parasites like wormwood is administered in controlled dosages.

sadly most pet owners have no idea of how often should they flea and worm my dog
As I said, puppy dogs require to be routinely wormed from the time the puppies are 14 Days (two weeks) to 21 Days (three weeks) of age than from there, a follow up must be administered at fortnightly(two weekly )intervals until they are twelve weeks of age, then every month until they are six months of age.

Full grown dogs are not exempt from deworming either, so make sure that you continue to at least deworm your dogs using parasite killing herbaceous extracts like wormwood or over the count dewormers three times a year with the help of your local veterinary for the rest of the dog’s life.

Causes of heartworms in dogs

Dogs get heartworms when an infected mosquito bites them, it is impossible for an infected dog to pass heartworms to other dogs because the parasites need a mosquito to develop to the infective stage.

These heartworms go through a long series of larval stages before becoming adults so when the infective mosquito bites a dog, it leaves a bite wound creating a path for infective larvae to enter their new host.

When the larvae get into the dog, it continues their progression into adulthood over 6 months, infecting areas in and around the dog’s heart and lungs.

How to prevent Heartworms

Yes it’s possible to cure dog’s heartworms but the process is long and time-consuming, it requires hospitalization whereby the dog will be receiving injections and other treatments. So prevention is always better than cure.

Yes, it is impossible to protect your dog from being bitten by a mosquito so the best thing to do is to prevent potential heartworms larvae from completing their life cycle in the dog’s body.

The prevention is not expensive and involves semi-annual treatments of prescribed pills that manufactured to kill heartworms from before they mature and further infect the dog

Signs and symptoms of heartworms in dogs

It is really hard to tell whether a dog has adult heartworm by simply observing it, however, if you notice a cough combined with lack of energy when jogging or walking with your dog, it may be a major sign that your dog has heartworms. Below are some of the common symptoms that shoe your dog had heartworms:

• Your dog will have lower energy levels
• Changes in appetite
• Weight loss
• Difficulty in breathing
• Fainting or collapsing
• Lethargy
• Asthmatic Symptoms

These are the major symptoms that you will notice if your dog had heartworms, however, it is still advised that you see a professional to diagnose your dog before getting any kind of treatment because it is very much possible to confuse these symptoms with other ailments that may be less serious.

So if you see these symptoms we have mentioned above, the best thing to do is schedule an appointment with a veterinarian who will do proper tests and then find out the real cause of the dog feeling like that.

Heartworms treatments for dogs

Once your dog gets diagnosed with Heartworms using the most heartworm antigen test, the professional veterinarian will then do more diagnostic tests to confirm the findings.

And once it’s confirmed that the dog has heartworms a few treatment solutions will be brought to your table, which includes:

1. Use Herbal Remedies

There are many herbal heartworm remedies on the market, one of them includes a herbal called HWF, it supports the heart by cleaning the cardiovascular system from unwanted foreign substances.

The HWF remedy contains the following herbal ingredients designed to work together to detox your dog:

• Black Seed
• Hops flowers
• Apricot kernel extract
• Hawthorn berries
• Garlic
• Sheep sorrel
• Grapefruit seed extract

Natural Heartworm Treatment

These work together to fight the infection and make sure the dog is in good health

2. The use of Herbal Heartworm Formula

A formula from Steve Marsden DVM is published in the Manual of Natural Veterinary Medicine and is used successfully by holistic veterinarians to treat heartworm.

The formula includes, Ginger, Wormwood, Garlic, Thyme, Cinnamon, Peppermint is sometimes added as well, Dr. Marsden says that the formula should be used in conjunction with Bromelain an enzyme extracted from pineapples. It helps break down the dead worms.

Bromelain is available at many health stores and the recommended starting dose is 30 mg per lb of body weight, divided into two or three daily doses and given two hours away from meals.

3. Black Walnut and Wormwood

Black Walnut and Wormwood are powerful herbs, and many people have said that they are effective as well. But, due to the risk of side effects they should be used with caution, under guidance from your holistic vet or herbalist.

Strong tannins in both herbs can cause vomiting and diarrhea. So Don’t give wormwood to dogs who suffer from seizures, kidney or liver disease, or to pregnant or lactating dams.

And some heartworm treatment products and protocols that include these herbs are :

• Dr. Hulda Clark’s Pet Parasite Program,
• Systemic Formulas VRM2,
• Black Walnut and Wormwood Tincture (several brands).

Please, it’s very important to only use these with guidance from your holistic veterinarian or herbalist, because they can be toxic when used improperly.

4. Consider using milk thistle seed and Dandelion

Consider using milk thistle seed to cleanse and tone the liver of the dog, Dandelion also reduces congestion in the liver and can even help with jaundice. The leaves work as a liver tonic and the root will cleanse and detoxify the liver.

Dandelion is also an excellent herb for kidney health. You can make dandelion tea by placing two tablespoons of dried dandelion or several plants into two cups of boiling water. Steep for 15 to 20 minutes then refrigerate and give your dog two tablespoons per day.

However, whether you choose to treat it naturally or conventionally, a heartworm can be treated with less collateral damage to the other organs with these natural remedies.

Side effects of heartworms treatments

As with any medication side effects are also common with heartworm treatment.

• Many dogs experience soreness and swelling at the site of melarsomine injections (the muscles on either side of the spine). – Abscesses can also form in these locations.

We advise that you talk to your veterinarian if your dog is very uncomfortable or becomes worse over time.

Severe problems that are seen after heartworm treatment in dogs are related to the sudden death of large numbers of worms. We advise that you visit the veterinarian immediately if you notice any of the following side effects:

• The dog develops a cough or a preexisting cough becomes worse
• The dog has difficulty breathing or pants excessively
• The dog becomes weak or lethargic or collapses
• The dog’s appetite significantly decreases
• The dog begins to vomit or drool excessively or develops diarrhea