Hello,
I am new to the board and have a question about my 5 month old Basenji. She has so far been the perfect puppy, house trained, doesnt chew, and can be left in the house alone the entire day without having to worry about anything being destroyed. She lives with a long fur cat and loves to play with him, but shes been eating his fur. Lately she has been coughing to clear her throat during play (not any other time) and shes been acting a little tired. I was wondering if anyone knows how to help her and if acting tired is common among teething basenjis. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you.
Where else has she been? Like outside the house… What you are describing sounds very much like the beginning of Kennel Cough... If you read the description of kennel cough it says:
"coarse dry cough.... sounds as if the dog needs to clear it's throat and the cough will be triggered by any extra activity or exercise"
Most dogs with kennel cough recover on their own, but best to see a Vet, IMO... and it lasts from 7 to 21 days. It is highly contagious and is an air borne organism
no its not really any specific location, it doesnt happen all the time, really just after playing with the cat or after running around a real lot. it really sounds just like when the cat has a fur ball its not so much a cough but more a dry heaving throat clearing sound. as far as her tiredness, im not sure if its because shes teething and just sore or if its natural for basenjis to be quiet and nap a lot.
coughing after exercise is also a symptom of heartworm….
and no, teething doesn't really make them any more tired, or sore, in my experience.
Dog's don't really get hair balls, like a cat does…. while puppies do sleep alot it should not be any different that what you usually see... I would still be concerned if you have been around other dogs, pets stores, even to the Vets office (Twice mine have gotten kennel cough from the Vet's office)... and you have to think about maybe were you have been in the last 7 to 10 days. Teething should not make them tired... or at least it never has mine...
well she doesnt act sick at all, she just gets really active, then sleeps, she is up to date with all of her shots and has been on revolution heart worm meds. The problem really only occurs when she plays with the cat. Shes not acting sick, no loss of appetite or anything. Im going to the vet this week but was trying to get some info before i go because its not until later this week.
Just keep an eye on the cough, like I said, Kennel Cough will show most when active and playing… You said earlier that it happened during play... if it really is only when she is playing with the cat, then I would say, yes it is the fur... but still could be kennel cough... Active and then sleeping is pretty normal...
another question for anyone who has used revolution, it is tough to get the medicine directly to the skin, is it ok if it gets on fur and you massage it into the skin? I didnt even consider it being heartworm but now quercus has me paranoid
Well, your vet would let you know if heartworm was a concern in your area. And I would use whatever he or she recomends. If there is any possibility that it is heartworm, you don't want to use a preventative now. You have to get the treatment from the vet. It probably isn't heartworm, as she is pretty young to have built up enough to cause a cough I think.
Could it be that she is sneezing, not coughing? Sometimes sneezes sound like a string of coughs.
