My B is wheezing/coughing!!

[seanb]

I would like to say first, that i am a relatively new dog owner, and i hope my question isn't too remedial. I brought my rescued Basenji Zoe home on Tuesday, that night I bought her some treats, a couple squeaky toys and one of those animal hooves with the peanut butter stuffed inside. she absolutely loved the animal hove and proceeded to devour it immediately :D. That night and the next day, I noticed that she was wheezing/coughing every once in awhile, maybe for about 5 seconds or so.

Wednesday night i brought her a small/medium sized smoked turkey bone. I think it was a turkey bone, I'm not 100% sure, but i know it was some sort of real animal bone, that i got from Target. Anyways, she loved the bone just as much as the hove, and went to town. About 30 minutes into her chewing the bone, i noticed that chunks were coming off the bone and it was breaking apart pretty quickly. So after she lost most of her interest in the bone, i picked it up and put it away permanently: cause it didn't seem like a good idea to me, to let her continue chewing on a bone, that was breaking apart like that.

Zoe was still making wheezing/coughing sounds yesterday afternoon and this morning, even after i took away the turkey bone the day before yesterday . She doesn't seem to have much of an appetite either, but that might be because its a new type of food for her, or she doesn't like the type of food I'm feeding her. Since i took the bone away, all she has had as far as treats is raw hide bones and soft doggy treats. I'm not sure what is wrong with her and its really making me very worried, cause i don't want anything bad to happen to my Zoe.

Has anyone had this experience before? Is there a piece of bone possibly caught in her throat, or is this a sign of something worse? I plan on taking her to the vet today or this weekend, to get her a general check up, make sure she is up-to-date on her shots and what-not. I would GREATLY appreciate anyone's insight and/or advice.

[lvoss]

If she came shelter it could kennel cough. It could also be caused because of bone splinters. It would be good to let your vet know what happened and check her out.

[seanb]

@lvoss:

If she came shelter it could kennel cough. It could also be caused because of bone splinters. It would be good to let your vet know what happened and check her out.

What can i do to alleviate the bone splinters? Is this a serious health issue, that i should be concerned about?

[seko]

If it is a piece of bone stuck in her throat or kennel cought you sure should be concern!

[lvoss]

Yes, this could be a serious issue. It can require surgery. It is something that a vet would need to evaluate. Kennel cough is less serious, usually a course of antibiotics but still requires a vet visit.

[seanb]

Trust me I am VERY concerned :(. I will be making a vet appointment this afternoon. What sort of tests/procedures should i expect? Cost? Hopefully my trial pet insurance, that the shelter gave me, will cover this.

Does anyone have recommendations, for a good clinic in the King County or Pierce County area in Washington State?

[lvoss]

They will do a physical exam. They will listen to her chest sounds. From there it will really depend on what they think is going on based on how she acting, the information they have, and what they got from the exam. Bloodwork is often a place to start when a dog is not eating and acting off. They may want x-rays to check for evidence of bone splinters.

Prices vary by area of the country, vet office etc. An office visit around here is $50, bloodwork is anywhere from $100-$150, x-rays are about $75 per view, antibiotics can run around $40 for 10-14 day course.

[seanb]

@lvoss:

They will do a physical exam. They will listen to her chest sounds. From there it will really depend on what they think is going on based on how she acting, the information they have, and what they got from the exam. Bloodwork is often a place to start when a dog is not eating and acting off. They may want x-rays to check for evidence of bone splinters.

Prices vary by area of the country, vet office etc. An office visit around here is $50, bloodwork is anywhere from $100-$150, x-rays are about $75 per view, antibiotics can run around $40 for 10-14 day course.

Yea, I talked to a local vet and, that is about spot on. Is there anything i can do myself, before my vet appointment tomorrow, to help with the possible bone splinters?

[sharronhurlbut]

If you contact the Evergreen Basenji club, they can share with you vet info in your area.
That is, vets who are knowledgable about b's.
www.evergreenbasenjiclub.org

[lvoss]

If the splinters are already lodged then probably not. High fiber foods to help add bulk to the stool and help cushion any splinters that are passed may help. Canned plain pumpkin is a good source of fiber.

[seanb]

Thanks for all your help everyone. I took Zoe to the vet last night, and the doc said that it's most likely a slight case of kennel cough, she did not see a need for antibiotics. But told me to watch her, to see if her symptoms worsen. The vet ruled out bone fragments, due to the fact, that she does not exhibit signs of pain when eating or drinking and, there is no sensitivity when touching her throat area. I also bought Zoe some new food today (Nature's Recipe) and a Kong toy to chew on, instead of bones. I will pick up a can of plain pumpkin, just to be on the safe side. I am SOOO glad now, that I know my B is ok :D. Hopefully the kennel cough will run its course on its own. Does anyone have any advice on how I can keep the symptoms from possibly getting worse and or how I can make my b get better, faster?

[sharronhurlbut]

I think its like a cold in humans, you just have to let it run it course.
Glad its nothing worse.
Hugs from my house to yours.

[wizard]

BTW, I would dump the rawhide - its' not digestible and I have always had problems with my dogs in the past - frequently it would get soft enough that they would swallow the remainder whole and that always caused problems.

[sharronhurlbut]

I agree, rawhide is bad for most dogs.
I never give it to my 2.