[sunniefaith]

Just got my new puppy yesterday....She was coughing and coughing yesterday. Not sure if she was trying to cough out my hair or was she really coughing and sick. Do puppies cough all the time? Going to bring her to the vet in the afternoon after work.

[PC_Man]

No, puppies don't cough all the time.

Your puppy likely has an upper respiratory infection that is commonly acquired in petshop puppies.

There are several different types of infection ranging from mild viruses or bacteria through to a nasty virus called distemper.

Distinguishing the nasty virus from the milder ones can be difficult especially if the puppy has had a vaccine recently as vaccines can give a false positive for the common test.

Make sure you keep that appointment with your vet and they will be best able to give you an idea if it is an infection and what they recommend to do from there.

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by PC_Man

No, puppies don't cough all the time.

Your puppy likely has an upper respiratory infection that is commonly acquired in petshop puppies.

There are several different types of infection ranging from mild viruses or bacteria through to a nasty virus called distemper.

Distinguishing the nasty virus from the milder ones can be difficult especially if the puppy has had a vaccine recently as vaccines can give a false positive for the common test.

Make sure you keep that appointment with your vet and they will be best able to give you an idea if it is an infection and what they recommend to do from there.

Thanks heaps!!! Sounds scary. Is it fatal? According to the papers from the pet shop, she just had her shot on 4th Mar, will it be hard for the vet to distinguish the viruses? She was coughing a little and it sounds like she was trying to get stuff out from her throat...

[PC_Man]

Distemper can be fatal in pups but may take several weeks before the signs get that bad (the virus can move into the brain and leads to fits but usually takes 2 weeks to do).

20 days after vaccine, the test should be fairly reliable but still not totally 100% - vet will need to use clinical sgns and progress to treatment often to be really sure.

Does she have any sneezing or nasal discharge? May be milder version if only cough and still eating well and playful.

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by PC_Man

Distemper can be fatal in pups but may take several weeks before the signs get that bad (the virus can move into the brain and leads to fits but usually takes 2 weeks to do).

20 days after vaccine, the test should be fairly reliable but still not totally 100% - vet will need to use clinical sgns and progress to treatment often to be really sure.

Does she have any sneezing or nasal discharge? May be milder version if only cough and still eating well and playful.

She's not sneezing. A little nasal discharge, just water. Very little actually. She loves to eat. Fed her last night and this morning and she kept going back to her food bowl looking for more. And yup, rather playful....but not as playful as my other dog in Spore.

[goodkarma]

Poor thing. Please keep us posted. It is pretty well known pet shops here are not the safest bet for the poor darlings.

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by goodkarma

Poor thing. Please keep us posted. It is pretty well known pet shops here are not the safest bet for the poor darlings.

Actually, you're right. We went to something like maybe 10 petshops in Causeway Bay. Some dogs were clearly sick and just sleeping. When hubby asked why are they not active? Some person told us that...oh, it's a well-behaved dog and therefore it's not active. We were thinking...gee...dog is obviously sick!

[sunniefaith]

PC_Man, you're right. Happy has either upper respiratory infection or distemper. We're hoping for upper respiratory infection. Vet gave us some medicine for upper respiratory infection and hopefully by 2 weeks it'll clear up, if not....it may be distemper...But there's one thing that I don't quite understand, if she's vaccinated against distemper, is there a possibility that she can still contract distemper?

[bluepiggy]

Apart from distemper, check for Parainfluenza, commonly known as "kennel cough" too if you're puppy makes an on-going, deep, hacking cough. This can be transmitted by nose to nose contact or by sharing dishes with an infected pup/dog, could've happened at the pet shop. How old is your pup? Because although she had been vaccinated, her immune system could still be weak, and should not be with unvaccinated pups/dogs. Bear in mind that kennel cough is also airborne, so it's best to just isolate your pup until a diagnosis has been established.

[goodkarma]

I don't know if I'm right or not for Hong Kong but in the US you have to have a very clear, easy to read dr's vaccination cert. You cannot just assume the puppy has been vacinated.

This cough can be honestly just spread from it's own litter but maybe not.

Don't give up like so many do.

In the future, maybe look at a shelter for buying a dog.