My dog started coughing yesterday and by night he had many coughing spasms. I took him to the emergency Vet and was told he had kennel cough due to taking him to the dog park. He prescribed antibiotics and cough prescriptions. I didn't want to put him on anti-biotics and called my Vet and asked him about it. My Vet told me that the kennel cough was from a 'viral' and antibiotics wouldn't help but if my dog continued to get worse, he would need to take the antibiotics. Can anyone tell me why this is????? If it is a virus, why would they insist on antibiotics???? So my second question would be, how can I build my dog's immune system (besides probiotics)?

Antibiotics don't work on viruses. What they will do is make him worse.

Get some good quality colloidal silver from a health food store and add an ounce per day to his drinking water... and don't use tap water, use reverse osmosis water or filtered spring water.

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Let Food Be Your Medicine And Medicine Be Your Food.(Hippocrates)

Thank you very much....I forgot about colloidal silver. Do you know if it is true that dogs can't have grapes, onion and garlic (onion and garlic because of the sulpher?)?

Garlic is fine for dogs because it contains only a very small amount of thiosulfate, however, onions contain much more thiosulfate, so should not be given to dogs in any amount.

The odd grape can be given to a dog, however, no more than a couple at a time. This would give them the benefit of the resveratrol in the grape without the toxic effects from eating too many grapes.
Chocolate is toxic to dogs and should not be given in any amount, and same goes for aspirin, tylenol, etc..

I would try the coloidal silver ,as pinballdoctor says, put in his food often, and also you can give your dog Olive leaf extract to build his immune system.
It is true, dont give your dog grapes,onions, or chocolate, I put garlick granules about a desert spoon, in my dogs food when I make them a veg and meat caserole, which lasts them a couple of days , with their dry kibble oh and I also put a desert spoon of crushed ginger in the caserole as well, they love it, you can also add rice or pasta in the caserole.

Here's an older thread with a listing of some foods toxic to dogs.

https://www.natmedtalk.com/pet-health...oxic-dogs.html

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NatMedTalk and Beyond

kennel cough is very contageous for dogs and just because he has it does not mean that his immune system is faulty. He will get over it in a week or so.

My dog got it when he got sent to dog jail for a night. He's not had another sick day in his life and he drinks pond scum water, ditch water and eats dead animals that he finds. Just as healthy as he could be.

Your dog does not need antibiotics. Sometimes they think that if viral infections are bad, especially respiratory ones, that go on and seem to get worse over weeks, that a bacterial overlay happens and thats why they are not getting well, hence the antibiotics. I would let him cough for up to two weeks before I got worried about anything... but the colloidal silver will likley knock it out quick enough

The best thing you can do for your dog to build immunity is to feed him raw meat.... and your dog will be stronger after naturally fighting off the cough.

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One of my Samoyeds developed kennel cough after exposure at a dog park. On the second day of displaying wheezing symptoms, he was taken to the vet and put on antibiotic treatment. His response to the treatment was immediately favorable.

Kennel cough is a catchall term which covers several illnesses which dogs can contract. Kennel cough can be bacterial in origin. The main culprit of kennel cough is the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica. Kennel cough can also be caused by several viruses.

With all due respect, garlic is not fine for dogs. Alliums can cause hemolytic anemia in dogs, which is a lethal condition. Dogs with autoimmune dysfunction are particularly at risk--should not be given food from the allium family.

In consideration of the effects of foods which are poisonous to dogs, body weight and quantity of the poisonous food are of paramount importance. One grape will not kill a German shepherd, but may kill a Chihuahua.

Many dog nutritional supplements contain Vit. C. Dogs produce Vit C in their livers. Vit. C supplementation can cause the growth of large, non-malignant tumors in dogs. Depending upon the placement of the tumor, surgical intervention may be necessary, as the tumor may impair organ function, limb function, or nerve centers. Elimination of the supplemental Vit. C will reduce such a tumor, but will not cause it to completely disappear.

Many breeds of dogs are allergic to fish. One of the symptoms of fish allergy in dogs is frequent urination (sudden inability to control the bladder). Blood may also appear in the urine due to inflammation of the lining of the bladder. Cod liver oil is a wonderful treatment for old age arthritis in dogs, but it does not work well for all breeds. If a dog breed originated in a land locked country, chances are that the breed is likely to be allergic to fish because fish would not have been part of their native diet.

I neglected to address the question of building immunity in dogs. Do not overfeed the dog. Provide good exercise for the dog. Brewer's Yeast is a good supplement for dogs, very good for skin, fur and emotional attitude. Nutritional Yeast can also be used. I happen to prefer Brewer's Yeast. Dogs who are prone to problems with itching (scratch themselves incessantly, or chew on their feet) benefit greatly from Brewer's or Nutritional Yeast supplementation. Buy the tablets or powder which is marketed for humans, it is usually less expensive than products marketed for pets.

Here is a good article on using Brewer's Yeast for dogs, including dosage: https://www.ehow.com/about_5142053_br...east-dogs.html

rishi mushroom would make a good long term booster that helps with the immume system and is as safe as a herb can be for a dog

My dogs have never had kennel cough before and I never give my dog the Bordetella shot, because it only protects against 1 out of 9 or so strains. I don't take my dog to a dog park and I have never dropped her off at a bording place, which they will require the shot.

I've had dogs with immune issuses and I know people online who swear by garlic, Brewer's Yeast or apple cidar. I've heard a lot about garlic for fleas, but personally it doesn't work for me or anybody I know in my area that's high with fleas. Maybe up north were fleas aren't an issue.

For my dogs immune system I give them vitamin E twice a day along with fish oil capsules for with their meals. If you give vitamin C it has to be coated like Ester C or your dog is likely to have some diarrhea issues.

I think Vitamin C takes a lot longer and I would personally think it would be better at treating hip displacia than kennel cough and I think Vitamin E would be more beneficial. The other remedies I just personally haven't seen them work, which most studies say garlic for one doesn't work even though some people will say for a fact they do work.

Vit. C aggravates skeletal disorders in dogs. Vit. C supplementation has been linked to kidney stones in dogs. In the case of hepatic (liver) cancer Vit. C may be appropriate, as the dog's liver may no longer be able to produce Vit. C.


https://www.angelfire.com/nc3/mountai.../vitaminc.html

Never heard of that before, but a few of my natural dog books recommend vitamin C for Hip displacia even quoting a few studies. You can find so much information about Vitamin C and HD online.

The book "Dr. Earl Mindell's Nutrition and Health for Dogs" suggests vitamin C for dogs that get pregnant and have/had HD and then supplementing vitamin C when the dog is a puppy.

I have a dog breed that is high prone to HD and it's first 6 months I supplemented it with Vitamin C and I would do it all over again. Right now though my dogs only get vitamin E and fish oil along with their food though. I don't see a point in giving them other supplements unless they have some type of issue.

Here are some more links on vitamin C and HD
https://labradornet.com/ddyspla.html

https://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/hip_dysplasia.html