German Shepherd back from kennel, lips are swollen, and runny nose - Page 1

 Hello,

Any advice on this?  My dog had his kennel cough drops 3 weeks ago and was just kenneled for 5 days, his lips the back part were swollen on both sides to the point that when he went and bit into a toy they started to bleed.  I noticed his nose on one side was crusty and runny.  He is one year old, and is in good spirits, other wise ate his food, and ran around a little.  Anyone experience this before?  I checked his entire mouth and there was nothing other than the outer lips swollen, gums were fine and the rest of his body.

Thanks

Just to be on the safe side, I think I'd have my vet take a look. Probably nothing serious but an antibiotic might be called for before it progresses. BTW kennel cough vaccine isn't effective against all strains of that disease.

I'm having a little trouble with the swollen lips.. not typically a kennel cough symptom but maybe a reation to something he chewed, ate, whatever??

Like Blitzen said, I'd have the vet take a look....

Probably fence fighting.

SS

Not giving you a hard time, but this is one of the reasons why I don't send my dogs to a boarding kennel. It is worth the extra money to have someone you trust come to your house and watch the dogs. I heard so many bad stories  about what happened to their dog while they were at a kennel.

I hope your dog will be ok.

Denise

I own a boarding and training facility. I have never had a case of kennel cough or any other boarding related disease here and in 5 years of operation, have never sent a dog home ill. I am very, very strict with my clients about vaccinations and worming and at the first sign of a problem would have a vet check the dog if it was not something I could deal with (such as a minor eye or ear infection which is also rare). The facility is disinfected regularly and is built to tolerate all surfaces being disingfected. Ventilation is superior. Dogs are fed high quality kibble and all drink from their own water bowl only inside their spacious kennel. There is NO common water outside and feces is picked up immediately.

That being said, there are a lot of reasons dogs get ill in kennels. Foremost among them is the non-compliance of many people about vaccinations. Diseases cannot be controlled, let alone eradicated, without everyone being on the same page. A good case in point is human measles (rubella) cases being on the upswing in the US. This was a disease that was almost eradicated here, but there are too many people failing to vaccinate against it, so there are constantly pockets of the disease available to take hold and spread. It is not a benign disease. And neither is kennel cough in dogs as so many like to think. 

In my area there is currently an epidemic of kennel cough. Most of the dogs my vet and vet friends are seeing are those who have not been vaccinated for it and who frequent Pet Smart type stores, dog parks etc. Who knows what strain/s are involved, but Blitzen is right in saying that there are many strains and so many that not all of them are present in the vaccines. But one can often get some residual coverage from one strain to the next from a vaccine, even if a strain is not included. There are many cases of serious pneumonia also being seen along with this kennel cough and that too is not benign for old, young or otherwise debilitated dogs.

There are many kennels in which I would never consider boarding a dog. Every time a state tries to amend kennel regs, all hell breaks loose and crap comes from the very people who should be in favor of seeing that proper facilities, care and management of the facility is required by law and inspections validating same. The same is true for breeders. Proper facilities, care and inspections should be mandatory. In my state it is still ok to leave a dog in a crate for 23.5 hours a day. But, one must document in writing that half hour time the dog was out. People open boarding kennels at the drop of a hat because they think they can do so and it is a way to make a lot of money without much expenditure in facilities. That is one reason dogs get sick too.

There are other kennels that are excellent and these are very good options for people to use. I hear frequently of the "friend" who came to the house who forgot the window was left open, or who left the gate open and of dire consequences for the dogs. A dog can become ill at home and someone coming to check two or three times a day is not going to be able to be on top of that as a good kennel would be.

There are pros and cons to both, but if one chooses wisely, a kennel may be an excellent option. Then again, there are many people whose dogs I will not accept because they do not meet my health standards. I keep not only my clients dogs safe and well this way, but my own and the many rescue dogs I have here.

Blitz is boarded maybe 3, 4 times a year for a total of 4 to 5 weeks. He has never returned home sick and he has never had a kennel cough vaccine and I only vaccinate him against parvo/distemper etc every 3 years. 

I have been boarding my dogs for over 20 years.  The ONLY bad experience ever was a "wonderful" place with indoor/outdoor runs, cute beds for the dogs in the indoor part, piped in music, cookie-snacks at night, etc.   I got back two of the most DEPRESSED dogs I have ever seen.  One was an irrepressible Scottie and it took her three days to get bak to being herself!    After that, I ditched fancy and just stuck with kenneling at the vet's, where I get  back the same happy dogs i dropped off.

I own and run a boarding kennel and most of my return clients have dogs that are barking coming in the driveway, leaping out of the car and dragging their owners into the kennel office, and me down to the kennels - they love coming here and I hear over and over "they know when we turn that corner toward your place!!"  The vast majority of dogs, even the spoiled rotton ones, do just fine.  The ones that aren't so happy just quietly wait for their owners to return.  I have not yet felt the need to call the  owners to tell them their dog is hurting itself trying to escape, or refusing to eat/drink or getting sick etc.  IMO the kennel should be a place to leave your dog temporarily, where they will be safe, fed and sheltered/comfortable while you are away.  Sure, they would rather be home but the risks of leaving them home with a neighborhood kid or friend coming to care for them several times/day is much greater.  Many things could happen.  In the well-run kennel, the dog can be safe and comfortable, if not happy, until you get home.

molly

Exactly right, Molly. I started out both of my GSD's getting used to the kennel I use by dropping them off for a few hours at a time a few days a week. In less than a month they were accustomed to my taking them there and knew the owners so were not anxious when I left them. No eating issues and no depression. The owners are friends and they have told me they would like to have Blitz should anything happen to us while he is boarded there. Go figure LOL. Blitz isn't quite as eager to go inside the kennel building as some of  your boarders, in fact he hangs his head and looks very sad. However once he's inside his run, he's outside barking at the other dogs trying to look all studly and forgetting about me.

IMO it's a very good idea to get dogs used to being boarded as you just never know when it's going to be necessary. I'd stay in your kennels myself, they look pretty nice to me