Pobrecito.

Mi pobrecito, August, is sick again. After a bout of conjunctivitis, he looked like his usual silly self for a couple of days. I heaved a sigh of relief and we carried on as usual.

However, on Tuesday night, he started doing this weird, rasping sound and spat out some phlegm. I thought he had vomited, but if you’ve ever had a dog, you know that classic heaving sounds they do before puking, right? Well, this wasn’t that.  

And he kept doing it again, all of Tuesday night. Neither of us slept a wink, and by Wednesday morning, I was getting worried. I called the Vet, but they had no same-day openings. Luckily, his wonderful breeder answered my call, took one look at him, and said, “Yup. That’s kennel cough.” 

The canine version of an upper respiratory infection, Kennel cough, can be caused by bacteria or viruses. Luckily Augie has received his major vaccines, so I wasn’t panicking when, later that afternoon, the Vet confirmed he had a mild case. Armed with cough meds, we came home and canceled all our puppy social/training classes for the next couple of weeks. 

Wednesday night he slept much better. We fished out the humidifier, which seemed to help him breathe, and the cough medication helped relieve that incessant raspy cough. All of Thursday, he seemed chirpier and nommed down his wet dog food. This morning, he’s been sneezing up a storm. Lots of petting, belly rubbing and snout wiping later, he is back to zooming around like a little tornado, and gnawing on all things cardboard. 

This heat wave from hell is really affecting everyone, and as we enter fall, I‘m hoping for cooler weather and all things spooky. Big sister, Minne, comes to us from Oregon next month, and I, for one, cannot wait to cuddle with both my dogs again. 

Here’s a picture of Augie, trying his hardest to look serious. Two seconds later, he was bouncing around, like the goofball he is. Fingers and paws crossed, Augie is on the mend.