Kennel Cough

The good news is Nobu managed to stay home with Claire in the cage successfully for two hours while we went to our favorite French restaurant, Le Message, for lunch. We've booked a Xmas eve dinner there as well. I went for a wee walk with the dogs before leaving for the restaurant, gave them a pig's ear each, and off I went. When we got back, Nobu was lazing in his cage which I had covered with a blanket, and both dogs were quiet and relaxed.

The bad news is Claire seems to have kennel cough, or else is allergic to something, so we're off to the vet this morning. She woke me the previous evening around two with a dry hacking cough, so I hoovered thoroughly with our dust eating Sanyo Airsys Hoover which we got when my son got asthmatic, and it eats up all the tiny particles in the air. I also washed out all the blankets and aired beds, thinking it might be a dust allergy from the dry winter air. Things seemed to have settled down, until she had another coughing fit after breakfast, again, clearing up quite quickly, but she was so active on her walks I didn't think too much of it...again, thinking it might be a reaction to this Japanese hand-made chicken and rice food I had mixed with her usual kibble.

However last night she kept me up all night sleeping with her on the sofa, constantly rubbing her back as she ached with deep empty coughs, retching up strings of whitish foamy mucus from time to time. I remembered I had some eucalyptus mist spray, and kept spraying it on her to moisten her lungs and the air, meanwhile rubbing her back and massaging her spine, but needless to say we are off to the vet. She was already a little off color on Monday, and the vet monitored her heart, but everything was ok, so I guess we'll get the diagnosis. I also remembered squeezing juice from grated lotus root (renkon) was good for the lungs (a herbal remedy from my son's childhood), so I mixed that with yoghurt and she had a good feed yesterday evening and this morning. The internet said honey, so she had a teaspoon, and right now she is happily poddling around the garden with Nobunaga, and the coughing has abated. Meanwhile Tosh got out a mist humidifier and has that on full blast in the sitting room...I'm sure all will be well soon, and feel safe in Dr. Koyama's competent hands: off we go!