Group housing, shared air and the stress of repeated moves make respiratory infection close to a design feature of shelter life. A cough that appears three to ten days after collection usually started before the dog left.
Phone first, do not just turn up
This is the one piece of practical advice that matters most and gets skipped. Infectious respiratory disease spreads in waiting rooms. Practices routinely ask coughing dogs to wait in the car and come in through a different door, and they cannot arrange that if you are already at reception.
What to record before the call
- When the cough started, and whether it is getting more or less frequent
- What it sounds like: dry and honking, or wet and productive
- Whether anything brings it on, such as excitement, pulling on a collar, or drinking
- Appetite, energy and temperature if you can take it safely
- The shelter's vaccination and treatment records, and the date of collection
- Whether any other animal in the house has started coughing
When it is not simple kennel cough
An uncomplicated case is a dog who coughs and is otherwise bright, eating and comfortable. Departures from that picture matter. Laboured breathing, increased effort, blue or gray gums, collapse or extreme lethargy need urgent attention rather than an appointment next week.
Cornell's guidance on recognising canine respiratory distress is a useful reference for what genuine breathing difficulty looks like as distinct from coughing. A wet productive cough, a fever, or a dog who stops eating also raise the possibility of pneumonia rather than a self limiting upper airway infection.
Keeping it contained at home
Keep the new dog away from other dogs, including at the park and on walks, until your veterinarian says otherwise. Wash hands between animals and do not share bowls, bedding or toys.
Use a harness rather than a collar while he is coughing, since pressure on the trachea sets it off. And tell the rescue. They will want to know, and other dogs from the same intake may be developing the same thing.
How long it usually runs
Most uncomplicated cases improve over one to three weeks, and a cough that is slowly becoming less frequent is going the right way even while it is still audible. What matters more than the calendar is the direction of travel and whether the dog stays bright and eating throughout.
Tell the practice if the cough is still there after about three weeks, if it stopped and came back, or if it is getting worse rather than better. Those are the patterns that change the plan.