Puppy Boogers

It's pretty common for new fosters to come home with kennel cough, essentially a cold. So far over half of our fosters have had mild cases, but Izzy is the first dog we've had that has gotten this congested. The first day I figured that I would just give her the typical immune-system boosters that I give all new fosters: Omega 3s and 6s, pre and probiotics, and maybe a little vitamin C powder.

She wasn't eating well and I was sitting with her in my lap, working on the computer as she sniffled away. After awhile I realized that there was this spattering of little green dots all over the table and laptop in front of me. Similarly, my pant leg where she was resting her head was also polka dotted, as well as the blanket she was wrapped in.

It ends up that each time she sniffed, she was spraying a little shower of snot over everything. The snot combined with coughing until she vomited let me know that she was in need of a round of antibiotics. Luckily I still had enough for a full course in the refrigerator, left over from another dog. I'm happy to say that, although the boogers are still a-spraying, she is eating more and seems a bit livelier.

I purchased some oil of oregano, hearing from a rescue friend that it works great on a congested puppy. They said to put a drop of it in their food. Well, I guess Izzy isn't fond of Italian, because she won't come near her food if it has the oil in it. It's pretty potent stuff and just the drop that I spilled on my hand opened up my sinuses, so I decided to put a couple drops on the puppy pad in her crate. Now our bedroom smells a bit like an herbarium.

Her surgery has been postponed while she heals up from the kennel cough and while we try to come up with the money to pay for it. The photo above was taken in the back yard during one of many trips outside, hoping that she would pee. Mostly she just follows me around, sans-peeing, and if I stop, she sits like this and stares at me as if she's saying, "so what are we gonna do now?"