I just brought home a 2-month-old puppy. Appetite is normal, but when it sleeps in the crate it makes a choking sound like ‘en, emememe, ck.’ A similar symptom on Xiaohongshu was called kennel cough. How should I handle it? It’s not vaccinated yet and I’d rather not take her to the vet, worried about germs there.
Expert Answer
Hello. Given this is a newly bought puppy that isn’t vaccinated, the chance of an infectious disease is high, so I recommend a full check at a vet to be sure it’s healthy. Around two months, the risk of distemper and parvo is significant, and early detection and treatment are key.
Also, if the cough is from kennel cough, pneumonia, or similar, home treatment isn’t appropriate; only a veterinary hospital can treat it properly. I suggest a regular, proper clinic to lower the infection risk.
I get not wanting to risk the waiting room, but a two-month unvaccinated puppy with a cough is exactly the high-risk case, distemper and parvo are lethal at that age and kennel cough can become pneumonia. The clinic's safer than delaying, they isolate sick pups. Please get her seen, early treatment is the difference between a quick recovery and a dead puppy. The germs you're avoiding are inside her already if it's viral.