Diagnosed By Yours Truly

As most of you know, I boarded Marley and Mojo at the lovely Camp Bow Wow while I was away for two nights. I chose this place over others, because it is a day camp where the dogs frolic and are loose with other dogs for the majority of the day. And how much better does that sound than the idea of your dog being locked up all day and night, and only taken out for intermittent walks? The decision was clear. After they passed their "doggy interviews," all they had to do was update their Kennel Cough vaccinations. After shuffling my schedule, begging my mother to do some vet pick-ups, and dropping over two hundred dollars for the check ups and vaccinations, everything was in place.

They went. I left. We've been back home for five nights. And last night, when I opened their crate door, instead of panting (like usual), I was received with hacking sounds. Marley was dry heaving for a few minutes. I checked both of their throats for stings, or a dustball, or a guitar. All things that they have tried to get down their throats, but nothing was there, and the hacking stopped. They ate, but actually did not finish their food, which is notable due to rarity. And at one point before I went to sleep, Marley was hacking and Mojo was dry heaving. I thought, Kennel Cough? But they weren't coughing.

Apparently, they were. So after research, calm, research, panic, lunch, and research, I have decided to hold off going to the vet, as I could probably feed a small army with what I would be saving. And I will be giving them honey, Robitussin DM, and Vitamin C. Letting the cough run its course is basically my only option at this point. And we will see if it goes away, as a normal human cold would; or we'll see if it worsens and that small army will have to go hungry and my smaller army goes to the Vet.

Should I call Camp Bow Wow and let them know that their "super clean" establishment not only gave my dogs Kennel Cough, but that the vaccine does not guarantee that a dog won't contract Kennel Cough? The possibility of returning them there should be left open, for my trip to Bermuda in November and possibly, you know, ever leaving my house again. And according to my research, a dog can contract Kennel Cough in an elevator, at the park, anywhere. So, not that I am shifting blame, but if I never bring them back there, they could still contract it somewhere else.  On the bright side, they are going to absolutely flip over honey!