Over the counter kennel cough remedies

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Bob Russell — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:46:53 GMT

All genuine medicines albeit very primitive and outdated. Can add Tincture of Opium to the row of bottles. Tried it once for an intractable diarrhoea in an elderly horse.

Did not work of course but was still in my Land rover when I went on a booze cruise. Thankfully I was unaware it was still there and we were so piled high with bottles of alcohol nobody except a dog would have found it!

Lobelia releases dopamine and noradrenaline, digitalis stimulates the heart muscle, hyoscine was used to treat Parkinsons ......

The world moves on!

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

MattB — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:51:19 GMT

Surely this is all we need in the pharmacy, and we can do away with the 'Cascade' and 'VMD'..

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

David Mills — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 12:23:02 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]No surprise there but I don't have enough patients to be able to run double blind placebo trials but would happily be involved in a suitable study[/quote]

It would be fairly easy to set up.

You just need someone with no treatment approach as your control - there's probably someone on this list (not me, I dish out abx for these). Then phone owners and ask about duration of clinical signs.

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Bob Russell — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 12:08:42 GMT

Seems to state there is insufficient evidence or studies to show effectiveness or otherwise of NSAI's.

No surprise there but I don't have enough patients to be able to run double blind placebo trials but would happily be involved in a suitable study.

As with all vets I am forced to use the available information and experience. For years I dished out antibiotics and found them of limited benefit. Co-Trims or Co-amox generally.

Stopped because it seemed a logical move (in patients that are really not unwell). Owners want something to treat so tried meloxicam. Happier patients and happy owners. Of course it could be the once a day honey dose!

If I have a sore throat I take an anti-inflammatory! Will not cure me but makes me more comfortable.

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

David Mills — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 11:47:55 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

If we relied only on evidence based medicine we would have pretty much empty shelves! I don't put on or off licence particularly high on my list of concerns but do make owners aware that it is not licensed and may be of limited or no benefit.

My treatment for KC usually involves NSAI's to reduce inflammation. Rarely antibiotics. Most improve after a very short time.

[/quote]

There's an opening for you...

https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/index.php/ve/article/view/3

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 09:08:44 GMT

[quote user="Sarah Keir"]Cough medicines have been shown to be useless in people.[/quote]

That reminded me of this study, which I remembered as 'honey is as good as cough medicine'. But now I read the analysis, it's clearly not as conclusive as the media headline suggested at the time:

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2007/december/pages/honeysoothescoughs.aspx

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Karen Eggleton — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 00:56:03 GMT

Thanks all... Apologies as had forgotten about my post having found a dosage for the drug online. However I was thwarted in my attempt to prescribe off licence as the elderly owners could not get to the chemist over the weekend. So they endured a few more sleepless nights before symptoms subsided, as we knew they would. I'm afraid I bow rightly or wrongly to experience in the field above all, not that I'm not willing to learn. Better to offer an option that may safely offer some minor relief rather than not offer it at all?

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

James Laidlaw — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 23:24:02 GMT

I think there are doses for Pholcodine in the formulary.

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Bob Russell — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 11:34:47 GMT

Prescribing legalities v's common sense?

I will also ask if owners have any Piriton at home to try on the atopic patient. If they do I suggest a dose rate.

Only crimes of the century if you choose to make them so. Risk to patient assessed by an experienced clinician to be close to zero.

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Sarah Keir — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 11:21:04 GMT

Please correct me if I am wrong, but if you are 'presenting an option' to a client even if they source it themselves you are prescribing, therefore the usual prescribing legalities apply.

Coedine is a very effective anti-tussive. I sometimes prescribe it , on the cascade, to be given at night for the ones that cough severely. A very low dose is all that is necessary.

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Bob Russell — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 10:24:03 GMT

Not prescribing but presenting an option that some may find beneficial. Cough medicines are of little benefit in the real world but do offer short term relief, placebo or otherwise. I suspect the real value is the mild sedation provided by the antihistamine constituent and the ethanol. Kennel cough can be distressing and coughing self-perpetuating. I suggest the owners limit its use to last thing at night to allow everyone to sleep.

I do consider cough medicines to be of limited value but to dismiss them as useless is a gross generalisation IMO. They will not shorten the course of a cold or cough but some can make life slightly better in the short term.

My treatment for KC usually involves NSAI's to reduce inflammation. Rarely antibiotics. Most improve after a very short time.

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Sarah Keir — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 09:46:30 GMT

Cough medicines have been shown to be useless in people. So are you deliberately prescribing a placebo or completely off licence non-evidence-based treatment?

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 12:38:39 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"] Does anyone remember Parke Davis who made it?[/quote]

Yes of course.

[quote user="Bob Russell"]licenced for dogs and horses many years ago[/quote]

Long before the beastly "licensing" system.

[quote user="Bob Russell"]We used to have a Winchester bottle of the stuff in the dispensary.[/quote]

So did we.

And a smaller one of Tinct. Chlorf. et Morph. which was expensive.

RE: Over the counter kennel cough remedies

Bob Russell — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 10:53:01 GMT

I suggest Benylin Original (Expectorant) at 5ml dose up to three times daily. Only because it used to be licenced for dogs and horses many years ago! Does anyone remember Parke Davis who made it?

We used to have a Winchester bottle of the stuff in the dispensary. Probably does little but unlikely to do any harm.