Natural Remedies to Treat Kennel Cough in Dogs

| Modified on May 16, 2023
Honey, Hydrogen Peroxide on Bread
Posted by SUSAN (Devon) on 06/12/2022
★★★★★

3 Drops of hydrogen peroxide with 1 teaspoon of manuka honey on a little piece of bread stopped my 15 week old puppy coughing straight away.

He coughed 3 times the previous day just after he barked. I thought he was barking in a way that was bothering his larynx. Then come bed time he had some dreadful sounding honking. rasping, choking coughs.

I brought him to the vets first thing just to be sure he was ok. Vet confirmed it was kennel cough and no treatment was needed. (so glad they stopped giving out antibiotics willy nilly)

I came home and tried the peroxide remedy and it was like a miracle. I am astounded at the swift difference. The vet said he may well get worse before better but all he did was get immediately better. No rasping or rattling that night. He coughed quietly the next day once for two seconds. Today he has no symptoms.

I gave him 3 doses about 10 hrs apart. Do try this remedy it's fantastic.

Thank you so much to the person who originally posted it.

Kennel Cough Prevention
Posted by Sarah (CA) on 02/09/2022

I have a Chihuahua and half Corgi. He's about 10 years old he has his cough and gagging and clear foamy spit around another dog that has kennel cough so I just need to know what to do right now.

EC: Please read the posts on this pets/cough page. The most effective remedy reported is 3% hydrogen peroxide drops on a piece of bread or food.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Tansy (Missouri City, TX) on 08/16/2021

How many drops of the hydrogen peroxide can I safely give my 10 lb. chihuahua mix who is 12 yrs. old?


Honey, Hydrogen Peroxide, Lemon Juice
Posted by dan (ct) on 08/05/2021

I had read that it's a good idea to give a dog H2O2 daily in their drinking water as a preventative. Do you have any information on this?


Coconut Oil
Posted by David (Ohio) on 05/24/2021
★★★★★

For kennel cough .. For small dog one full teaspoon and for large dog give 1 tablespoon of unrefined coconut oil once a day. It will boost their immune system,


Ted's Remedies
Posted by Josh King (USA) on 04/17/2021 21 posts
★★★★★

Hi. I had been treating a pup with kennel cough for about 8 days. Took to the vet. Got doxycycline. Dosed twice and my dog got worse.

The vet confirmed kennel cough. infection was moving to the lungs after dosing doxycycline. One side effect potentially of the antibiotic is restricted airways (maybe not a good idea on vet's part to use this for kennel cough??) Took her back and got a second antibiotic. Freaked out; I decided to stop antibiotics altogether. Never opened the new bottle of Amoxycillin.

I used Ted's remedy for kennel cough as I've had it memorized by heart for some time now, I have used it for myself and my mother for COVID19 and for flu the winter before.

  • 1 crystal sodium thiosulfate. (crystal about 2 mm long and 1 mm thick) dissolved in half glass water, with 1/64 tsp zinc orotate powder, or about 15mg in total zinc for a 60 lb dog. Zinc can be toxic to dogs in high amount, but not this amount, have charcoal on hand in case I overdose the dog.
  • I gave this solution only once as an opener.
  • Immediately followed by 1/8 teaspoon each of pure N Acetyl Cystine (NAC) and L-Lysine amino acids. Get capsules at a pharmacy or big box stores if you can't wait for online orders.
  • Repeat 1/8t each of amino acids 3 more times, an hour apart for a total of 4 dosages.
  • Repeat 4 more times the next day, an hour apart; do not repeat zinc / thiosulfate again.

"The dog should come out fine" in Ted's words.

He is right. Her week long pneumonia , cough, and lung fluid was entirely gone.

I dosed the amino acids in bone broth nice and warm but not boiling.

I also used 1/8 tsp pure echinacea powder, and 1/16 tsp 5:1 goldenseal extract powder in the bone broth with each dose, as well as a sprinkle of garlic powder. I was using these herbs before too, with not much improvement, though they did seem to relieve her discomfort somewhat.

Ted's remedy saved my girl, and without having to destroy her gut bacteria with harsh antibiotics. I am dosing her with probiotics for a little while maybe a week or two just to counter what the doxycycline may have done.

PS: Doxycycline causes either suicidal thoughts , depression, or hallucinations in humans, in more than 50% of cases with side effects. Tread carefully.

UPDATE: It may help the dog's GI tract to buffer the amino acids' acidity, by administering a little baking soda in milk between meals once a day, perhaps 1/8 tsp in a dash of milk. Halt after remedy is complete - unless dosing baking soda for other issues.


Vitamin C
Posted by Tawanna (New Jersey) on 03/23/2021

Do you know what is in Lysol which is actually a pesticide, that stuff made my aunt asthma worse?


Vitamin C
Posted by T Hunter (Newark Nj) on 08/07/2020

Please tell me you don't use Lysol. Do you understand what each ingredient does to your lungs as well as your fur baby health? clean with unscented lavender sugar soap, unscented castile soap etc...


Monolaurin
Posted by Gabriella (Los Angeles) on 09/13/2019
★★★★★

Our Great Dane had developed a bad cough which sounded as if he had something stuck in his throat. The vet said he had kennel cough and prescribed Tramadol, whose side effects include seizures. We gave him Monolaurin pellets pressed into hard butter, twice a day. Two days later he is totally healed.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by DL (Cali) on 09/26/2019
★★★★☆

My elderly dog (60 pounds) got kennel cough for the first time from the vet exactly 5 days after going there to get vaccination boosters, including one for kennel cough! I added a few drops of 3% peroxide to his food, mixed with water, and he stopped coughing within about 48 hours. However, I didn't keep up the peroxide and the cough came back.. After a week of this, I took him back to the vet who told me, "Yes, it's possible he caught it here" and that it can take up to 2 weeks for it to run its course, maybe longer for older dogs. He ended up giving me antibiotics since my dog also had a runny nose and I was about to go out of town and leave a coughing dog with my dog sitter. The antibiotics kicked his healing into high gear and he stopped coughing the next day. So I like the peroxide remedy for kennel cough but recommend to definitely keep it up for a few days after symptoms disappear.

I think if one of my dogs gets kennel cough in the future, I'll try the peroxide, honey and fresh lemon juice remedy that I just read about in posts here on EC.


Bee Propolis
Posted by Maggie (Idaho) on 12/03/2019 36 posts
★★★★★

Bee propolis extract / honey paste cured my little dog of what seemed to be a terrible cold with hacking cough, blocked up nose and gagging. She didn't want to eat and kept getting worse and worse. I tried a lot of home remedies but nothing seemed to work. I finally tried the bee propolis / honey paste and within 2 hours she was a lot better. Gave her another dose and after another couple of hours she was running and wanting to eat and had stopped coughing and could breathe easily. I couldn't believe it worked so fast. Every now and then she'd cough so I continued to give her the mixture a few more times and she's well now. What I gave her was between 1/8 -1/4 teaspoon of the bee propolis / honey paste mixed with some water that had been mixed with some canned food that I knew she liked. I strained the water / dog food mixture so I could mix it with the propolis paste and use a syringe without the needle to give it to her. The water with the canned dog food has to be strained or else the syringe will clog up. She was so sick and not wanting to eat that I had to use the syringe to get it in her because I knew she wouldn't take it on her own. After she started feeling better, I just put the propolis in her food and she ate it, didn't have to use the syringe. I was so surprised to see her feel better after only 2 hours after taking the propolis. Now I keep a jar on hand at all times.


Homeopathic Remedies
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 10/23/2018

Hey Monica!

You can follow the directions on the Boiron bottle for dosage.

I do have a concern when I read your post: dogs can cough for many reasons and coughing is not a reported side effect for Flourinef. Coughing is a sign of a collapsed trachea, common for some breeds of small dogs, and it is also a sign of congestive heart failure. You might consider taking your dog to the vet for further diagnosis if the homeopathic remedy provides no relief.


Homeopathic Remedies
Posted by Monica (Anmore, Bc) on 10/23/2018

My Drocera label says Boiron Drocera 30ch on the dispenser & 4 g so how much would I give for a 10 lb dog please anyone? I also believe her cough is a result of the meds (Florinef) she must take for her Addison's disease, which I believe is a result of the rabies shot. No more vaccines for me, a very hard lesson learned. :(


Wild Cherry Bark, Slippery Elm or Honey
Posted by Maggie (Idaho) on 09/18/2018 36 posts
★★★★★

I use wild cherry bark, slippery elm bark, or honey (one at a time, not all three) when my mini poodle starts coughing. The honey I just put on my finger and she licks it off and the coughing stops right away. The other 2 supplements come in capsules so I open 1 up and put half of it in her wet food (they don't taste bad) twice a day. The honey stops the cough right away and is a quick fix. I use the other 2 supplements when I think she may be having a problem and after about 3 days, she's okay. Don't know if these supplements would work for allergies but we had some very bad air quality this year and she starting coughing so I gave her 1 of the supplements and after a few days, she was fine.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Denise (Massachusetts) on 07/06/2018 24 posts

Something must be a typo - 35% HP should NEVER be ingested! HP is caustic. If you get it on your fingers it will make the skin go white. It will turn back to normal in about 10 minutes but you wouldn't want to do that to the insides!!!! 35% food grade HP has to be diluted, 1 part to 11 parts water. And do not take the stuff you get in the brown bottles from the pharmacy/supermarket, that is not for consumption as it has toxic stabilizers in it. A little caution, please! HP is wonderful but one must be careful with doses in this especially. It really is a great thing to know about Hydrogen Peroxide - miraculous!


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by T.j. (Silverdale Wa) on 02/23/2018

Three tsp of 35% food grade is way too much. Should have been three drops.


Garlic
Posted by Gemma (Pacnw) on 12/26/2017
★★★★★

Our VET suggested garlic in low doses, as other vets we have seen through the years. High doses are toxic, just like high doses of other meds. But our vet suggested garlic for the dogs and he is not a holistic vet.


Garlic
Posted by Eve (Ny) on 10/16/2017
★★★★★

My dad gave our dogs a garlic pill per day to keep fleas and mosquitos away. He did this for 13 and 16 yrs...that's how long our dogs lived.

Never had any illnesses.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 09/12/2017
★★★★★

For those asking about Kennel cough:

Kennel cough *looks like* your dog is trying to cough up a lung, or as if a bone is stuck in their throat. You might consider a homeopathic children's cough remedy, and you might try hydrogen peroxide - food grade is ideal but if you have the brown bottle from the drug store in your medicine cabinet you can use 3 drops on a bit of bread with a few drops of honey. Give a spiked bread ball once an hour and wait and see if it is working. Other reasons for a dog to cough are congestive heart failure and collapsed trachea. If the coughing persists despite home treatment you should see your vet to rule out a more serious condition.

Drossera 30C
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 08/17/2017

Hey Vee,

You tip 4-6 of the white pills into an envelope, and then crush the pills into a powder and then tip the powder into your dog's mouth and hold shut for a few moments to allow the powder to dissolve. Do not touch with your fingers.


Drossera 30C
Posted by Vee B. (Az) on 08/16/2017

Can you give me recommended dosage of Drosera for an 8lb dog? I have 30c pellets. I've looked online and can't seem to find a dosage guide for a small dog.

Thanks!


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Louise (Fl) on 04/24/2017
★★★★★

Tried the hydrogen peroxide method on my golden Retriever,, 3 drops of 3% on a piece of bread. It stopped her cough within minutes. Amazing.. thank you


Homeopathic Remedies
Posted by Evonne (Goshen, Ohio) on 04/10/2017

I'd use a 6x or 6c for pets or children. Don't be afraid of using the 12x or 12c if that's all you can find. Be sure to read up on how to use the remedies. You don't dose if they are responding. Seems counterintuitive compared to modern medicine.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Vicky (Nsw) on 04/02/2017

It will if you use it at 6% I believe but not 3%. just by adding 3 drops to their water bowl is fine- I do it all the time whenever they're looking sick- dogs, cats, chickens- all. (including myself) ;)


Kennel Cough Prevention
Posted by Vicky (Australia) on 04/02/2017
★★★★★

I believe dogs get kennel cough from being cold-That's why dogs always get it from being at the pound- its all cement there- COLD. At home... dogs don't always do what's good for them- they sleep on cement... and the cold goes deep into their bones. They mostly sleep right at the back door so they can't miss if you happen to come out- even if it's unprotected from the rain at the door- put a mat there to save the dog from kennel cough and from arthritis later in life. I have 2 mats so that when one gets wet in the rain I move it to dry out (or to hose down wash) replacing it with the dry one.

Mine sleep in the garage on a thick dog bed and there's linoleum on the floor in the garage just so they CAN'T sleep on the cement floor (lino is cheap- and easy to mop) and they have never gotten kennel cough. Keep them warm and they may not ever get it again. I believe in Hydrogen peroxide and also in collodial silver water but not at the same time) :)

Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Vicky (Australia) on 04/02/2017

It's fine. You store it away from children when its undiluted form. You mix it to 3% or 6% (for teeth-mouthwash etc) and keep this in a spray bottle- that's what I do, I inhale a fine mist of it 4 times a day because I'm a smoker, I use it as a mouthwash daily, I spray it on cat bites (I'm an animal rescuer) spry it on any and every wound- and any wounds my animals get because it stops infections and takes away a lot of the pain. I drink 4 drops a day in a glass of water because it kills parasites and put 3 drops in my dogs cats and birds water whenever they're sick- to kill germs and infections and parasites. It's always the first thing I go to. There is so much information online about all it can do you should research. MUST be FOOD GRADE and must be diluted for use- that's all ;)


Garlic
Posted by Jay (Ohio) on 02/04/2017

This has been found to be untrue. This statement came from a single study done in japan on four dogs. Think again.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Evelyn (Rhode Island) on 09/14/2016

I know Noelle's post is old but I had to comment on how she "shot" the solution into her dog's mouth. The proper way to give an animal any liquid from a syringe is to fill the syringe and put it inside the cheek (between the teeth and cheek) and slowly squirt the solution in. Otherwise the animal may aspirate the solution into the lungs. I lost an animal that way.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Suseeq (Sydney Australia) on 08/21/2016
★★★★★

Hydrogen Peroxide for Kennel Cough:

If you still want to use the hydrogen peroxide, the dosage is 3 drops to 8 oz water in drinking water but the water must be changed about every 4 hours as the peroxide looses its effectiveness, only use 3% peroxide.


Colloidal Silver
Posted by Suseeq (Sydney) on 08/21/2016
★★★★★

For a kennel cough, dosage is 10 mls 3x a day for 3 days then 2 xd ay until cough is gone.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Sue (Missoula) on 08/06/2016

Hydrogen peroxide - 3%!

Anything stronger could burn or cause other problems.


Colloidal Silver and Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Ria (Washington, Dc) on 06/19/2016
★★★★★

I have male rescue pit bull (about 5 years old) about 60 pounds, that came to me from a shelter. At the time I was fostering another pit bull.

The rescue had a terrible cough when he came to me and promptly spread it to the other dog. I used colloidal silver ( a couple of capfuls) in each of their full water bowls along with about a teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide. It cleared up within a month as I recall. I've had him a couple of years now and no recurrence. The foster has been returned to his owner and she has not had any further problems either.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Michelle K. (Michigan) on 05/21/2016

My dog has an enlarged heart as well. Cough tablets for dogs and cats by creative science...it works! You can order it from Amazon without a prescription. I also use young at heart and lung gold by Pet wellbeing along with CoQ10.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Sam (San Diego, Ca ) on 04/08/2016
★★★★★

This 2 drops of 3% peroxide remedy is amazing.

My pug has had a dry hacking cough for years. He has been on many meds and has seen many vets. Still never got down to the root of the problem. Cough is at its worse point. Today I tried this remedy and it has worked. The first hour he had very minimal cough. He seems so much more comfortable. Wish I would have found this site sooner. Thank you for sharing. It's making a huge difference.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Debbie (Duncan, Sc) on 03/20/2016

Hello, I have 2 dogs on Tussegon and you are right. It is very expensive.

I did find that if you get the GoodRx app and sign up it will cut the cost in half. All pharmacies honor the GoodRx card and the app will tell you where you can get the medicine the cheapest.

It does work great with our maltese who has a cough due to heart disease.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Dee (Wa) on 11/27/2015

I thought hydrogen peroxide will induce vomiting?


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 08/25/2015

Dear Southern Star,

I don't think most health food stores stock food grade hydrogen peroxide. Many, many people use the stuff from the drug store in the brown bottle for medicinal purposes. We do. I had some food grade, but it is actually quite dangerous if you don't know how to dilute properly so I gave it away. It made me nervous.

~Mama to Many~


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 08/26/2015

Hey Southernstar!

There are two main differences between the drug store hydrogenperoxide and the food grade that I have found - strength/dilution and pureness. The drugstore kind is typically a 3% dilution and has stabilizers to give it a longer shelf life - so impure. The food grade is pure and usually highly concentrated 15% or higher.

It is ideal to use the food grade because it is pure, and to dilute it to 3% or even 1% for oral use or taking in small doses as you would for kennel cough. That said plenty of folks have used the drug store kind orally with good result and no apparent ill effects **in small doses**. Again, ideal to use the food grade though it may require some searching to locate it, but in a pinch folks have used the easier to locate 3% impure-due-to-stabilizers drug store stuff.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Southernstar (Smoky Mountains Of Tennessee) on 08/25/2015

I noticed that this post was originally started by an individual in British Columbia. The original post made reference to Food Grade Peroxide. From this I make the assumption there is a difference between H2O2 I would find in on the drug store isle and grocery store isle. Is this true in USA as well? If not, what isle at my local grocery should I look for Food Grade Peroxide or should I be planning a trip to health food store?


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 06/29/2015

Hey Blanca!

Just an FYI - the gagging cough that the tussigon treats is very different than the cough caused by the kennel cough [viral/bacterial infection].

'Kennel cough' is a complex of infections—both viral and bacterial—that causes inflammation of the dog's voice box and windpipe. It's a form of bronchitis and is similar to a chest cold in humans.

The Tussigon that you are using to treat the side effect coughing from the vetmedin, is an anticholinergic and narcotic cough suppressant combination. The anticholinergic works by drying up secretions and the narcotic depresses the cough reflex in the brain.

These are two very different treatments for two very different kinds of coughing; using the honey/hp to treat your dog's cough may at best have no effect - and at worst cause him suffering and worsen his condition and quality of life for lack of an effective remedy.


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Blanca (Long Beach, Ca) on 06/28/2015

Hi, I'm very interested in trying this home remedy for my 11 lb doggie. he's 14yo has an enlarged heart and taking "vetmedin" for this. this has caused another problem (gagging cough )for which he has been on "tussigon". IT works! However it is too expensive so Id like the exact portions or proportions of water, honey and food grade hydrogen peroxide so that I can try it out. Thanks so much!


Honey and Lemon
Posted by Carole H. (Surrey, UK) on 04/22/2015
★★★★★

My dog who is 14 years old started to cough and sneeze and had a runny nose. It started after I had taken him to the local park. I looked on an internet site and the symptoms he had sounded like hayfever. He did have the same problem the same time last year. I have been giving him some honey and lemon cough mixture without any additives and this week he is much improved glad to say the cough has gotten less and the other symptoms have nearly gone. I never knew dogs could get hayfever but it seems they can.


Herbal Tea for Calves
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 02/25/2015

Dear Theresa,

Thank you for being so encouraging!

It is always a pleasure to see your positive, caring, and helpful posts for people needing help with their animals. I know that so many have been blessed in many ways by your posts! Thanks for all you do!

~Mama to Many~


Herbal Tea for Calves
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 02/25/2015

Hey MTM!

The remedy makes so much sense, and the video is AWESOME!

Thanks for sharing!!!



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