DDay + 3

Yes, it's Doogan Day + 3 and things are progressing well with the pup. He's still had a couple of accidents, but he's getting better at cluing us in to when he needs to go. You can pretty much watch his erratic behavior and tell -- the dog has to go! Last night, he went to bed with Kels when she went to bed, and slept with her till I showed up around 2:30am (yes...I played WoW till 2:30am). Then I moved him to his bed, where he stayed the remainder of the night/morning.

One thing that has me concerned, is the hacking cough that he has. Initially, I thought he had something caught in his throat (the pup chews on everything!), but it wasn't ever clearing. The cough has not improved and so I did a little online research and think I may have found the problem.

Apparently, some pups that undergo stresses (like transport, shipping, long-term kenneling) will develop tracheobronchitis -- also known as "kennel cough" -- brought on by a viral infection (Bordetella bronchiseptica). It really can't be treated unless it shows signs of moving on to other respiratory issues. We can give him an oral cough suppressant to alleviate the cough, but we basically have to let it run its course and make sure it doesn't run for more than 10 days. In extreme cases, antibiotics can be administered. If it does or the coughing worsens, it's vet time...