Strange culture

[Guest guest]

Well, speaking of cultures, Cody had a strange one at his last hospital stay!

He cultured Bordetella bronchiseptica--you know, kennel cough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boy, if something weird is going to culture, it's going to be to these kids!!

Usually if people get bordetella, it's the pertussis strain (in other words,

whooping cough, which we are vaccinated against). It's rare when someone gets

the bronchiseptica strain, and it's usually only if they are immune-compromised.

The second day he was in, I was in his room going over his charts and meds with

one of the residents, Mark, and another one, Spike, came in and said " Do you

have dogs? " . I looked at him kind of strangely, and said, " Yesssss....why? "

And he said to us, " Do you know what the other thing he cultured besides the h.

influenza is? " , and Mark said no. Spike said Bordetella--you know, kennel

cough???? My jaw dropped, and I kind of laughed in shock. Mark asked " What's

the treatment for that? " And Spike couldn't resist a good joke (he's a really

nice, funny guy)--the answer was, " Well, we have to always make sure his water

bowl is full, and we have to walk him three times a day... " LOL LOL LOL I told

them my dogs are always, always, ALWAYS vaccinated for that, so they said he

didn't get it from them. My friend had gotten a new puppy, and she was still

too young for the shot (she's had it now though), so maybe he got it from there.

But now I tell everybody that I know that has a dog that they must take them in

for that shot, not only for Cody's health, but also for the health of their dog.

What a time this kid gives us! LOL

S., mom to Cody (7, pwcf), DJ (9, nocf), and a (14, nocf)