Dry Barking Cough . Dry cough is one where there is no phlegm or no sputum production. Most commonly you see a dry hacking cough which is seen in viral infections of the nose and throat. In which one has a continuous cough with a feeling of something being stuck in the throat.
The other type of cough is what is called a barking cough or croup,this is mainly seen in cases of laryngitis (swelling or infection of the larynx). The classic sign of cough due to this condition is pain in the throat and difficulty in breathing.
The barking cough
A barking sound accompanied by a high-pitched squeak when inhaling. Other symptoms include fever, hoarseness, and difficulty swallowing or breathing.
The likely cause:
Croup, a viral illness that occurs when the voice box and windpipe become inflamed, causing the airways to swell. To relieve this toddler cough:
Take your child into the bathroom, get a hot shower running, and close the door. Then stay in the steamy bathroom for 15 to 20 minutes. The warm moist air should ease the inflammation in the airways. Or try cool moist air by taking her outside into the cool night, or by opening the freezer and having her breathe in for several minutes.
Once your exhausted tot stops coughing, keep a cool-mist air humidifier in her room for the next few nights (croup generally lasts three to seven days).
If at any point your child has a high fever, struggles to breathe, or develops a bluish hue around her mouth, get medical help right away.
Dry Barking Cough Treatment in Toddlers
Treating Barking Cough
Calm your child . Croup can be frightening for your child. Crying will make the stridor sound much worse. It is important to keep your child relaxed by cuddling and staying calm yourself. Sit baby upright in your lap, play soft music, sing lullabies, read a story. If breastfeeding, offer the great pacifier.
Steam up the bathroom. Humidity helps clear a child’s breathing passages. Turn on the hot shower in your bathroom and close the door. While keeping your child calm, sit with them on your lap in the steamy bathroom. You should see some improvement in about ten minutes.
Inhalation of cool mist. If you have a cool mist humidifier or vaporizer, let your child breathe directly in front of the stream of mist. Once the child improves, keep the mist flowing near the bed for the rest of the night. If you only have a hot mist vaporizer, you can still use it but don’t get too close, as child can get burned.
Cool night air. If necessary, bundle-up your child and take him outside into the cool night air for 10-20 minutes, or take a slow car ride with the windows open. The misty night air is why babies with croup often improve en route to the ER.
The above suggestions usually work well within about twenty minutes (an hour for the fever), and the child is able to settle back to sleep. You should observe your child closely by sleeping in the same room the rest of the night, as another croup attack is likely, and the above treatments will need to be repeated.
Treat emergency room
Dry Barking Cough -What are they doing to you in ER? As they assess your child, you should encourage you to hold him on your lap, and remember to keep it quiet. Because they may measure the level of oxygen in his blood, with hypoxic or "pulse ox scale." This uses a small light source, which is wrapped around a finger or toe and helps to determine how your child is breathing. They may have you blow cool mist in front of your child's face. If your child's croup severe enough (and this is why you are in the ER), they may give him epinephrine vaporized to breathe with a cool mist. This works quickly to open the airways. Depending on the situation, and the ER doctor a short course of steroids may recommend. Do not worry. This is not the "body" type of building steroids. These help keep the airways open during the next few hours to days. Your child will only be on steroids for a few days, side to worry about the effects of No when used for a short time. The first dose often needs to be given as an injection, since the child with severe difficulty in breathing is not in the mood to take oral medication, or it may throw him.