Why is my dog coughing?
My dog has been coughing a lot recently, and I can't tell if this is just a scratch or if he's sick. Why could he be coughing? Can I give him a suppressant?
2 Answers
Coughing can be almost always be narrowed down to three things, two of which are pretty significant.
Allergies. Just like humans, dogs can suffer from food or environmental allergies that can essentially end up with a cough.
Kennel cough. While they make a vaccine for this (Bordetella), dogs can still occasionally get it. This is going to sound like a dry, hacking cough as if they are trying to bring something up. Kennel cough is viral and extremely contagious, so regardless of what he/she might have, it is very important to take them to the vet in order to rule this out. They can pick it up from dog parks, boarding facilities, apartment complexes, or from being around another dog that is carrying the virus.
- Heart disease. This is probably the most serious one, and the main reason I am going to ask you to take your pup to the vet. Heart disease can be there for a long time before any symptoms show, so once they begin coughing, it's most of the time going to mean starting life-long meds. Another heart condition that could cause coughing are heartworms. This is why your dog needs monthly preventative. Once they get heartworms, treatment is very expensive to treat, and it's a very difficult treatment for your dog.
So, my recommendation is to take your dog to the vet to ensure that it's nothing major!
However, you can give your dog Children's Robitussin for coughing as an aid to help them feel better.
Could be kennel cough! It is very contagious, if your dog goes to the park a lot, play dates or places where there are other dogs he can get it, even with the kennel cough vaccine :( Kennel cough can get pretty bad, dry coughing, wheezing, its best to take to a vet to get treatment to nip it in the butt!