My 13-year-old dog has a deep, non-stop cough. What's wrong?

Cough can be caused by an infection, heart problem or lung condition, it is important to first know the cause before treating it as treatment is different from condition to another. The most common disease causing cough is a viral/bacterial infection called Kennel cough, this disease usually resolves without treatment within a couple weeks but if the cough is too severe it is recommended to go to the vet in order to get cough medicine and antibiotics.

I would be extremely concerned about her having a cardiac issue. Please take her to your vet so they can check to see if she has a heart murmur as that can lead to heart failure. Coughing is one of the first symptoms. She is the right age and breed for this to be happening. The other likely cause would be a collapsing trachea. So again, please take her to your vet for an exam. Best wishes.

I recommend bringing him to a veterinarian and having them listen to his chest. This may be respiratory or heart related but having a veterinarian auscultate them is the first step. It may require x-rays to determine what it going on also. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Maggie! There are quite a few things that could cause this type of cough in a 12-year-old dog. The most common possibilities would include chronic bronchitis, a respiratory infection, heart disease, and even cancer. An exam and chest x-rays would be needed to determine the cause, so I would recommend taking Maggie to the vet when you are able to. He/she can prescribe appropriate medication to treat the cough depending on the underlying problem.

I am sorry to hear about Hunter. I would strongly recommend an examination by your veterinarian which should include x-rays of his chest. In any older dog that is coughing we definitely want to evaluate for more serious concerns such as heart disease or tumors. We can also have infectious causes of cough including fungal disease, or we can see chronic bronchitis. Your vet can prescribe icough suppressant's and any other medications needed.

There are a number of possible causes for a cough in a 12 year old poodle. We can group those causes into 2 big categories: 1) the primary issue is airway OR 2) the primary issue is the heart. If the problem is his airway, it may be that he has a collapsing trachea, which results in a unique honking type cough. If the lower airways (the lungs) are the issue, it could be a number of possible causes including bronchitis, pneumonia, or cancer. If the problem is his heart, coughing may result from congestive heart failure, which is a buildup of fluid in the lungs because the heart is not pumping effectively. We can also see a cough if the heart is enlarged and is pushing up on the trachea. A visit to your vet is warranted, and chest xrays would help identify what is happening. Please note: His respiratory rate at rest should not persistently be more than 40 breaths in 1 minute. If his breathing is persistently faster than that or if he seems weak, it is an emergency. If the cough is unrelenting and if his tongue starts to appear blue, it is an immediately life threatening emergency. I hope Fred gets to feeling better soon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Blanket. It could be he has a respiratory infection, but at her age, it could be something more serious such as heart disease. I think it would be a good idea to take her into a vet today to get checked out. Best of luck.