My dog has a sudden dry cough. What's causing it and what to do?

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.

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 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.

There are quite a few things that can cause a cough like this. Some common possibilities would include allergies, chronic bronchitis, a collapsing trachea, or heart disease. If the cough has been going on for a while, I would recommend discussing options for further work-up with your vet to help determine what is causing it. Diagnostic testing such as general blood work (a CBC and chemistry panel), chest x-rays, and heartworm testing would all be helpful, if these tests haven't been done already.

Unfortunately it's impossible to know the underlying cause of the coughing without a physical exam and possible radiographs. Pets can cough due to allergies, infections or something more sinister. Even vaccinated pets can get kennel cough though it tends to be less severe (just like humans can get the flu even though they have the vaccine). Treatment is different for each of these conditions. At home you can try rest for a few days so no running or anything to cause panting. Keep her from barking as well. If you don't want to wait you can certainly have her examined today. Otherwise if the coughing doesn't improve after a few days or if it gets worse at any point, I recommend to have Sadie examined by her veterinarian. Best of luck.

Poor pup. If the coughing continues, then your puppy likely has an upper airway infection, in which case you want to get this seen by your veterinarian. But if this is just an isolated incident that does not repeat itself, Bentley likely just got some kind of irritation to his airway from either an aerosolized irritant or foreign material. If it does not happen again, then the problem has luckily fixed itself. Best of luck with Bentley and I hope that his sneezing/coughing episode does not continue. Take care. : )

It’s hard to know why your pup is doing this. It’s possible she has allergies or is breathing in poor quality air. Parasites of the lungs, heart disease and primary lung disease can also cause coughing. A few things you can do at home which may help include starting her on an omega-3 fatty acid supplement and using an air filter in the house. If she has not been seen for the coughing, I recommend to have her examined by her veterinarian and if the doctor suspects allergies, discuss antihistamines. I hope this helps and best of luck.

Coughing in dogs is mostly caused by an upper respiratory infection but there are other causes such as heart disease, heartworm disease, primary lung disease and allergic bronchitis. So he treatment depends on the underlying cause. And so nce there are no medicaitons that would be recommended to give your pet over the counter, it's best to have Money seen and evaluated by your local vet or see if the underlying cause can be found so that he appropriate treatment (medicaiton) is prescribed for her. Best case scenario is that she has a mild URI that responds to a short course of prescription antibiotics. Best wishes.