Why is my dog terrified of my cough but curious about my sneeze?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Rusty may be afraid of the noise or perhaps the motion. The good thing is that most of the time this tends to improve with time and continued exposure and really no intervention is needed. Good luck and have a great day!

Poor Charlie. There are a lot of different causes for coughing. He could have a severe upper respiratory infection/kennel cough, heart disease or even pneumonia. The yelping when being picked up is likely unrelated but could be due to him hurting somewhere in his back or abdomen. Both of these problems call for an exam by your vet in order to listen to his heart and lungs and also palpating his back, abdomen and other joints to find out why exactly he is helping. I would try to video the cough to help the vet make a proper diagnosis. Your vet will be able to take X-rays if needed and also get him started on the proper meds to help him feel better. They will also be able to prescribe something for the cough to help everyone rest a little better at night. I hope this helps and he starts to feel better really soon !

Hi there! Dogs can make some weird noises and it can be difficult to tell if they're normal or a sign of sickness. This is a link to a video of a strange noise dogs make called "reverse sneezing". Dogs can sneeze two different ways. Like regular sneezing, we don't worry about it unless it is associated with other signs of a respiratory infection, such as green nasal discharge or lethargy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UyBrb0Hhpk If Hazel's cough-sound is associated with playing or getting excited, it may be a sign of something called a "collapsing trachea". This sounds a lot scarier than it is and can usually be treated well with oral medications, though extreme cases may require surgery. Sometimes coughs and snorts can be underlying signs of chronic bronchitis or heart disease as well. Usually in more serious disease, we are seeing the signs associated with the animal not feeling well for days at a time, instead of just a single cough incident though. I would recommend trying to take a video the next time she makes the sound and seeing if there are any common triggers for it. That information would help your vet give you the best answer as to what is going on.

The way you described it, it sounds like he was reverse sneezing. Look up some YouTube videos on "dog reverse sneezing" and see if you think it was that. If so, it is nothing to be concerned with. His other symptoms sound like he may have injured his back or neck and he should be examined by your vet so they can get their hands on him to see if they can find the source of pain.

Charlie sounds sick. He could have a respiratory infection or kennel cough. I'd take him into the vet today for an exam. The vet can diagnose what is causing his symptoms, and can prescribe treatment for him. Best of luck.

With Charlie-coughing is no fun!! With the history of mitral valve disease I would definitely be concerned that the coughing is secondary to progressing cardiac issues. I would recommend taking Charlie to your regular veterinarian as soon as you can. They can do a thorough physical exam and may recommend X-rays and blood work. The concern is that Charlie’s heart is no longer pumping as effectively as it should, and fluid can start to build up in the lungs. This makes it difficult to breath and contributes to coughing. Depending on the findings your vet may recommend seeing a cardiac specialist, additional testing such as a cardiac ultrasound (echo) may be indicated as well. Your vet will likely discuss some medication options with you-dogs with cardiac disease often need medication to help remove the fluid in their lungs and also to help support cardiac function.

I always think a cough is worth evaluating. Some reasons are more benign than others, but it is always a good idea to know why your dog is coughing so you can be aware of how it may progress and prevent future problems. The first step is to have your veterinarian examine Scooter and take x-rays of his chest. That will evaluate his trachea for tracheal collapse (https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1527), his lungs for evidence of bronchitis (https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3151), his heart for evidence of heart disease, as well as a number of other conditions. Each of those diseases has different treatments and potential complications, so we want to know what to expect in the future if Scooter has any of those diseases. And sometimes treatment will really help them feel better even if you think his lack of activity is normal for him, it may be due to his cough, so treating it may be very beneficial. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.