Jump to section
What is Coughing?
A cough can be described as a powerful and unexpected burst of air from the airway and lungs. Your dog will have their mouth open either part of the way or fully, may cough up foam or bile, and the head will usually be down. Coughing may be a normal way of clearing the throat, a habit, or it could be a sign of a serious illness. The best way to figure it out is to watch for other signs of illness such as fever, loss of appetite, and general tiredness. But, what is a cough? A cough is a normal response to a number of different things such as foreign objects, infections, parasites, or even a tumor. Some of the reasons your dog may be coughing include:
- Allergies
- Foreign object in throat
- Infection
- Bronchitis (acute or chronic)
- Parasites
- Pneumonia
- Tracheal collapse
- Tumors
- Cardiac (heart) problems
- Tracheobronchitis (kennel cough)
Why Coughing Occurs in Dogs
There are many possible reasons for your dog’s cough, ranging from mild to very serious. Other signs will accompany the cough if the condition is serious. Some of these conditions include:
Allergies
Your dog may be allergic to food, insect bites, shampoo, and more but it is usually not an emergency unless there is facial swelling or breathing difficulty.
Foreign Object in Throat
This can be serious if your dog is not able to clear the object from the airway. If your dog is suddenly gagging and hacking with a high pitched cough, there may be something stuck in the throat or airway that needs to be removed.
Infection
There are several infections that can cause a canine cough, mostly caused by viruses and bacteria. Some of these infections include upper respiratory infection (URI), lower respiratory infection (LRI), canine influenza, bronchitis, and fungal infections such as aspergillosis and blastomycosis.
- Upper respiratory infection (URI) affects the throat, nose, and eyes and usually includes a fever, cough, discharge from the eyes, and a runny nose
- Lower respiratory infection (LRI) affects the lower airway and lungs and includes a fever, deep cough, labored breathing, and weakness
- Canine Influenza is a virus that causes a cough with phlegm, fever, malaise, and sleepiness
- Bronchitis (acute or chronic) causes severe coughing and gagging, sometimes coughing up phlegm
- Aspergillosis is a fungus that floats in the air and causes coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and nosebleeds
- Blastomycosis is a fungal infection that also includes fever, appetite and weight loss, eye inflammation and discharge, and skin lesions
Parasites
There are certain parasites that cause a cough in your dog which include heartworm disease, roundworms, hookworms, and lungworms. The symptoms of these all include coughing, with or without phlegm.
Tracheal Collapse
A tracheal collapse is similar to a foreign body cough, with a loud and hacking cough.
Tumor
A tumor, cancerous or benign, can also cause coughing and may also include weight loss and weakness.
Cardiac (Heart) Problem
The cough of a cardiac problem such as congestive heart failure is usually mild and most often worse at night. The cough will get worse without treatment and include other symptoms such as fatigue, edema, and slow or irregular heart rate.
Tracheobronchitis (Kennel Cough)
Kennel cough is a loud dry cough that will spread to other dogs in the household readily. It usually only lasts a few weeks and normally does not include other symptoms.
Top
What to do if your Dog is Coughing
If your dog’s cough is accompanied by increased body temperature, you should definitely seek veterinary treatment as soon as possible. While this is not a medical emergency that warrants a trip to the emergency veterinary hospital, a fever almost always means your dog has an infection and needs treatment by a veterinary professional. If the veterinarian finds an infection, antibiotics and fluids will be given.
However, if your dog is coughing and cannot breathe, this is an emergency situation and you need to get to a veterinary professional immediately.
In cases of allergies, you should call your veterinarian and get advice on what to do. You may need to bring your dog for a visit, or the veterinarian may suggest an allergy medication such as Benadryl.
A tumor is a serious illness that needs treatment by a veterinary professional. The veterinarian will likely do a biopsy to check and see if the tumor is benign or cancerous and treatment depends on the outcome of the test.
Top
Prevention of Coughing
Helping your dog avoid a cough includes preventive vaccinations, regular veterinary check-ups, keeping your dog away from sick animals, and being careful that your pet is not eating anything that may pose a choking hazard.
It is best to avoid:
- Kennels (they may be safe, but only use those with excellent recommendations)
- Dog parks with sick animals
- Small items your dog could choke on
You can help by:
- Staying up to date on vaccinations
- Use a veterinary approved dog kennel if necessary, although it is better to have a dog sitter come to your home
- Bringing your dog to see the veterinarian regularly
Top
Cost of Coughing
The cost of treatment depends on the cause of the coughing. It can range from a few dollars for allergy medication to treat an allergy to up to $10,000 to treat lung cancer. Some others include up to $1,200 for pneumonia, $2,500 for congestive heart failure, and about $650 for kennel cough.
Top
*Wag! may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Items are sold by the retailer, not Wag!.
Coughing Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Need pet health advice? Ask a vet
Ask a Vet
Siberian Husky
Three Years
Unknown severity
0 found helpful
Unknown severity
Has Symptoms
About 4 days ago our dog Dani woke me up with a weird cough and white foamy vomit early in the morning (about 4) She coughed about 5 times So I called the e vet and they said to keep an eye on her. The next day she coughed once or twice and again vomited foam once. This has been going on until today. A cough here and there and some foamy puke. Other that this she is 100% normal playing, eating, drinking, all fine.
July 24, 2020
Owner
Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. Dani may have kennel cough, or bronchitis, or a heart or lung condition. If the coughing is getting progressively better and less frequent, you should be fine to continue to keep an eye on her. If the cough is getting more frequent or more severe, then it would be best to have your veterinarian examine her to see what might be going on. I hope that all goes well for her!
July 24, 2020
Was this experience helpful?
Kash
Terrier mix
12 Years
Moderate severity
0 found helpful
Moderate severity
Has Symptoms
My 12 year old dog has been having a an intermittent cough for some time now, perhaps about 6 weeks. Her breathing was shallow but normal activity and appetite. She has been to the vet twice now. At the first visit, they did some tests and said that the lungs are congested and that it may be heart failure. She was put on antibiotics for a week. Other than the coughing, her activity and appetite were normal. The cough reduced after the antibiotics and we went in a second time for a echo cardiogram which turned out to be normal. The other tests also showed that her lungs have improved. she was put on antibiotics for another week. In between the visits and afterwards, her appetite increased and she has put on some weight. The cough had greatly reduced. She finished her meds last week. But today, she was coughing again. The meds that she was put on was doxycycline and dexamethasone. What could it be? what else can I do cure her coughing?
Aug. 23, 2018
Kash's Owner
Dr. Michele K. DVM
1611 Recommendations
Kash may have other conditions that were helped by the medications, and may need to be on medication longer term. It would be best to contact your veterinarian, let them know how she is responding to the medication, and talk about what she may need long term.
Aug. 23, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Kash
Terrier mix
12 Years
Moderate severity
0 found helpful
Moderate severity
Has Symptoms
My 12 year old dog has been having a an intermittent cough for some time now, perhaps about 6 weeks. Her breathing was shallow but normal activity and appetite. She has been to the vet twice now. At the first visit, they did some tests and said that the lungs are congested and that it may be heart failure. She was put on antibiotics for a week. Other than the coughing, her activity and appetite were normal. The cough reduced after the antibiotics and we went in a second time for a echo cardiogram which turned out to be normal. The other tests also showed that her lungs have improved. she was put on antibiotics for another week. In between the visits and afterwards, her appetite increased and she has put on some weight. The cough had greatly reduced. She finished her meds last week. But today, she was coughing again. The meds that she was put on was doxycycline and dexamethasone. What could it be? what else can I do cure her coughing?
Aug. 23, 2018
Kash's Owner
Dr. Michele K. DVM
1611 Recommendations
Dexamethasone is a fairly potent steroid, and that may have been helping if she had any type of bronchitis or asthma. Since I can't see her, it would be a good idea to talk to your veterinarian, let them know that her coughing has returned once off the medications, and see if there are any long term medications that she may need.
Aug. 23, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Sasha
Mixed breed
3 Years
Mild severity
0 found helpful
Mild severity
Has Symptoms
So my dog has had a seemingly random, occasional cough. It is at least once a day, maybe 2 or 3 times, and she will cough once or twice (maybe a few times more occasionally) with a hacking cough. It doesn't seem to be triggered by exercise. Rarely it is triggered by excitement. It also occurs when she pulls on the leash, even though we use a choke-free harness(though she has to pull pretty hard in the harness to make the choking/coughing noise). I'm not sure if the 2 coughs are related at all, though. But they sound similar. I took her to the vet to rule out kennel cough. She said it might be collapsing trachea, but the cough is too occasional to actually tell. She said once or twice a day didn't sound like collapsing trachea, but the coughing when pulling on the leash did. I guess my question is could they be 2 separate coughs. One of her accidentally choking herself on the harness and another from something like allergies? She can sneeze quite a bit as well. And is the coughing from the pulling a normal thing without it being collapsing trachea?
June 20, 2018
Sasha's Owner
3320 Recommendations
Any time when pressure is applied to the trachea it will induce a cough so this may not be significant (if you push your own trachea a little below the Adam’s apple you’ll cough too); however the other cough may be due to a variety of different causes including allergies, infections, foreign objects, laryngeal disorders among other causes. Without examining Sasha I cannot say what the specific cause may be but for now keep an eye on things and return to your Veterinarian if it worsens in severity. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
June 20, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Pablo
Pit bull
4 Years
Moderate severity
0 found helpful
Moderate severity
Has Symptoms
My dog initially had an abnormal looking bowel movement 8 days ago. I put him on chicken/rice diet which cleared up his stool, but over the following 4-5 days he vomited intermittently about 4-5 times. There are no signs that he got into anything he shouldn't have, and he's never been the kind of dog that eats things around the house anyway, especially if I'm not home. Even with the intermittent vomit, he still wanted to eat and his behavior didn't really change much until the last vomit, which prompted me to bring him to the vet. (3 days ago) I showed the vet a picture I had taken of the abnormal stool (just in case something like this happened,) and told her about his vomiting, but his physical exam was normal so the plan was to get a fresh fecal sample ASAP but to try probiotics and Pepcid in the mean time. That same night, he was having reverse sneeze spasms, wasn't interested in eating, and started showing outward signs that he didn't feel well. I called my vet (they have an emergency vet on call 24/7) and the on call vet told me to bring him back in. His physical exam was still normal, and his reverse sneezing calmed down but was still happening intermittently. This vet wasn't too concerned about the series of events as I described them, or the picture of the bloody looking stool. She gave him a Cerenia injection and told me to continue with the bland diet, probiotics, and Pepcid. I brought in a fecal sample the next afternoon and the results came back negative this morning. He hasn't vomited since before the first vet visit, he's back to eagerly eating his bland diet (still doing chicken/rice with a little bit of his food mixed in,) and his behavior is perking up again. However he has been having diarrhea that started yesterday, and he suddenly has a hacking/gagging dry cough that started during our first walk this morning. Should I be concerned that this really could be something more serious? I have been giving him Heartgard but I know heartworms can cause symptoms like this, which is what worries me.
May 19, 2018
Pablo's Owner
Dr. Michele K. DVM
1611 Recommendations
Episodes of vomiting are often followed by bouts of diarrhea, as the GI tract is all related. Since he is feeling better, you should be fine to continue to monitor him, and if the coughing doesn't clear up in the next day or two, have him rechecked to have that explored. If he has been on Heartgard, heartworms are low on the list of possible causes. I hope that he is okay.
May 19, 2018
Was this experience helpful?
Harry
Chihuahua
12 Years
Serious severity
0 found helpful
Serious severity
Has Symptoms
My Chihuahua has a bad dry cough and acts like he's going to hack something up Everytime but doesn't it's been going on for atleast a month and a half he sleeps alot and doesn't have much energy it gets worse at night and when I take him in walks what should I do?
Lucy
beagle/pointer mix
1 Year
Mild severity
0 found helpful
Mild severity
Has Symptoms
My dog has been coughing the past couple of days. It is a dry cough, and sometimes sounds like she is trying to hack something up. No other noticeable symptoms. She is a one year old beagle/pointer mix. She does chew a lot. I am wondering if one of her dog chews is irritating her throat?
About Wag!
© 2020 Wag Labs, Inc. All rights reserved.
About Wag!
© 2020 Wag Labs, Inc. All rights reserved.
Security