i have seen this all my life and have several that does it now. Will just up and start coughing like something hung in the throat, lasts a little bit and quits.
seen it all my life but dont know the correct name or cause for it. allergies maybe ?
Dog Coughing...
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Re: Dog Coughing...
There are many reasons dogs may cough, and not all are related.
Naturally, if a whole group of dogs starts coughing, then kennel cough comes to mind. The trouble is, the causes of kennel cough could be viral or bacterial. If it's bacterial, then certain antibiotics can work wonders (TMZ, Tylan, Antirobe, Clavamox), but the right choice would depend on the offending bacteria. If it's viral, then you pretty much just have to let it run its course. There are also some systemic fungal diseases that it could be (blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, etc.) which can disseminate into the lungs ... but the odds of a whole group of dogs coming down with something like this would be remote.
If certain older dogs start coughing when they advance in years, then some kind of congestive heart failure (or cardiomyopathy) should be considered, for which a chest xray will determine which it is (if either). But in either case, a limitation on dietary salt is in order, supplementation with CoEnzyme Q10, and daily treatment with Salix (formerly Lasix) will be needed for the rest of their lives. Basically, the dog's heart is no longer strong enough to completely purge the lungs of fluid, and so the dogs will cough a lot, especially in the morning. The Salix/Lasix simply helps rid the body of excess fluids.
Another consideration if several dogs start coughing in a kennel situation would be heartworm. I have known several people who "treated" for heartworm, but who in fact were under-dosing the meds ... and thereby NOT really "worming" them at all ... and so eventually several of their dogs wound-up with heartworm.
Which it is, in your particular situation, would be hard to say ... but I hope I have given you a few examples for your consideration.
Naturally, if a whole group of dogs starts coughing, then kennel cough comes to mind. The trouble is, the causes of kennel cough could be viral or bacterial. If it's bacterial, then certain antibiotics can work wonders (TMZ, Tylan, Antirobe, Clavamox), but the right choice would depend on the offending bacteria. If it's viral, then you pretty much just have to let it run its course. There are also some systemic fungal diseases that it could be (blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, etc.) which can disseminate into the lungs ... but the odds of a whole group of dogs coming down with something like this would be remote.
If certain older dogs start coughing when they advance in years, then some kind of congestive heart failure (or cardiomyopathy) should be considered, for which a chest xray will determine which it is (if either). But in either case, a limitation on dietary salt is in order, supplementation with CoEnzyme Q10, and daily treatment with Salix (formerly Lasix) will be needed for the rest of their lives. Basically, the dog's heart is no longer strong enough to completely purge the lungs of fluid, and so the dogs will cough a lot, especially in the morning. The Salix/Lasix simply helps rid the body of excess fluids.
Another consideration if several dogs start coughing in a kennel situation would be heartworm. I have known several people who "treated" for heartworm, but who in fact were under-dosing the meds ... and thereby NOT really "worming" them at all ... and so eventually several of their dogs wound-up with heartworm.
Which it is, in your particular situation, would be hard to say ... but I hope I have given you a few examples for your consideration.