Coughing In Old Dog

[alison]

My girl who is 15 has recently started to cough. Vet has checked her out and nothing obviously causing it - only a very slight heart murmur - lungs and heart sound good for her age. She is fine going for a walk but slowed up from usual which we didn't notice because our old boy couldn't walk quickly. She is sensitive around the neck / trachea area and will cough if touched there. Started off just occasionally but now is a couple of times a week at night and everyday several times indoors around the house. They have started her on antibiotics but she has no temperature and no runny nose or anything like that. She isn't a candidate for a GA for xray and would be too stressed without.

 

Just wondering about others experiences in this area. Hoping that it will clear up after the meds but aware that all sorts of tumours could cause the symptoms too.

Was sort of hoping it was a heart problem because with meds they can go on a good while before getting really ill. But the vet did say we could try heart meds but she wasn't convinced it would help.

 

Also she has had lungworm meds.

Edited June 17, 2016 by alison

[greysmom]

I would be concerned about laryngeal paralysis, a tumor or blockage of some sort, and aspiration pnuemonia. I don't know enough about megesophagus, but you might look into that too. Is she couching after eating or drinking or pretty much all the time? Wetting her food and raising/lowering her water bowl may help, as well as switching to smaller kibble or canned foods.

[alison]

Thanks - not connected to eating or drinking - no problems there at all at the moment. When she is lying down or getting up to move around. She isn't panting more than the others with exercise - I checked today and she was slow uphill but not panting although it wasn't overly warm here.

[tbhounds]

She should have an x-ray done to rule out an enlarged heart. Enlarged hearts can put pressure on the trachea making them cough.

No seds required for a lateral chest x-rays.

[Guest AtticusMom]

I had a senior greyhound that had aspiration pneumonia. Your pup probably doesn't have this, but we didn't notice any symptoms beforehand either, except for a general "slowing down". He was totally fine with having a chest x-ray every couple of weeks though until it resolved.

[alison]

I don't think any of the vets locally do x-rays without GA.

What can be done if an enlarged heart is pressing on the trachea ?

We are now thinking it may be kennel cough because our other girl coughed during the night but can't be sure because she does have a progressive heart murmur and is due to have her annual check up soon so coughing could be related to that for her.

We'll see what the vet has to say when she finishes her antibiotics.

[XTRAWLD]

My little Pom got like that at age 13 or so and he made it to 15.5. if you palpate the throat you can cause a cough. We were told it was caused from constantly pulling on the leash, thereby putting a lot of pressure on the throat via the collar. Do you walk a lot and is she a puller?

[Busderpuddle]

Ruby was doing the same thing for a while, and the vet said that she seemed to have a bruised trachea. Come to find out, my husband was scratching her neck too hard, and causing some swelling. Their neck areas are very thin the vet said, and my husband was just a bit too rough. He stopped scratching her there, she stopped coughing.

[alison]

No she's not a puller but you can cause a cough by touching the trachea area.

Thankfully it hasn't got any worse and she seems happy in herself but is slow walking.