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Need advice: Cough only when laying down


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Hi all, 

I need some knowledge from my greyhound community, please.

My girl, age 9, does this weird cough/gag (always just a single cough/gag) and it’s only when she’s in bed. It usually is when she goes from laying down to rolling over/moving around so it’s like the motion of getting up causes the cough. Going from a roaching position to laying down usually causes it. It happens several times a week now for the last year or so?
 

All bloodwork looks normal and exam is normal. Heart sounds good according to vet. Her teeth are terrible, though so vet said it could maybe be that.

Anyone have a suggestion of what this could be or what I should do next? I fear heart related stuff but want to find out from other grey owners if they’ve experienced this.

thank you! ❤️

 

Edited by greyhoundparty
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  • greyhoundparty changed the title to Need advice: Cough only when laying down

I would ask the vet to check for laryngeal paralysis

Coughing after extertion can be one symptom but there are numerous symptoms having to do with heat intolerance, exercise intolerance etc. Better to rule it out than not check for it. 

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If it is laryngeal paralysis it can easy be treated with Doxepin. 

Any chance it could be a reverse sneeze?

 

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My guess is that she is clearing saliva that has built up while sleeping. 

My Wiki is Pavlov's dog. When she is about to get a really good treat she immediately begins to salivate. Then she does a big hack cough to clear her throat before she takes her treat. 🙄 

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Jerilyn, missing Lila (Good Looking), new Mistress to Wiki (PJ Wicked).
 
 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Jerilyn said:

My guess is that she is clearing saliva that has built up while sleeping. 

My Wiki is Pavlov's dog. When she is about to get a really good treat she immediately begins to salivate. Then she does a big hack cough to clear her throat before she takes her treat. 🙄 

Since her teeth are terrible maybe she has a lot of mucus or saliva to cough up after laying down? I sure hope that is it! 🙏

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3 hours ago, macoduck said:

If it is laryngeal paralysis it can easy be treated with Doxepin. 

Any chance it could be a reverse sneeze?

I wish it were that! But nope it’s definitely a cough hack. It’s like one of those giant mouth open wide greyhound gags where they look funny (wish I could post a pic or video here to show what I mean).

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4 hours ago, Time4ANap said:

I would ask the vet to check for laryngeal paralysis

Coughing after extertion can be one symptom but there are numerous symptoms having to do with heat intolerance, exercise intolerance etc. Better to rule it out than not check for it. 

Ok I will ask the vet, although they didn’t mention it as a possibility since it happens only when she’s at rest (getting up from laying down and changing sleep positions). 

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15 minutes ago, greyhoundparty said:

I tried to post a video here so everyone can hear/see but the file size was too large even for a 2 second video.
 

Thank you all for your help and hound wisdom! 

Can you upload it to YouTube or iCloud and post the link? If you post a YouTube link it will embed here automatically. 

53827132849_248d9686fd_o.jpg

Rachel with Doolin Doodle Dooooo, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our gorgeous, gutsy girlhounds
 Sweep and Willa:heart

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Ok I hope this works!! Thank you 

 

the gagging part is usually more drawn out and dramatic but this was as good as I could capture since it comes on quick and ends quickly. 

 

I tried to post a video here so everyone can hear/see but the file size was too large even for a 2 second video.
 

Thank you all for your help and hound wisdom! 
 

 

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The video is helpful; glad it worked out! Personally I don't see anything terribly concerning, but hopefully others with more experience will chime in. I would liken it to her clearing her throat, like Jerilyn said above. Especially given that her bloodwork is normal, heart sounds fine (and you'd likely see other symptoms with CHF), and she doesn't seem distressed in any way, I don't think there's anything to worry about here. 

53827132849_248d9686fd_o.jpg

Rachel with Doolin Doodle Dooooo, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our gorgeous, gutsy girlhounds
 Sweep and Willa:heart

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How long have you noticed your girl doing this? Do you live in a warm climate? What is her name?! :)

I'm with Jerilyn on this one. My Punkin does the same cough clearing hack then gulp before she's given a treat and sometimes before she gets ready for a meal. Given your pup's unremarkable bloodwork and comprehensive exam/s, I also don't see anything too concerning at this point. Unless it escalates and/or presents with additional symptoms, I would make a note to definitely mention it at her next vet visit. You did a good job capturing the cough on video and without asking for a real appointment you could ask your vet if you can email the video to them for their opinion. Keep an ear open for changes in your pup's bark or whine and if you notice those I would schedule an appt but not on an emergency basis. Hope this helps and please keep us posted.

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M, Ebbie, HollyBeeBop (Betty Crocker).

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

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1 hour ago, ramonaghan said:

The video is helpful; glad it worked out! Personally I don't see anything terribly concerning, but hopefully others with more experience will chime in. I would liken it to her clearing her throat, like Jerilyn said above. Especially given that her bloodwork is normal, heart sounds fine (and you'd likely see other symptoms with CHF), and she doesn't seem distressed in any way, I don't think there's anything to worry about here. 

Oh thank you! I was hoping the same, that without other CHF symptoms that it’s not that. I read that a hounds cough is troubling if it’s while at rest, so that’s why I’ve been worried.
 

Last night it did sound worse than this but that video was the best I could capture the other day. 

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16 minutes ago, FiveRoooooers said:

How long have you noticed your girl doing this? Do you live in a warm climate? What is her name?! :)

I'm with Jerilyn on this one. My Punkin does the same cough clearing hack then gulp before she's given a treat and sometimes before she gets ready for a meal. Given your pup's unremarkable bloodwork and comprehensive exam/s, I also don't see anything too concerning at this point. Unless it escalates and/or presents with additional symptoms, I would make a note to definitely mention it at her next vet visit. You did a good job capturing the cough on video and without asking for a real appointment you could ask your vet if you can email the video to them for their opinion. Keep an ear open for changes in your pup's bark or whine and if you notice those I would schedule an appt but not on an emergency basis. Hope this helps and please keep us posted.

Thank you! She’s been doing it intermittently for about a year with it increasing in frequency recently, hence my concern that it could be CHF related. Especially since she does it without food/water and at rest. Vet did mention her cough could be cardiac related and said we could book with the cardiologist to check even though she sounded ok with his stethoscope.

Yes, warm climate in the south although it is still cold now. 

Her name is Siouxsie and she is the love of my life!!! 🥰

CE780559-2078-4C88-BB1D-11C2C6517719.jpeg

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11 minutes ago, greyhoundparty said:

Oh thank you! I was hoping the same, that without other CHF symptoms that it’s not that. I read that a hounds cough is troubling if it’s while at rest, so that’s why I’ve been worried.

My experience with CHF is limited to cats, but the heartbeat is very distinct (like a gallop) and, at least with my cat, the coughing spells were more than just one or two coughs at a time, and he had a high resting respiratory rate. You can count her breaths while she's resting if you're really concerned; normal is typically 20–30 breaths per minute. 

4 minutes ago, greyhoundparty said:

Her name is Siouxsie and she is the love of my life!!! 🥰

CE780559-2078-4C88-BB1D-11C2C6517719.jpeg

:beatheart Kiss them her for me. 

Edited by ramonaghan

53827132849_248d9686fd_o.jpg

Rachel with Doolin Doodle Dooooo, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our gorgeous, gutsy girlhounds
 Sweep and Willa:heart

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Just now, ramonaghan said:

My experience with CHF is limited to cats, but the heartbeat is very distinct (like a gallop) and, at least, with my cat, the coughing spells were more than just one or two coughs at a time, and he had a high resting respiratory rate. You can count her breaths while she's resting if you're really concerned; normal is typically 20–30 breaths per minute. 

:beatheart Kiss them her for me. 

Oh thank you for the info. 💗Thankfully her respiratory rate seems normal and when I feel her heart beat it does seem to feel like a gallop sometimes to me, but the vet always says her heart sounds good so....
 

I was so curious if someone would watch this video and say, YES my hound does that too and it is _____.

I saw a little dachshund video online with a similar cough and everyone jumped on saying CHF. Cue GreyMom paranoia!

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28 minutes ago, FiveRoooooers said:

 My Punkin does the same cough clearing hack then gulp before she's given a treat and sometimes before she gets ready for a meal. 

I'm glad Wiki is not the only one. Seems to be a black girl dog affliction. :lol:

Siouxsie is very cute. And her hack looks a lot like what Wiki does. And I think if she's got tooth issues that could be responsible for more spit/mucus than normal.  

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Jerilyn, missing Lila (Good Looking), new Mistress to Wiki (PJ Wicked).
 
 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Jerilyn said:

I'm glad Wiki is not the only one. Seems to be a black girl dog affliction. :lol:

Siouxsie is very cute. And her hack looks a lot like what Wiki does. And I think if she's got tooth issues that could be responsible for more spit/mucus than normal.  

Haha!! I sure hope it is just saliva. That would be very much like her to give me such a scare and worrying only for it to be saliva, but I’ll gladly take it! Fingers crossed 🤞❤️
 

I was ready to go get chest X-rays for heart and lungs and get the cardiologist involved. Whew. 

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5 minutes ago, greyhoundparty said:

Oh thank you for the info. 💗Thankfully her respiratory rate seems normal and when I feel her heart beat it does seem to feel like a gallop sometimes to me, but the vet always says her heart sounds good so....

Yep, the gallop is something they hear, not something you feel, so I think you're good if the vet didn't hear it!

53827132849_248d9686fd_o.jpg

Rachel with Doolin Doodle Dooooo, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our gorgeous, gutsy girlhounds
 Sweep and Willa:heart

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5 minutes ago, Jerilyn said:

I'm glad Wiki is not the only one. Seems to be a black girl dog affliction. :lol:

Maybe a girl dog affliction! Sweep did it and Willa does too. Those girls get so excited to eat. :lol 

53827132849_248d9686fd_o.jpg

Rachel with Doolin Doodle Dooooo, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our gorgeous, gutsy girlhounds
 Sweep and Willa:heart

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26 minutes ago, Jerilyn said:

I'm glad Wiki is not the only one. Seems to be a black girl dog affliction. :lol:

Girl dog thing. AnnIE possesses other talents :lol:

37 minutes ago, greyhoundparty said:

Thank you! She’s been doing it intermittently for about a year with it increasing in frequency recently, hence my concern that it could be CHF related. Especially since she does it without food/water and at rest. Vet did mention her cough could be cardiac related and said we could book with the cardiologist to check even though she sounded ok with his stethoscope.

Yes, warm climate in the south although it is still cold now. 

Her name is Siouxsie and she is the love of my life!!! 🥰

CE780559-2078-4C88-BB1D-11C2C6517719.jpeg

She’s a beauty! 

Remember, at nine she’s a lovely senior and things start going. It’s the natural aging process. (Ask me how I know this :gramps :lol ). While it’s great and helpful to have a diagnosis sometimes there isn’t an obvious answer. I don’t think you have a worry right now but again keep an eye and ear open for changes. 

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M, Ebbie, HollyBeeBop (Betty Crocker).

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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