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- Dog coughing: what can it be?
- My dog is coughing like he's choking: causes
- Kennel cough or canine infectious tracheobronchitis
- Dog with cough from pharyngitis
- Dog coughing from bronchitis
- Dog coughing up lung worms
- Dog coughing from heart disease
- Coughing dog: what to do
- Dog cough: how to avoid
The causes of a dog with a cough can be of different origins, for this reason, it is important to have an early diagnosis that helps the veterinarian to establish the proper treatment. In this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain the causes that can cause dog cough, highlighting the cough produced by parasites that infect the lungs and heart, which are responsible for serious and potentially deadly diseases.
If this is happening to your pet, find out all about dog with cough - Symptoms, causes and treatment, reading this article and knowing how to correctly prevent the symptom with the deworming calendar.
Dog coughing: what can it be?
To explain the dog cough, it is important to know that the cough is a reflex that is highlighted by an irritation in some point of the respiratory system. Thus, it can be caused by infections in the respiratory tract, by the presence of products that cause irritation (such as vegetable fragments or food remains), by heart disease, tumors, parasites or simply by the pressure of a tight collar.
Cough increases irritation, which in turn intensifies and maintains coughing. It can be deep, dry, wet, sharp, weak or prolonged. The features help the veterinarian to guide the diagnosis and also recognize the presence of other symptoms such as respiratory changes, eye and nose discharge, sneezing or sputum. In any case you should call a veterinarian.
My dog is coughing like he's choking: causes
Any foreign body lodged in the respiratory system can explain why you see yours. choking dog coughing. These foreign bodies can be toys, bones, hooks, ropes, etc. If the dog coughs as if he had something in his throat, it is possible that he is facing a case of a dog coughing for a foreign body. If the dog becomes restless and anxious, depending on the location of the foreign body, it is possible that it will try to take the paw to its mouth, it may also have hypersalivation or try to vomit. If the object is installed in the larynx, the dog will have a cough as if he were choking.
this is a emergency situation and, therefore, you must take your pet to the vet as soon as possible. As a prevention, you should prevent the dog from ingesting materials that could cause obstructions.
Kennel cough or canine infectious tracheobronchitis
The explanation of a dog coughing a lot can be the disease popularly known as kennel cough (or canine infectious tracheobronchitis). As its name indicates, coughing is the main indication of this disease, which usually affects animals housed in collective spaces, such as kennels, as it is highly contagious.
In fact, it is a group of respiratory diseases caused by different bacteria and viruses, such as the flu virus or Bordetella bronchiseptica. The dog coughs and is nauseated and generally does not show other symptoms. Although these symptoms are mild, it is important to take your pet to the vet as soon as possible to avoid complications such as pneumonia, for example.
In more severe cases, dogs tend to have fever, anorexia, runny nose, exercise intolerance, sneezing and respiratory problems. Only the veterinarian is able to establish the appropriate treatment and medication for your dog. There are vaccines that help prevention and it is extremely important to adopt precautions so that your dog does not infect other animals
Dog with cough from pharyngitis
Another of the diseases that can explain a dog with cough is pharyngitis, which is usually associated with infections in the mouth or systemic, as is the case of distemper in dogs. It is a more common illness in puppies, which can cause the dog to show symptoms of coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia or listlessness. Pharyngitis causes pain and can even make your dog stop eating.
Only the veterinarian can diagnose the cause and pass treatment. Antibiotics are usually prescribed and it is extremely important that you control your dog's diet: if he didn't want to eat, you can use moistened food.
Dog coughing from bronchitis
If the dog has a constant cough and it doesn't subside after a few months, it's possible that the explanation for why the dog is coughing a lot is conical bronchitis, more common in middle-aged or elderly dogs, and usually the origin is unknown.
If you've noticed your dog coughing and vomiting white goo, excessive coughing can end up with sputum frothy saliva that can be mistaken for vomiting. If left untreated, it can prove irreversible damage.
The veterinarian will prescribe a medication to reduce inflammation of the bronchi and bronchioles. It is also necessary to adopt palliative measures such as the elimination of contaminants from the environment and the use of protection for walking.
Dog coughing up lung worms
The presence of pulmonary parasites, in general, in the respiratory system is another cause that explains why a dog has a cough. There are several species that can infect dogs and it is possible to contract by ingesting an intermediate host, such as snails. This pathology usually causes a mild cough and sometimes does not present any symptoms.
In young puppies, a persistent cough can cause weight loss or exercise intolerance. When coughing, the larvae reach the mouth and the dog swallows them, and can later notice them in the feces.
These worms can cause clotting problems, complicating the condition and possibly causing the dog's death. Appropriate treatment and the correct implementation of the deworming plan agreed with the veterinarian are necessary in order to prevent infections.
Dog coughing from heart disease
Most of the time, the cough is related to respiratory problems, however the heart problems can also cause a dog's cough. The increase in the size of the heart affects the functioning and affects the lungs, giving rise to coughing, exercise intolerance, tiredness, weight loss, ascites, breathing difficulties and fainting.
These symptoms appear in diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy, chronic valvular, filariasis, potentially deadly. The latter is caused by the heart worm and reaches its peak with increasing temperatures, facilitating the development of its vector, a mosquito that contains filaria larvae and is transmissible to dogs.
The filaria develops a vital cycle inside and ends up settling mainly in the heart and pulmonary arteries, affecting the functioning and constituting a risk to the dog's life. If the larvae move, they can obstruct blood circulation in the lungs, causing pulmonary thromboembolism.
If they affect the hepatic veins, they cause vena cava syndrome, responsible for liver failure. This disease has treatment, but in its course, the dead larvae can produce obstructions, causing the dog's death.
Coughing dog: what to do
If your dog has a persistent cough and any other signs mentioned in the article, you should visit a veterinarian to perform the necessary tests and determine the causes of the cough. The specialist will give you an adequate treatment according to the condition presented by your puppy.
Dog cough: how to avoid
As you can see, there are many pathologies that can affect a dog, and they can be transmitted to humans and vice versa. Therefore, it is vitally important to invest in preventive measures such as follow the vaccination and deworming schedule established by the veterinarian, as it will help maintain the health of the dog and the whole family.
Do not forget that it is advisable to visit a veterinarian every six months and follow the monthly deworming program that helps to quickly prevent and treat any pathology that may affect the dog, always using products prescribed by the veterinarian.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Dog with Cough - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment, we recommend that you enter our Respiratory Diseases section.