In this article we’ll explain what to do when your dog has cough
Just like in humans, it’s normal for your dog to cough from time to time. It’s a normal response of the body to irritation of the airways or the need to clear them, for example when they have accumulated mucus.
However, when coughing becomes persistent and prolonged over time, it can be caused by a number of different causes and you should contact your pet’s veterinary surgeon.
Among the most common causes of coughing in dogs we have:
- Infectious causes – kennel cough is an infectious, highly contagious , highly contagious disease characterised by a dry, irritable cough with a sound like a goose cawing. Sometimes the cough can cause vomiting, your pet may have a fever and become more prostrate. This disease is easily prevented by vaccination. Other common diseases that fall under this heading are bacterial, viral or parasitic pneumonia and abscesses. Also among the infectious causes are fungal diseases, which are very uncommon.
- Diseases of the respiratory tract and the lungs themselve – – just like us, our pets can develop bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, tumours or other changes to the lung parenchyma that cause coughing. Dogs subjected to passive smoking often have irritative coughs with changes visible on x-rays and West Island Terriers are predisposed to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. On the other hand, diseases of the upper respiratory tract such as tracheal collapse and laryngeal paralysis are also common causes of coughing.
- Heart Disease – again, just like humans, animals can suffer from heart diseases that cause coughing. This cough can be due to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs when you have an animal suffering from heart failure, or due to irritation and compression of the airways due to an increase in the size of the heart. This cough is usually accompanied by tiredness, exercise intolerance and prostration.
- Trauma – inhaled stains or stains that get stuck in the fur and progress, piercing the costal wall, falls, being run over and other traumas affecting the ribs, lungs or trachea.
There are a few things to bear in mind when taking your pet to the vet for a cough:
- Type of cough: dry, productive or emetic (causes vomiting) – if you can film it, that’s ideal;
- When does it happen: at home, in the street, when the dog comes into contact with dust, at night, when it is exercised?
- Has it lost weight? Does it have an appetite? Is it prostrate?
- Has it been in contact with other dogs? Has he been in damp areas?
- Changes in breathing? Type of noise?
Nobody knows an animal better than its owner. If you think something is wrong, contact your vet.
Vet.Point – Oeiras Veterinary Clinic
Emergency 24h | 927896112 – 211918923 | geral@vetpoint-ivl.com
