A little frustrated :(

[MrsBeeks]

I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with their dog coughing?? Dutch has had a cough now, on and off for a little over a month, and I am getting a little frustrated, I feel so bad for him. I have had him to the vet numerous times, he is up to date on all his shots, including his bordatella, we have done throat swabs that show no infection, they checked his throat for obstructions, we treated him for Kennel Cough even tho', he was already immunized for it, and we have tried cough suppressants to try and break the cycle of the cough. It is always worse in the morning....sounds wet and gurgley, and takes him a few good coughs to clear his throat, and then he is good to go for the most part. The rest of the day sees him having just sporadic coughing fits here and there, but the cough is more a dry cough. This coughing has never affected Dutch's appetite or activity level...he eats very well, and he plays and frollics like a normal pup would.
Anyways, he is due for his final round of shots with in the next week so I will be back in to the vet were I will ask them again, but I thought I would post on here to see if I could pick any ones brains for things that we may not have thought of, or missed.
Oh, I should also mention that he is clear of any heart defects or murmurs as per our papers from the breeder, and the vet confirms that his heart sounds are normal and healthy.
Any thoughts on this subject are really greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance!

 

[LILYLARUE]

There could be several reasons that cause the cough, as long as all medical issues are cleared.

1. With the windows closed and A/C running, this causes dryness in the air. Some recommend a humidifier in the room the dog sleeps to keep his sinuses and air passages moist. This will also help you if you are prone to sinus problems or dryness. So it's never bad to have one.

2. If you are using a collar to walk him, try using a harness. Short nosed breeds have less muscle covering the trachea, so collars can irratate the trachea causing swelling and then the coughing results. Even my long nosed dogs get irrated from pulling on their collars. Short nosed breeds and long necked also have the potential of a collapsed or ruptured trachea from pulling on a leashed collar. Lily can have a week long coughing fit if she is walked on a collar with very little pulling. I was not aware of this and she now has damaged trachea and coughs in the mornings and when excited or barks too much. I wish I had known to use a harness on her when she was a pup.

Others will chime in here.

 

[MrsBeeks]

Thank you so much for your suggestions!! I am going to fill and plug the humidifier in tonight and see if that helps!! It have always used a "sensible harness" on Dutch, the leash is never hooked into anything but that, although I do have a flat collar that he wears because his tags are on it. My mom was a little over zealous with the collar on one of our dogs growing up and damaged her trachea, so ever since then I have been hyper vigilant about that.
I am absolutely going to try the humidifier tonight tho', and I really appreciate you passing the tip on to me....hopefully it does the trick!
I'll keep you posted!!

 

[Gatorblu]

I was going to suggest the humidifier as well. one more thing I would like to point out about Kennel Cough. The vaccine covers only a small number of the types of viruses that can cause it. I believe the number is 23 of the most common strains. There are over 100 known strains. I have been there, done that, and have the vet bill. Hopefully the humidifer will work. Sending some get well wishes to your boy!

 

[TwoDogs]

Are you sure it's coughing and not reverse sneezing. My girl reverse sneezes all the time--no illness, just 4 or 5 in a row and then done.

 

[tastubbs]

Any chance of an allergy? Perhpaps to something in his bedding? Hope the dehumifier solves it.

 

[MrsBeeks]

Hmmmm......so, if there are so many strains of kennel cough, how can it be treated if that is what it is? He was vaccinated for kennel cough, but we did treat him for it anyways....he was on antibiotics for 10 days as well as a cough suppressant. The antibiotics did seem to help, he didn't cough near as much, but about 5 days after finishing his last pill, his coughing began again.
Dutch does reverse sneeze as well once in a while......with those he kind of snorts and snorkles....its unmistakeable, but his coughs are like hacks and gags. As I read that sentence back to myself I am giggling....snorts and snorkels, hacks and gags....sounds the title of a childrens book!
The humidifier seems to help a little bit, so I think we are going to give'r again tonight and see what happens.
Thank you all very much for all your advice and support, I really appreciate it, and I know Dutch does as well!!

 

[MrsBeeks]

Oh, and as for allergies..........could it be his kibble?? Now that I am thinking of it, we switched his kibble a little more than a month ago, and his coughing has been going on for about 3 weeks or so.
Hmmmm.....

 

[Gatorblu]

It can very well be a food allergy and if not a full blown allergy an intolerance. You can look at the ingredients on the new food and compare it the ingreidents of the old (you can pull up most dog food ingredients online) and see what is different, and work from there.

 

[TwoDogs]

My first thought wouldn't be the food. Food allergies usually will cause either digestional upset or skin issues (itching, redness, rash, etc.) Coughing, sneezing, runny eyes type of reactions are typical reactions to a contact or inhalent allergen. Is anything blooming in your geographic area?

He may have a sensitive immune system though and the change in the food exacerbated an underlying allergic response to something else. You could always switch back to his other food for a while and see if that makes a difference.

My girl has seasonal allergies. She itches at certain times of the year and I give her Benadryl. One thing you might want to do is write down when the cough started and if it does subside, when. If it turns out to be a seasonal thing, that info will help you predict when the cough might hit next year.