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Blondie coughing

Blondiemonster

Well-known member
I notice she has been coughing for a few days usually during our walk outside or at the end of the walk. Also when we were outside at the coffeeshop after about 5 minutes of inactivity. (just to show it doesn't just happen when actually active) She'll cough a couple of times in a row sometimes with a gagging sound right after. Could this be allergies? Ofcourse I panicked and thought "heart" but her heart was checked out 2 months back and they discovered a slight arhytmia but "nothing to be worried about". The cardiologist checked out her heart while at the neurologist. :) I know a cough in heart disease is usually in the last stages? Should I bring her into the vet?
 
I notice she has been coughing for a few days usually during our walk outside or at the end of the walk. Also when we were outside at the coffeeshop after about 5 minutes of inactivity. (just to show it doesn't just happen when actually active) She'll cough a couple of times in a row sometimes with a gagging sound right after. Could this be allergies? Ofcourse I panicked and thought "heart" but her heart was checked out 2 months back and they discovered a slight arhytmia but "nothing to be worried about". The cardiologist checked out her heart while at the neurologist. :) I know a cough in heart disease is usually in the last stages? Should I bring her into the vet?

You could call the vet and see if something is going around. I wouldn't just rush in but of course easy for me to say. If she's never done it before during this time I am not sure I would think it's an allergy.
 
She might also have come in contact with kennel cough. I doubt this would be due to a murmur–the coughing part of MVD is one of the signs you get when it is quite serious and has moved into congestive heart failure, because they start to get fluid down in their lungs and that causes the coughing. If a cardiologist said she only had a mild murmur 2 months ago, this wouldn't be causing her coughing.

One of my dogs has always coughed on and off. I've no idea why. He now has a murmur, but that clearly is not the cause of the occasional cough.

If it continues on, I would give your vet a ring for advice and of course, if anything more serious begins to happen, for example if it worsens or you start to see other symptoms, I'd bring her in right away.
 
She might also have come in contact with kennel cough. I doubt this would be due to a murmur–the coughing part of MVD is one of the signs you get when it is quite serious and has moved into congestive heart failure, because they start to get fluid down in their lungs and that causes the coughing. If a cardiologist said she only had a mild murmur 2 months ago, this wouldn't be causing her coughing.

One of my dogs has always coughed on and off. I've no idea why. He now has a murmur, but that clearly is not the cause of the occasional cough.

If it continues on, I would give your vet a ring for advice and of course, if anything more serious begins to happen, for example if it worsens or you start to see other symptoms, I'd bring her in right away.


Thanks that eased my mind a bit. Kennel cough or allergies are a possiblity (since she tends to do it outside I'm thinking the last) so I will wait and see if it goes away on its own.
 
Coughing is a sign that there is something wrong, it may not be very serious, but it could be uncomfortable for Blondie.

If it carrries on for more than a few days it may be wise to just have your vet check it out.
 
Just caught up with this thread. In the UK, when the weather is particularly hot we get smog warnings because the air quality dips with so many cars on the road - something to do with sunshine interacting with exhaust fumes. Could this be happening in NY? Aled came from a puppy farm in Wales and got a terrible cough when I started walking him along our busy main road. It disappeared after a week or so, and the vet and I felt that it was Aled adjusting to the new level of pollution he was encountering. So Blondie's cough may simply be encountering a new/different sort of air pollutant.

If her throat is getting sore with coughing, a child's over-the-counter cough medicine will help - in the UK we give a small dose of Benelin, but it's probably a different brand in the US.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Does Blondie only cough while on leash? The harness or collar could be pressing against her throat just enough to cause irritation. I also thought of kennel cough.
 
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