Hacking type of Cough?

The past few days Bella has been doing this hacking type of cough - sounds like she is trying to cough something up but nothing ever comes out. I'm wondering if she should see a vet. She does this in the mornings a lot and then a few times throughout the day. My husband and I are both just getting over colds ourselves and I'm wondering if she could have caught something from us?! Does anyone have any experience with this?

She probably has been exposed to dogs with kennel cough, which is highly contagious. Some viruses can be passed back and forth from humans as well. And yes, she should see a vet or at least, start by calling to get their advice. Kennel cough can make dogs very ill on its own; it also can turn to pneumonia and be fatal, very quickly in puppies or immune-suppressed dogs.

Whenever something is definitely wrong, it is a good idea to immediately call your vet at least to get their advice. A vet will tell you whether the dog needs to come in.

BTW for general reference, I have this useful article pinned at the top of the Health forum which advises when people should get their dog to a vet:

http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?t=18034

Here is the vet author's advice on coughs:

4. Coughing

A persistent cough can be a warning sign of serious disease. Heartworm infection, canine influenza, heart failure, allergic bronchitis, lung tumors and congestive heart failure all can cause coughing that extends beyond the expected course of a short-term infection. Get any cough that lasts longer than a few days checked out.

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I'd add that with puppies, I'd call if a cough lasts more than 24 hours as I've seen them go downhill fast if pneumonia gets a foothold. This is unlikely to be anything more right now than kennel cough in your case, but that alone needs to be checked out.

Thanks Karlin. I just made her an appointment for Wednesday. I was just reading about Kennel Cough and the way it is descibed is exactly as she sounds. I didnt realize this could be picked up just by seeing dogs in the park. Poor baby :-( Do you know if it is hard to treat or something I should be worrying myself about?

Oliver had kennel cough (Bordetella, I believe) as a puppy. He had a cough and his eyes and nose were really runny. The vet gave him antibiotics and he was fine. I did have to keep him away from other dogs as he was contagious, though.

Geordie's kennel cough started off as viral, then developed bacterial complications. He was just a puppy. Antibiotics eventually cleared it up. :flwr: