Pet coughing after liquid medicine: Is it going down their lungs?

Yes, this is a common response. Be careful when giving medications that it is swallowed and not inhaled. If Luffy seems lethargic after or continues to have a harsh cough, he should be examined by a vet ASAP.

As long as Cookie is alert and swallowing when you administer the liquid medication, the risk of it getting into the lungs is low. If he's not able to swallow or is very lethargic and not responding, I would not give him the medication by mouth because he isn't able to protect his airway and the medication could be inhaled into his lungs. If this is the case, he needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away.

It is possible she may have aspirated a small amount into her lungs. Monitor for continued coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge or lethargy. If enough was aspirated, the potential for pneumonia exists. A small syringe should be used instead of a spoon. You can slowly squirt the syrup in the side of her mouth and allow time for swallowing to prevent aspiration.

Thank you for taking such good care of Milo. Generally speaking, when a veterinarian starts the combination of medications that you are currently giving, it does sometimes take two or three days for the medications to start decreasing the clinical symptoms. If Milo is eating, drinking, urinating, defecating, and playing normally but just has the bad cough, I would wait another 48 hours before contacting my veterinarian. If, however, your dog is starting to feel lethargic or anorexic, I would contact the veterinarian as soon as possible to either be seen again or possibly get a change of medications to treat the worsening cough. I hope I have given you some help. Thank you for reaching out to our service.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While antibiotics can cause vomiting and nausea, a cough can definitely be due to aspiration pneumonia. However, other conditions unrelated to possible aspiration such as heart disease, infectious pneumonia, or heart worm infection can cause coughing as well and may just be a coincidence. If you are concerned about Chester’s cough, I recommend having him seen by his vet to rule out the conditions above. They can perform bloodwork and x-rays to make a diagnosis and begin the appropriate treatment. I hope this helps and that all is well with Chester!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Roxie. You don't need to worry about signs of aspiration in this case. If any of the medication had gotten into her trachea, she would have immediately started coughing. Think about how you react if liquids or food go down the wrong pipe. You start coughing forcefully right away, and a dog would do the same. Since she is fine, it didn't happen. I hope this helps!

Hello. It is possible that Hoonie had a bad reaction to the medications. I would wait until he is due the next dose & administer only one of the medications ( either the antibiotic or the pain medication ). Then wait a couple of hours to administer the other one. This way, you can hopefully prevent another upset, or at least see which medication he may be sensitive to. Hope he feels better soon & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.