Why does my dog cough after eating or excitement, besides heartworms?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Hooch evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. Good luck and have a good day!

Anal gland discomfort from impaction or infection could also cause scooting, but I would not expect to see coughing or a decrease in appetite. The coughing could be a sign of a respiratory infection like kennel cough, other respiratory disease or heart disease. Heartworm is another relatively common cause of coughing if Ferdinand is not on a preventative. If his decrease in appetite continues for more than 24 hours I would recommend seeing a veterinarian (on an emergency basis if necessary). They can examine him and recommend tests for the cough and check his anal glands.

I am sorry to hear that your dog is coughing. There are so many reasons for chronic cough such as allergic bronchitis, pulmonary hypertension, heartworm disease, enlarged heart, fungal infection, parasites, and cancer. To answer your question heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes only and can not pass through people. Also, there is no answer to how long it takes for a cough to resolve. It completely depends on what is causing the cough. I would highly encourage you to consider a follow up appointment with your veterinarian soon. X-rays, bloodwork, and a fecal exam may be recommended to help determine the diagnosis and best treatment plan. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello, there are multiple causes for a cough like the one you are describing. One potential cause may include heartworm disease, however, this can be checked with a snap test. If it returns positive for heartworm, then there are medications you can try at home to treat this disease. Other causes may include heart disease and lung disease. Some primary lung diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia can cause this. To fully explore this causes for your dog's cough, he may need x-rays, a cardiology consultation, and a heart worm test. The other cause in smaller dogs include a collapsing trachea. Ideally your coughing dog should not live an fast or active lifestyle to prevent exacerbation of her cough and from her going into respiratory distress. Please see your veterinarian soon if your dog continues to cough. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Poor coco. A cough in a younger dog could be from heartworm disease, parasites, bronchitis, asthma, allergies, bacterial, viral and trachea related. I would recommend taking coco to a veterinarian since the cough has been presistent. Your veterinarian might want to do a heartworm test , x-rays or medications to help. Unfortunately the price will depend on your location and services that are completed.

Hi and thank you for your post. The small worms near the anus could be tapeworms (is they are small and look like little rice granules). Coughing when excited could be contributed to kennel cough or a reverse sneeze. Vomiting could be dietary indiscretion related (eating something other than normal dog food) if it happened just a couple times and no vomiting since then. It is a good idea Hendrix see a veterinarian for the worms and the other issues if they persist. Tape worms (if that is what he has) will need to be treated with praziquantel which comes in a tablet form or injectable form (administered by you veterinarian). Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Coughing can occur from the damage the worms are doing to the lungs. It could also be caused by the worms dying off and causing inflammation, although I'm not sure how likely that is with the slow kill method. I would recommend keeping him crated and resting (no walks, no running, no excitement -- basically no getting his heart rate up) until he can get to the vet for evaluation, which will likely include chest x-rays and a discussion of if he needs anti-inflammatory medication and cage rest to get through this treatment. Wishing you and Bug (love his name!) the best of luck.