Is my dog's minimal cough and heaving a sign of heart failure?

I would always be concerned about the development of a cough in an older dog. Firstly it could be due to an infection, chest infections can be serious. It could be an inflammatory conditiion such as bronchitis or asthma. Of course it could be a heart issue like you say and there is the possibility of masses also. The best plan would be to go to the vet for sn examination, an xray may be needed to get a diagnosis.

In a dog Miller's age, this cough and heavy breathing could be due to something serious like heart disease. Unfortunately, heart disease is common in old dogs, and while it cannot be cured, its symptoms can be managed with medication. I think it's really important that he sees a vet as soon as possible, so I would recommend taking him into see his vet this weekend. I hope this helps.

Congestive heart failure and pneumonia can certainly have very similar symptoms in dogs - breathing hard, coughing, laying around more than normal, etc. Chest x-rays and blood work would normally help to determine which of these problems your dog has, as results of these tests would be different in congestive heart failure vs. pneumonia. If you have a more specific question about your dog's particular situation, feel free to post again - we would be happy to try and help.

Hi. Is your pet on medications for heart failure? If so, and still coughing, your veterinarian may need to reassess xrays and possibly increase doses of medication. Prognosis for heart failure is guarded to poor. I'm sorry she isn't feeling well

I'm so sorry that Jenny isn't feeling well. You are correct, it sounds like she is showing signs of congestive heart failure. Unfortunately there are no over the counter medications you can give her for this. She really needs to see a vet. She needs diuretics, ace inhibitors and a drug to help her heart contract better (pimobendan). With these medications on board many dogs can live for quite some time and have a good quality of life. Without the medications I am afraid she won't well. I found this website that may help you in finding some low cost vet care in your area: https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/care/vetcare I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Jenny.

Hello. A cough can originate from cardiac or pulmonary causes, & this can be further defined as infectious, inflammatory, allergic, bronchial or tracheal, so all coughs are not due to heart failure. The cough could also be related to some acid reflux, The only way to narrow things down is with a good physical examination & chest x-rays. Regardless of the cause of the cough, there are many, many things that can be done to alleviate the cough depending on the cause & make sure Flojo & everyone else gets a good nights sleep. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Due to the age of your dog i would suspect a heart condition, probably heart failure, you need to take Zia to the vet ASAP in order to get checked and have an xray done, this should confirm or rule out my suspicion.