Is my dog's occasional cough, runny eyes, and itchiness serious?

I think it's a good idea to get Precious checked out again if the coughing is returning. Sometimes it's an infection and other times it persistent inflammation. The doctor may recommend a medication to break up mucus and/or decrease inflammation. Until you get her into the vet, make her drinking water tepid and avoid excessive activity that will cause her to bark a lot of pant. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Precious! There are many reasons for coughing: kennel cough, allergies, pneumonia, heart failure or cancer. Since it has only been a few days it is ok to give her more time. Kennel cough takes 2 weeks to resolve. If the cough worsens or hasn’t resolved in 2 weeks then I recommend a recheck and chest X-rays. I wish you the best!

If the problem returned I would let Precious' vet know. They may want to see her for a recheck, or start her on another course of antibiotics to make sure whatever is causing the issue is completely gone. Your vet will likely want to make sure she is healthy and can breath properly before she can be given a dental cleaning as these involve anesthesia.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Cyst: The image of the mass looks like it is likely a cyst however you cannot rule out things like cancer without taking a sample. If it is not growing, is freely mobile, and doesn't bother Princess, then you can ignore it. Otherwise, you can have it removed and sent away to be sampled. Cough: Coughing is concerning as an early sign of heart disease, or early sign of collapsing trachea. I would recommend a visit to the vet to check for a murmur, and also possible x-rays to see if her heart is enlarged or her trachea is small. Eyes: Cloudiness can be either nuclear sclerosis (age changes of the connective tissue in the lens of the eye- this is not a concern and does not cause blindness), or cataracts. Cataracts do cause blindness and can be due to age, or other diseases such as diabetes. The darkness over her eye could be due to a disease called 'dry eye' where the eyes don't produce enough tears. Overall, there are some conditions here that can be tested for fairly easily, and treatment is relatively minor (medications, eye drops, etc.). I would recommend having her into the vet for a check up. Best of luck with Princess.

Yes it could have caused the problem. Irritation at the back of the throat and a little beyond that definitaly can trigger a cough or hacking up type of episode. If the cough has resolved once the hair was removed and Precious is breathing normal and without extra effort, than there is probably no reason to have any further concern.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Jackie. Many states right now are experiencing outbreaks of respiratory problems in dogs. All of us in the profession are always worried about canine flu outbreaks. I would advise that if the condition worsens or doesn't resolve, have your veterinarian evaluate Jackie. There are many causes of coughing and having a thorough history would help narrow that down. Of course kennel cough, allergies, things in the air that are irritants, etc are all possible including many others. Again, with everything going on now across the United States, I would advise a trip to your vet's office with her. They can evaluate her and then advise some treatment or diagnostic testing to screen for a cause. They may advise fecal tests, blood tests, x-rays, or other tests to determine a cause. Better to be safe in this case. Good luck with Jackie.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Chunk. You are right, it could be heart related and the way to know that is to have him seen by a vet. The vet can listen to his heart with a stethoscope, and may take x-rays of his chest. It could also be due to his allergies. I do recommend a vet visit to have this issue diagnosed and treated. I hope this helps!