My 10-year-old dog has a cough. Should I get a second opinion?

I am sorry to hear about Hunter. I would strongly recommend an examination by your veterinarian which should include x-rays of his chest. In any older dog that is coughing we definitely want to evaluate for more serious concerns such as heart disease or tumors. We can also have infectious causes of cough including fungal disease, or we can see chronic bronchitis. Your vet can prescribe icough suppressant's and any other medications needed.

Poor guy. I would first be inclined to ask for chest radiographs to be taken to look for internal causes for the cough such as bronchitis, heart disease or primary lung disease. I am not sure what kind of medication he was placed on, but for most coughs we typically will try an antibiotic first if it seems to be infectious and then go with more diagnostics if things don’t improve. I would also ask the vet to check for any abnormal lung or heart sounds on physical exam. I hope that you can get to the bottom of Pretty boys cough soon! That is a long time to have a cough, is hopefully he can stabilize soon. Take care.

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sparkie. It is difficult to say with only one view, but I think that his heart looks enlarged on the x-ray. His trachea also appears elevated. This can cause coughing. Did he have any blood work performed to look for internal abnormalities? I would also evaluate his joints and mobility as this can be a significant source of pain in an older dog. It is worth seeking a second opinion if you are not happy with his exam. You know your dog. I hope this information helps!

I recommend bringing him to a veterinarian and having them listen to his chest. This may be respiratory or heart related but having a veterinarian auscultate them is the first step. It may require x-rays to determine what it going on also. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I think it may be time to consider a specialist. I'm not sure if the vet has done a recent x-ray of Mumchie's chest, but I would be concerned his symptoms could be due to heart disease. That can be common in older dogs. Seeing a specialist may give you some answers. Best of luck.

I am very sorry to hear about Ginger. If the vet had no recommendations or suggested testing I would consider a second opinion. In a dog with an ongoing cough, she should have x-rays of the lungs performed and should also be tested for heartworms. There are many different causes of cough, including infections (bacterial, viral, fungal), chronic bronchitis, heartworms, heart disease, lung tumors, collapsing trachea, and more. Many of these will respond to treatment so she needs a work-up to help determine the cause.