My dog won't stop coughing after pulling on his collar. Is it serious?

That's the first thing to try, a harness is usually solving this type of problem in dogs that are pulling to hard, the collar presses on the trachea and it causes breathing problems and coughing. if this is not the reason for this symptom then the harness will not help and you can see it pretty much immediately, in that case my advise would be to take her to the vet in order to get that checked ASAP.

Hazel could have tracheal irritation from the collar or prong collar. Some dogs have more sensitive tracheas than others and some dogs have genetically smaller or collapsing tracheas that are predisposed to problems. However, I would also be concerned Hazel may have picked up a bacterial or viral infection that is causing her to cough. I would recommend taking her in to your vet to have them evaluate her lungs and throat to see if she needs any medication or potentially switch her to a harness instead of a collar.

This can be caused by kennel cough/bordetella infection, pulling on the leash which puts pressure on the trachea, other infection, allergies, among a few other things. I would recommend starting to use a harness instead of a collar when you go on walks. Some dogs can get significant tracheal irritation from only a couple pulls on a collar and leash. If you try this a few times and Effie is still coughing then she may need to be checked over by a vet. If the coughing continues for 24 hours, she should be seen soon.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Pulling hard on the collar may have caused some irritation and lead to the hacking you are seeing. I would recommend switching to a gentle leader collar and avoid placing a collar on him for the next 3 to 5 days. If it continues or worsens I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made.

If it has been going on for years it is probably a collapsing trachea, in which case there is not much that can be done about it. There are medications that can be used to minimize the cough but it will not "fix" the problem. There is a surgery that can be done to place a stent in the trachea which is curative. A collapsing trachea is not a huge problem other than uncomfortable for them to cough. It should not cause any major issues. You can ask your vet to do a trial of medication to see if it helps and if it does, you can keep her on them long term. ( https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/collapsing-trachea-dogs-everything-you-need-know )

Poor girl. Unfortunately there are no home remedies for an undetermined underlying cause for a cough. Coughing in itself can be caused by tracheal collapse, underlying heart condition, respiratory infection (kennel cough), etc. In order for you to treat her, we will need to find out the underlying cause. It sounds like she likely may have a kennel cough condition. Tracheal trauma is possible since you mentioned she was fine before trying out a new harness on her; however, most harnesses fit lower on the chest, which don't rub on the throat at all. Give her the rest of the day to see if things improve. You can also offer her a small amount of honey mixed with water, which can help reduce some inflammation in her throat. Continue to give her free access of water and keep her activity level to a minimum. If she is still coughing by tomorrow, then its best to take her in to your vet for a complete physical exam to hopefully narrow down some causes for this cough, so that it can be treated appropriately. I hope that Coco feels better soon! Best wishes and take care.

Hello, and thank you for your question. If Lacy is only coughing once or twice at night, you can ask your vet about trying a cough suppressant for the night time only. However, if she is coughing frequently at night, I'd also want to rule out heart disease as an underlying cause. Coughing due to heart disease often happens during rest, as fluid accumulates in their lungs when they are lying on their sides. Chest x-rays would be necessary to rule this out. For dogs with collapsing trachea that cough regularly at all hours, you can ask your vet about using a bronchodilator, and/or inhaled steroids, which get the medicine directly into her lungs where she needs it, with minimal absorption into the rest of her body, in turn minimizing side effects of steroids. Check out the Aerodawg, which is an inhaler designed just for dogs. However, as stated earlier, if her coughing is minimal, just a cough suppressant at night may be enough. In addition, switching to a harness instead of a collar can be very helpful, as it minimizes pressure on the trachea when the dog is pulling on the leash. I hope this helps, and that Lacy is doing well!