My dog coughs a month, breathing worse, vet says tests normal. Help!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! One possibility that may not be clearly evident on radiographs is pulmonary hypertension. However, I would still consider other things possible such as pneumonia or heart failure which may not show up on radiographs when it is too early in the disease process. I would recommend rechecking radiographs and if nothing shows up, I would recommend considering a CT scan of the thorax which is more sensitive to pick up small changes in many instances. Good luck and have a great day!

This definitely sounds concerning, but without knowing all of the results of the tests that have already been performed it's difficult to make recommendations about what to do next. Based on your description I'd be concerned about an infectious disease or cancer, but I'm assuming many diseases have already been ruled out if Gato has seen four veterinarians. If Gato has not been to see an internal medicine specialist I would recommend asking your regular veterinarian about a referral. You could also request a consultation with one of our experts and we might be able to give better information after seeing diagnostic test results.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor guy! is your pet a dog or a cat? What breed and how old? It is helpful to know a bit more. If he has been on TWO antibiotics and zyrtec since May and it has returned while on these medications I would have him rechecked by your Vet. I would want a chest X-ray and consider doing different medications based on the recheck exam and X-rays. There are many reason for a cough: genetic condition where the trachea collapses, larygneal disease, allergies, heart worm disease, other parasites, allergic disease that needs steroids, cancer, heart enlargement or heart failure. I wish you the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Chancey! I would be concerned as well. Coughing blood is not normal. Possible causes are clotting or platelet issues, liver issues, cancer, heart worm disease, fungal or bacterial pulmonary disease. I would take her back for a recheck. I recommend full blood work, heart worm test and chest X-rays. I hope this helps and I wish Chancey the very best!

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.

Hello, and thanks for using PetCoach. I'm sorry to hear that Mason isn't doing well! It's very frustrating to be without answers. Since it sounds like you've been to two different primary vets and still don't have the answers you need regarding Mason's symptoms, I recommend requesting a referral to an internal medicine specialist. This would be a vet who completed a 1 year internship followed by a 3 year specialty residency to become board certified. I did a search for internists in your zip code; here's a link to the bio for a specialist in your area: https://vcahospitals.com/great-lakes/team/leah-ferguson With the symptoms you described, the specialist will likely recommend an echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart and chest, to get a better idea of what's causing the cough. I hope this helps and you are able to get answers soon!

I don’t think the heart looks terribly enlarged, maybe on the big side of normal. Ask the vet who took the rads if they are able to submit them to a radiologist for review. (A radiologist is a vet who spent at least 3 additional years to do a residency to specialize and study only imaging. Their expertise is really valuable in cases that are not clear cut and obvious.) If his lab work is all normal, and a radiologist is concerned about the appearance of the heart, then it’s logical to seek out an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) by a veterinary cardiologist. If a radiologist does NOT think the heart looks questionable, and Boo’s lab work is all normal, it might be worth considering an abdominal ultrasound (sonogram of the belly) to see if there are any abnormalities there (enlarged lymph nodes, abnormal spleen, any abnormality in GI or urinary tract, etc). I hope that’s helpful, sorry there is no easy clear cut answer. Interpreting X-rays is like looking at 1 piece of a puzzle. History and clinical signs, physical exam, lab work, and other imaging all tie in to the bigger picture. If you would like to have a consult, I may be able to help you further with more information, and would do my best to help point you in the right direction. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!