My dog is coughing and hacking with a heart murmur. What do I do?

I would be extremely concerned about her having a cardiac issue. Please take her to your vet so they can check to see if she has a heart murmur as that can lead to heart failure. Coughing is one of the first symptoms. She is the right age and breed for this to be happening. The other likely cause would be a collapsing trachea. So again, please take her to your vet for an exam. Best wishes.

It sounds like Ace might need medication at this point, but it can be really difficult sometimes to determine whether a cough is related to heart disease or respiratory problems like collapsing trachea or chronic bronchitis which can also be very common in senior small dogs. I would contact your vet and let them know that Ace is now coughing so much that he can't rest. They might recommend an echocardiogram to completely rule out heart disease and heart failure as a cause, or they might recommend trying some other medications for cough. If Ace has not had chest x-rays recently they would probably recommend x-rays as well.

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.

Since Moxie does have a heart murmur and Cushing's disease, there is a chance that he has either congestive heart failure or at least fluid retention and pulmonary edema. This would explain the cough. I suggest you have his heart and lungs examined by your veterinarian who, if he finds pulmonary edema, can prescribe a diuretic to remove the fluid from the lungs and heart medication to help the heart be more efficient, This would afford Moxie a much better quality of life as he could breathe much easier and would have more strength and power to move around.

Coughing can be caused by heart failure. If this is a new symptom after starting meds, or is worsening, it would be best to let the vet treating Lola know so that they can either re-examine her or adjust meds as needed. If she is coughing a lot and is in distress, or is having trouble breathing, seeking emergency care is best.

Bear could have an upper respiratory infection or kennel cough that is causing his coughing and hacking. Heart disease, bronchitis and allergies are a few other potential causes of a cough. If he is breathing hard and unable to rest I would recommend seeing an emergency vet tonight. Otherwise as long as he continues to eat and act normal otherwise you could wait to see your vet during regular hours.

There is no harm in giving her honey, though it may not help at all. When dogs are in heart failure, or have a history or congestive heart failure or heart disease, usually a cough is due to one of 2 causes-- 1) fluid in the lungs OR 2) the enlargement of the heart pushes on the on the large airways, causing a "tickle" type cough response. Take her in to see your vet. It would be best to have some chest X-rays taken to see if she is in congestive heart failure, and to monitor the size of the heart. If she is NOT in congestive heart failure, your vet may prescribe a cough suppressant medication to help ease the cough. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!