My dog is coughing like a hairball is stuck in her throat. What can I do?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If your dog is coughing, she should be evaluated by a veterinarian for an exam and chest x-rays at their next available appointment. She could have pneumonia, asthma, or something such as heart disease that is causing her to cough. It is important to determine why a dog is coughing before suppressing the cough, as this could worsen something like pneumonia or heart disease, which require medications such as antibiotics or diuretics, respectively. Please do not give anything like cough syrup to her, as these can contain chemicals that are toxic to dogs. I hope this is helpful!

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Harley evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. Good luck and have a good night!

It’s hard to know why your pup is doing this. It’s possible she has allergies or is breathing in poor quality air. Parasites of the lungs, heart disease and primary lung disease can also cause coughing. A few things you can do at home which may help include starting her on an omega-3 fatty acid supplement and using an air filter in the house. If she has not been seen for the coughing, I recommend to have her examined by her veterinarian and if the doctor suspects allergies, discuss antihistamines. I hope this helps and best of luck.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Poochie. Poor girl. There could be a couple of things going on with her causing this cough. It could be a respiratory infection, it could be a collapsing trachea, it could be kennel cough, or it could be something more serious like heart disease. I'd have her seen by a vet in the morning for this problem. The vet can diagnose what is causing it, and can treat her. I hope this helps!

Dogs rarely cough due to hairballs since they do not lick and groom themselves as cats do. Instead, a more common cause of a short-lived gagging cough, particularly in a small breed dog, is a collapsing trachea. Other possible causes of Bailey's cough include heart disease, heartworm disease, chronic bronchitis, kennel cough, canine influenza, among other issues. I recommend taking Bailey to her vet for a physical exam and chest/neck x-rays to try to get to the root of this problem in case more immediate treatment is needed. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Cough can be caused by an infection, heart problem or lung condition, it is important to first know the cause before treating it as treatment is different from condition to another. The most common disease causing cough is a viral/bacterial infection called Kennel cough, this disease usually resolves without treatment within a couple weeks but if the cough is too severe it is recommended to go to the vet in order to get cough medicine and antibiotics.