Why is my dog hacking and coughing, even spitting up white phlegm?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Poor Scottie! He could have a respiratory infection, kennel cough, or heart disease causing his coughing. I would rest him tonight, keep him warm and comfortable, and bring him into the vet first thing the morning. The vet can diagnose what is causing the cough, and can treat him. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Dory! There are a few things that come to mind for causes of Dory's symptoms: the more common reason is kennel cough, which is a tracheal cough from bacterial or viral infections. The cough is "goose honk" like and is worse at night and with activity. The dog usually eats and drinks. The cough can trigger the gag reflex which causes the dog to make a gagging sound and motion that sometimes is productive. Dogs can get kennel cough from boarding, grooming, doggie day care, dog parks, playing with other dogs or even from us if we were around a coughing dog. The other possibility is she ate something that irritated her esophagus like a raw hide. I would have her seen by your Vet Wednesday. Most vets treat kennel cough with antibiotics and anti-cough medication. It usually resolves with in 2 weeks. I wish you and Dory the best!

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. In a young dog like him, something like kennel cough needs to be considered. I recommend that you have Kingsley 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. If it is kennel cough often times it resolves with supportive care including antibiotics. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think if she drinks water slowly and has no issue I think that she is just vomiting the water because she drinks it too fast. Just try to slow her down when she is drinking. I do not think she has kennel cough if she's had this hacking cough for months. Kennel cough is self limiting. You didn't indicate what breed Pepper is but I see that she is small. My best guess for the cough is that she has collapsing trachea. Collapsing trachea is a congenital abnormality of the tracheal rings making them weaker. It effects small breed dogs like Yorkies, Pomeranians, etc. Usually they cough when exercising or pulling on the leash. I'd monitor for progression of the cough or issues with her breathing. Keep her thin because dogs that are overweight have a harder time with collapsing tracheas Good luck!

She may have a cold or kennel cough. They get this from other dogs and it causes a lot of coughing and often some nasal discharge. When dogs cough they also sometimes vomit a small amount as a result so I'm not overly concerned about the vomiting if Rainey is otherwise normal. Keep her quiet to reduce the coughing, and away from other dogs as this can be infectious. She should be better in a few days to a weeek or so. It also could be due to a throat irritation from eating the bark and other items. Same thing though, with time this should resolve on its own. If she should get worse and stops eating or starts more vomiting then it's time for a veterinary exam and treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Rainey.

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!

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 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.