My dog struggles to breathe when pulling on leash. What can I do?

It sounds like your dog may have a collapsing trachea causing the cough. It would be a good idea to use a harness instead of a collar. Your vet can also prescribe medications to help if the condition persists or becomes more frequent. A bronchodilator and cough suppressant may help.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is rare that this can actually affect her longterm. This is just typical behavior for a dog that is wanting to pull on the leash. I would encourage you to try to avoid this behavior as much as possible. You can try to use a dog trainer who can help you with this. Best of luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Daisy. Small dogs are prone to a condition known as collapsing trachea. As the dog ages, the cartilage weakens I'm the wind pipe leading to a honking cough. In this case, a harness would be more appropriate than a neck collar. If your dog pulls excessively, then the harness may be helpful as well. However, a small dog is unlikely to pull hard enough to crush its own wind pipe. I hope this information helps!

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.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is possible that this is all related to Rose pulling a lot in the leash which ultimately could have resulted in some degree of tracheitis. This usually improves on its own relatively quickly. If this does not resolve in the next 3-5 days, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment. At that point, if nothing else is wrong, they may choose to start her on an anti-inflammatory medication. Good luck and have a great day!