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My old dog is coughing after park. Can symptoms appear so fast?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | 14 years and 4 months old | 85 lbs

I have a mix breed heeler dog. 80 to 90 lbs. He is approximately 12 yrs old. Occasionally he will have fits of coughing on and off infrequently.. Today took him to park (no direct interactions with other dogs. Now he is having coughing fits. My question is if he picked up something from being there is it possible the he would show symptoms in 3 to 4 hours?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on July 30th, 2017

Poor Bo! I'm sorry to hear that he's having this problem. No, an infection would not show up within a few hours of exposure - the incubation period for most respiratory diseases is at least 3-7 days.

There are many things that could cause coughing in an older dog like this, including heart disease, bronchitis, allergies, laryngeal paralysis, an infection, or even some type of cancer. Since it sounds like he has been coughing on and off for a while now, I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can listen to Bo's heart and lungs, and may also recommend lab work or chest x-rays to help diagnose the problem.
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