Why is my old dog coughing, weak, not eating, and breathing fast?

Hello. At this age, Shortie needs a good workup by your veterinarian. A cough can be from many causes including inflammation, bronchitis, pneumonia, tumors & heart disease. No appetite can also result from the above, but also from oral infections, liver, kidney or other endocrine diseases. So in order to help him, you need to know what is or is not going on with him. With a proper diagnosis, the appropriate treatment can be started to help Shortie feel much better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I recommend bringing him to a veterinarian and having them listen to his chest. This may be respiratory or heart related but having a veterinarian auscultate them is the first step. It may require x-rays to determine what it going on also. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Booda, she sounds very sick. Since she is vomiting, acting lethargic, not eating and having neurological signs, I would have her seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Especially in an older Golden, cancer is a top differential for the cause of her clinical signs. Your veterinarian will want to do a complete physical exam, along with bloodwork and/or x-rays to look for evidence of disease. Because she is coughing, I'm afraid she may have cancer in her lungs, or less likely something like pneumonia. Unfortunately, you may have to consider thinking about her quality of life. Vomiting, coughing, not eating and being unresponsive to stimuli are not indicative of a good quality of life. I hope this is helpful, and I'm very sorry to hear about Booda.

There are a number of possible causes for a cough in a 12 year old poodle. We can group those causes into 2 big categories: 1) the primary issue is airway OR 2) the primary issue is the heart. If the problem is his airway, it may be that he has a collapsing trachea, which results in a unique honking type cough. If the lower airways (the lungs) are the issue, it could be a number of possible causes including bronchitis, pneumonia, or cancer. If the problem is his heart, coughing may result from congestive heart failure, which is a buildup of fluid in the lungs because the heart is not pumping effectively. We can also see a cough if the heart is enlarged and is pushing up on the trachea. A visit to your vet is warranted, and chest xrays would help identify what is happening. Please note: His respiratory rate at rest should not persistently be more than 40 breaths in 1 minute. If his breathing is persistently faster than that or if he seems weak, it is an emergency. If the cough is unrelenting and if his tongue starts to appear blue, it is an immediately life threatening emergency. I hope Fred gets to feeling better soon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Ginger! Unfortunately due to Ginger's age I really worry about the sudden onset of a cough. If she was young I'd say ride it out and give her time but not at 16 years old. I worry about heart failure and cancer the most. As a Pomeranian she could have collapsing trachea that is a bit aggravated due to allergies or an infection. If she was groomed lately or around other dogs then it could be kennel cough, which tends to run it's course in 2 weeks. The best thing for Ginger is to be looked at by your Vet. I wish Ginger the best!

Hi. It sounds like he is having respiratory signs. This could be from many things such as....upper respiratory infection, cardiac disease, primary respiratory disease, cancers, or other infectious causes. With his age, he needs a full exam, labs, and chest x-rays. If he is in respiratory distress, you will want to go to the ER.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Without seeing Tiger it is hard to say why he is coughing. Things I would rule out would be heartworm disease, collapsing trachea, heart disease, laryngeal paralysis, tracheobronchitis (kennel cough), parasites, chronic bronchitis, or cancer. Unfortunately, none of these things can be diagnosed and treated without testing- exam, blood work and xrays. Since cost is a concern, I would continue to monitor his quality of life. If he is eating, drinking, and not losing weight his quality of life is good. If he stops eating or drinking, starts vomiting, can't sleep, or is losing weight, his quality of life is poor. I am sorry I cannot give you more help. You could contact your vet for payment options and I would discuss CareCredit.com to get him checked out soon. Good luck and kisses to Tiger!