My 2-month-old puppy has a hacking cough and diarrhea. Should I worry?

Poor Max. Coughing and gagging could be due to a number of things, but most concerning in a young puppy is contagious disease such as "kennel cough" or even pneumonia. Diarrhea may be due to intestinal parasites, a diet change, or stress. Monitor him closely over the weekend. If he stops eating, acts lethargic, the cough progresses, or he develops a fever (99.5 - 102.5 F is normal in dogs), then take him to an emergency vet right away.

Hi there! Sorry to hear that Poppy is not feeling well. The clinical signs you describe are concerning when they occur in a puppy as they can be seen with serious gastrointestinal infections such as Parvovirus. Other possibilities include intestinal worms, gastrointestinal obstruction and dietary indiscretion, among other possibilities. The sooner these conditions are treated the better the outcome tends to be. For this reason, I recommend that you have Poppy evaluated by a veterinarian to check for these possibilities and to start therapy based on findings. At the very least they can address dehydration if present and start him on medications to try to make him feel better. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed for your boy!

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.

Poor Mila Mumu! The most common cause of coughing in a puppy this age would be a respiratory infection such as kennel cough - if this is the problem, it should be easily treatable with antibiotics. The good news is, it's really not possible for her to have heartworm disease at her age - this illness takes a very long time to develop after being infected, so we don't typically see symptoms of it in dogs less than 2-3 years old at minimum. It's good that you're planning to take your pup in to the vet today for an exam. He/she will listen to her heart and lungs, and may recommend chest x-rays or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem. If she does have kennel cough (or something similar), your vet will probably send her home with antibiotics to treat the infection.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The diarrhea is very common after boarding and can be related to either the food or the stress/excitement of boarding. The thirst is usually secondary (that is, to keep up with the water loss of the diarrhea.) The antibiotics Tylan and metronidazole are commonly prescribed for diarrhea because they restore the gut bacteria balance and have some anti-inflammatory effects in the gut as well. I expect that part o clear up in a few days. The cough could still be kennel cough. “Kennel cough” is a syndrome that can be caused by about a dozen viruses and bacteria. The current kennel cough vaccine only covers one bacterial cause. If it is mild, you may not need to do anything. Most dogs clear kennel cough on their own within 4 weeks. If she is not eating, is lethargic, the cough is severe or keeps her (or you) up at night, you need to see your vet for antibiotics and/or a cough suppressant. Of course coughing can also be: pneumonia, fungal infection, heart disease, bronchitis, and others. So if you are worried at all, see your vet. Best wishes to you and the pups!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Coco. Vomiting and diarrhea have many causes including intestinal worms, inflammation, infection, dietary problems (including dietary indiscretion or eating things pets are not supposed to eat, food sensitivities/allergies), ingestion of foreign bodies or exposure to toxins, bacterial overgrowth in the gut, problems in the stomach, intestines, or even problems outside of the intestinal tract/stomach including pancreatitis, kidney/liver problems, metabolic disease (diabetes,etc), endocrine diseases (thyroid or other hormone problems), etc. Usually, in puppies, we worry about intestinal parasites, infection (parvo/coronavirus), foreign body ingestion or dietary indiscretion. A thorough history and physical exam with resultant diagnostics such as fecal tests, blood tests, imaging studies such as x-rays/ultrasound can be done to try to determine what is going on. Puppies should be dewormed starting at 2 weeks of age and then every 2-3 weeks. This should be done multiple times and should continue for 3-4 times after weaning. When puppies nurse, they continue to get infected with intestinal parasites from their mother. Good luck

It could be that Rowan is eating too quickly, and that is causing him to cough after he eats. You can take a muffin tin, and divide his food up equally into the tins. That will force him to slow down eating. You can also get a slow feeder. If these things don't help with the coughing, then he could have a problem with esophagus, such as megaesophagus, and I would have him seen by a vet. As for the loose poop, diarrhea in puppies is commonly caused by intestinal parasites. I would give Rowan a deworming treatment if he hasn't had one recently. You can give him Panacur. He will need one every two weeks until he is 12 weeks old. Then one every month until he is six months of age, and after that he should be dewormed once every three months.