My senior dog's cough returned. Is over-the-counter medicine safe?

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/bacterial 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.

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/bacterial 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.

So sorry that Mary is having this problem. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything over the counter that you should give her, especially without knowing the cause. She could have a problem with her heart and have some fluid in her lungs or have an infection, like pneumonia. If you are not able to take her to a vet than try to keep her as quiet as possible and keep her hydrated and eating. Other than that, she would need to see a vet to diagnose the problem and then prescribe medications to treat. If you have a vet that regularly treats her, you could call and see if he/she would prescribe a cough medication to see if that helps at all.

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.

Poor Roxey. The changing of seasons can certainly cause these guys to get some congestion. Unfortunately since Roxey is older, I would take her to your vet for an exam. She could have a simple upper respiratory infection or something more serious like the canine flu, heart disease, or even pneumonia. Your vet will be able to listen to her heart and lungs. Your vet can also do blood work or chest X-rays if needed and provide the proper medicine to help make her feel better. Unfortunately there isn’t a good OTC medicine to help her feel better. You can try 75 mg (3 adult tablets) of Benadryl twice a day until you can get her to the vet. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better really soon.

We do not normally recommend a cough suppressant over the counter for coughing in dogs without first examining the pet as there are some cases where a cough suppressant would be contraindicated. If your dog is coughing, I would definitely recommend an examination by a veterinarian as there can be many different causes for the cough, including infectious disease, anatomical abnormalities like collapsing trachea, heart failure, heartworm infection, and more. We need to try to determine the underlying cause of the cough before we can properly treat the cough.

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. by the way rubbing the throat will not induce coughing, only a firm pressing of the windpipe will in some cases (don't try it at home!)