My senior dog coughs when picked up and hasn't pooped in a week?

I would be concerned at almost 12 years old he may have a heart condition. I would recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to have them listen to him. If he has a heart murmur the next step would be taking him to a cardiologist to determine what is exactly going on with Piccolo's heart and if medication is needed. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you very much for your question. I am jealous that you live in Australia. It seems great. As long as your poodle is eating, drinking, and playing normally, I would not be concerned yet. In fact, many older animals don’t have as many bowel movements daily as younger dogs do. I have even heard situations about completely normal animals not defecating for an entire week. But, If your pet has not defecated in another 48 hours, you may want to call the veterinarian just to see if they will prescribe a laxative or a fiber supplement to help the bowel movements along. If your dog, however, starts to feel lethargic or if they do not eat as much as they normally do, I encourage you to contact the veterinarian sooner than the 48 hour waiting period. I hope I have given a satisfying answer to your question. Have a great day.

The white things in Chico's stool might be tapeworms, but I doubt they would be related to a cough or stomach pain. The cough could be related to an infection like kennel cough. Collapsing trachea and heart disease would be other common causes of a cough in a dog of his breed. I think you need to have him examined by a vet as soon as you can.

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.

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 there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on your description, I would recommend having Bucky examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. The limping on the back leg and coughing may be related. If he has a bone tumor it may have spread to the lungs causing the cough. These symptoms could also be completely unrelated and he may have bronchitis or a respiratory infection along with a leg injury such as a torn ACL. I would have his leg and chest x-rayed to see if there are any concerning changes. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy help you further.

Poor Rascal! It is very concerning that he hasn't passed stool in 5 days and he could be constipated. He could also have a back or hip issue making it painful to defecate. Dogs can sprain their tail which can be very painful so that is also a possibility. If your vet is not able to diagnose and treat then you could go to a different vet for a second opinion. He might just need an anti-inflammatory and pain medications. Hope he feels better soon!