My senior Shih Tzu is coughing, choking, vibrating, and can't walk. What to do?

Poor Chloe! You can put her in a steamy bathroom for five minutes twice a day. Start her on an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets as this can help to condition the lining of her trachea. You can also try an over-the-counter antihistamine but you will have to call your regular veterinarian for a recommendation as online veterinarians are prohibited from discussing human medication usage in pets. If the coughing continues beyond two days or if it gets worse, have her examined by the veterinarian.

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.

I agree that infection is less likely in Chandler if he is to around other animals. At Chandler's age I would be most concerned about heart disease causing his cough. In a Jack Russel terrier a collapsing trachea or even asthma could also be causing these signs. Unfortunately, cancer can also be a cause of coughing in an older dog. I definitely recommend you take Chandler to your veterinarian for an X-ray and examination. If heart disease is present medications can be started to reduce the cough. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Chandler is feeling better soon!

I would be extremely concerned about her having a cardiac issue. Please take her to your vet so they can check to see if she has a heart murmur as that can lead to heart failure. Coughing is one of the first symptoms. She is the right age and breed for this to be happening. The other likely cause would be a collapsing trachea. So again, please take her to your vet for an exam. Best wishes.

Poor guy. Coughing a small breed older dog can be caused by several things including: underlying heart disease, chronic bronchitis, tracheal collapse, or even neoplasia. The first step here would be to get Dino Diaz seen by your vet and have chest x-rays done to help narrow down the possibilities here. Once we have a proper diagnosis, then proper treatment can be recommended to hopefully reduce or even completely resolve the cough. In most cases though, the cough can only be reduced, which helps the pet become more comfortable and have a better quality of life. Schedule an appt with your vet soon. I hope that Dino Diaz does well moving forward and that his cough improves. Best of luck and take care.

I'm sorry that Luna is having this issue. There are quite a few things that could be going on. Collapsing trachea is my best guess based on your description. I suggest you video the "coughing" behavior to show your vet. That will be the most helpful. I would also recommend x-rays of her chest as the next step. It is not a good idea to continue Famotidine for such a long time. It actually will stop the stomach from producing any acid at all which can make issues worse. If you are still doing that I would stop. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/tracheal-collapse-in-dogs )

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!