Why is my senior dog coughing excessively and gagging? Is it serious?

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!

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 Maggie! There are quite a few things that could cause this type of cough in a 12-year-old dog. The most common possibilities would include chronic bronchitis, a respiratory infection, heart disease, and even cancer. An exam and chest x-rays would be needed to determine the cause, so I would recommend taking Maggie to the vet when you are able to. He/she can prescribe appropriate medication to treat the cough depending on the underlying problem.

Poor baby. With heart disease, their heart will sometime get larger and push up on their trachea and that will make them cough. You unfortunately cannot fix this. I would recommend to have your vet do some chest X-rays to see if this could be the cause of her coughing. Your vet will also be able to look at her lungs to see if she has any fluid in her lungs. If so, then she may need to be put on a diuretic to help with her coughing. I hope this helps!

Hello. Coughing & gagging is pretty indicative of tracheobronchitis, or kennel cough, but in a 14 year old dog, I would be concerned about heartworm disease, heart failure, lung disease, tracheal collapse or bronchitis. So, there are many things that can cause a cough such as this. Only a good examination by your veterinarian, some blood tests & possibly a chest x-ray may be needed to fully diagnose Honey. Once this is done, the appropriate medications & treatments can be started to hopefully make her well. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would discuss other treatment options with your vet. I understand that ultrasound can often be cost prohibitive, but your vet may be able to prescribe medications based on their best guess of the cause of the illness. Based on the labored breathing, weakness, and gagging, I would be worried about Donny's heart and lungs. I know heartworm disease is not terribly common, but it is still a possibility. Other possibilities include heart failure, pneumonia, hypertension, or cancer. You might discuss radiographs with your veterinarian to look inside Donny's chest. Increased potassium could indicate lab error, renal failure, gastrointestinal issues, or possibly Addison's Disease, or it could be normal. Elevated white blood cells can indicate bacterial or viral infection, inflammation, or cancer.