Why is my senior dog coughing and hacking very often, what's wrong?

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.

This could be your dog coughing hard, and that could be caused by a respiratory disease or heart disease. Given your dog's age, heart disease would be my first concern. Because this is daily and frequent, he should see a vet as soon as possible. I'd take him in today if possible or first thing in the morning. Best of luck.

There could be a couple of things that may be causing Savannah's. One could be a respiratory infection. The other could be heart disease. Unfortunately that I can be common in senior dogs. Without seeing her in person to diagnose if her cough is due to a respiratory disease or heart disease, I can't tell you what treatment is needed. You will need to take her into the vet. The vet will likely want to do x-rays to see her heart, and may do blood work as well. Once the cause of her is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options. If she does have heart disease, it cannot be cured but it can be managed with medication. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. In a young dog like him, something like kennel cough needs to be considered. I recommend that you have Kingsley evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. If it is kennel cough often times it resolves with supportive care including antibiotics. Good luck and have a good night!

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!