Why is my senior dog coughing erratically? Could it be heart failure?

I would always be concerned about the development of a cough in an older dog. Firstly it could be due to an infection, chest infections can be serious. It could be an inflammatory conditiion such as bronchitis or asthma. Of course it could be a heart issue like you say and there is the possibility of masses also. The best plan would be to go to the vet for sn examination, an xray may be needed to get a diagnosis.

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.

Hi. Is your pet on medications for heart failure? If so, and still coughing, your veterinarian may need to reassess xrays and possibly increase doses of medication. Prognosis for heart failure is guarded to poor. I'm sorry she isn't feeling well

Hi. It sounds like he is having respiratory signs. This could be from many things such as....upper respiratory infection, cardiac disease, primary respiratory disease, cancers, or other infectious causes. With his age, he needs a full exam, labs, and chest x-rays. If he is in respiratory distress, you will want to go to the ER.

It varies from dog to dog just like in people. Some people rarely cough and other are constantly coughing with heart disease. Your vet will be able to tell a lot just from an exam - listening to her heart and lungs with a stethoscope. If you don't want to take her to the vet then all you can do is monitor her. We cannot diagnose her over the internet. An examination is needed. You can refer to this link for other possibilities for coughing in dogs: ( https://petcentral.chewy.com/why-does-my-old-dog-cough/ )

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.

It sounds like Ace might need medication at this point, but it can be really difficult sometimes to determine whether a cough is related to heart disease or respiratory problems like collapsing trachea or chronic bronchitis which can also be very common in senior small dogs. I would contact your vet and let them know that Ace is now coughing so much that he can't rest. They might recommend an echocardiogram to completely rule out heart disease and heart failure as a cause, or they might recommend trying some other medications for cough. If Ace has not had chest x-rays recently they would probably recommend x-rays as well.