My senior dog gags and heaves only when lying down. What's wrong?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Chronic heaving / gagging can be caused by problems with larynx or trachea, like laryngeal paralysis, chronic infection / inflammation, laryngeal mass, mass on the neck and more. A visit at your local vets is recommended to establish diagnosis and implement treatment as required. Your vet may want to examine the throat under sedation and/or take radiographs of the neck and chest.

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.

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.