My senior dog has a wet cough. How can I give relief without a vet?

Poor Roxey. The changing of seasons can certainly cause these guys to get some congestion. Unfortunately since Roxey is older, I would take her to your vet for an exam. She could have a simple upper respiratory infection or something more serious like the canine flu, heart disease, or even pneumonia. Your vet will be able to listen to her heart and lungs. Your vet can also do blood work or chest X-rays if needed and provide the proper medicine to help make her feel better. Unfortunately there isn’t a good OTC medicine to help her feel better. You can try 75 mg (3 adult tablets) of Benadryl twice a day until you can get her to the vet. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better really soon.

Hello, 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 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.

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.

Persistent coughing in older dogs is usually due to heart conditions where the heart doesn't function as well so enlarges, then this puts pressure on the trachea and causes fluid on the lungs, both of which contribute to coughing. Coughing can also be due to infection or tumours etc, but if it has been 2 years I would seriously suspect a heart issue. I understand your dilemma in terms of wanting to make her comfortable, but unfortunately we are legally not allowed to give you specific information on administering medications. I do think that there are medicines that could really help her though, such as furosemide to take fluid off her chest or corvental to help with the cough, and of course painkillers if requiref. However, to obtain these medicines she would need to be examined by a vet to get an appropriate diagnosis. If you really cannot get her to the vet you could try phoning your most local vet as they may be able to discuss her symptoms over the phone, and could potentially send you medication. I hope you can get Tonki something to help her!

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.

One half to one teaspoon of honey 2-3 times daily may soothe his throat. Ideally, Tate should be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. Potential causes include heart disease, infection, allergies or even cancer. Do not medicate him with any OTC products without the advice of your vet.

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.