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Why is my Shih Tzu coughing, has cloudy eyes, and a neck cyst?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 15 lbs

Hello! I am reaching out to ask a few questions about my Shih Tzu, Princess. A little background information: she has been in my life for almost 10 years. I have been out of state for a year, and coming back I have picked up on a few things about Princess that I find concerning. One of those things is the cloudiness in her eyes which is surrounded by a dark brown coloration, a hard cyst like mass on her neck, and an occasional cough that mirrors the sound of something stuck in her throat.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Ann Dion, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 17th, 2018

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Cyst: The image of the mass looks like it is likely a cyst however you cannot rule out things like cancer without taking a sample. If it is not growing, is freely mobile, and doesn't bother Princess, then you can ignore it. Otherwise, you can have it removed and sent away to be sampled.

Cough: Coughing is concerning as an early sign of heart disease, or early sign of collapsing trachea. I would recommend a visit to the vet to check for a murmur, and also possible x-rays to see if her heart is enlarged or her trachea is small.

Eyes: Cloudiness can be either nuclear sclerosis (age changes of the connective tissue in the lens of the eye- this is not a concern and does not cause blindness), or cataracts. Cataracts do cause blindness and can be due to age, or other diseases such as diabetes. The darkness over her eye could be due to a disease called 'dry eye' where the eyes don't produce enough tears.

Overall, there are some conditions here that can be tested for fairly easily, and treatment is relatively minor (medications, eye drops, etc.). I would recommend having her into the vet for a check up.

Best of luck with Princess.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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