Why is my Yorkie panting and barking with a congested throat sound?

He is adorable!! Sometimes Yorkies and other small breed dogs have a condition known as collapsing trachea, where the cartilage of the trachea is weak and results in the trachea temporarily narrowing (collapsing) which leads to a honking cough. If he recovers quickly and doesn’t become distressed, then at this time there’s no need for treatment if indeed that’s what’s going on. It may get worse with time, in which case cough suppressants can be tried. In severe cases, surgical stenting may be recommended. Ideally, take him to your vet so they can diagnose whether or not this is the problem and best advise you moving forward. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Rocky may be suffering from an upper respiratory infection. This will need to be investigated by a veterinarian. Please take Rocky to your veterinarian for an exam, diagnosis and possibly prescription medicine.

A cough can be caused by respiratory issues including lower airway disease or upper airway disease like a collapsing trachea. It can also be a sign of heart disease. Teddie needs to be assessed by a veterinarian to determine the cause of the cough and for recommendations to be made about what could benefit him from a medical perspective. They may want to perform x-rays to assess his heart and lungs.

This sounds like he has an upper respiratory condition or possibly early collapsed trachea. You will need to take him to your veterinarian for an exam and possibly x-rays. There is really nothing you can do other than keep him from over-exercising until you can take him to the vet.

With her age I recommend letting a veterinarian listen to her lungs. It can be heart or respiratory. If she has a murmur you may want to consider taking her to a cardiologist to have her heart evaluated. If her heart sounds fine I would talk to your veterinarian about tracheal collapse or respiratory diseases. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Teddy. Given his breed, it sounds like he may have a common Yorkie disease called tracheomalacia or collapsing trachea. This happens when Yorkies have weak tracheal rings that cannot withstand the pressures of the windpipe on inspiration. This leads to a non-productive honking cough, sometimes referred to as a goose-honking cough. This disease however affects patients of middle to older age. Other causes of this may include kennel cough in young puppies, pneumonia, bronchitis, and even some heart conditions. If this cough persists, you should have Teddy seen by his veterinarian to further assess his cough and determine if additional diagnostics or treatments need to be implemented. In the interim, monitor his respiratory and seek emergency care if he is having a difficult time breathing, his coughing is getting worse, or if he develops any nasal/ocular discharge. Other signs may include a decreased appetite, lethargy, and vomiting. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi there! I would recommend having this checked out by your vet when you're able to. A wheezing sound in the throat, hoarseness, and/or a raspy quality to her panting or breathing are all concerning for something interfering with normal air flow in the back of her throat. This could be due to laryngeal paralysis, a growth or tumor, a foreign body, or something simple like a respiratory infection causing some swelling or inflammation in this area. Your vet can do a complete oral exam under sedation if needed to get a better look at her throat, and may also recommend x-rays or other testing to help check for abnormalities.