Humans cough nearly every day, but you will rarely hear a dog or cat let loose with a good harumph. In fact, coughing in pets is usually a sign that something is wrong.
Dogs and cats tend to cough when they swallow something that they shouldn't have like hair or a piece of bone, says John Daugherty, D.V.M., a veterinarian in private practice in Poland, Ohio. They may also cough when they inhale something irritating, like cigarette smoke, dust, or pollen.
Pets often cough when they have an infection in the respiratory tract, says Dr. Daugherty. The sound of a cough gives a clue as to what the problem is. A moist cough, for example, is usually caused by a buildup of fluid and mucus in the throat or airways. A deep, wheezy cough or a sudden burst of coughing after exercise may be a sign of bronchitis. Dry coughing may simply mean that your pet has a scratchy throat -- or, in dogs, a case of kennel cough, which is a viral infection.
"Probably 90 percent of the time, coughing in cats is caused by hair balls that they are trying to 'honk' up," says Alan Kirmayer, D.V.M., a veterinarian in private practice in Marysville, Pennsylvania. More seriously, cats cough when they have infections in the lungs or chest cavity, he says. If your cat is coughing and sneezing and has watery eyes, she probably has a viral infection.
Coughing that doesn't go away may be a sign of serious illness. Pets with heart disease, for example, will sometimes cough when fluids build up in the chest or airways. Asthma and parasites like heartworms can also cause coughing. In several toy breeds of dogs, such as Yorkshire terriers, coughing may be a sign that the trachea (the tube that carries oxygen from the mouth to the lungs) has collapsed, says Dr. Kirmayer.
See Your Vet If...
- Your pet coughs after exercise
- Coughing is accompanied by difficulty breathing or watery eyes
- Her coughs are moist or last longer than a day or two
- Your pet's voice has recently changed.
- Your pet is panting excessively
- Your dog or cat is coughing, wheezing, sneezing, or gagging
- Exercise makes him unusually tired or causes him to cough or wheeze
- Your pet has recently begun snoring, wheezing, or panting at night
- He is breathing rapidly or taking shallow breaths
- His belly is heaving when he breathes
- His nose is dry, crusty, or bleeding
- There is a discharge from his mouth or nose for two days or longer
- Your pet's tongue or gums are blue or pale
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