What this means
A change in voice is usually noticed while barking: it becomes hoarse, weaker, crackly, or your dog seems to bark without sound. Sometimes it comes with coughing, gagging or noisy breathing, especially after exercise.
Note down when the change started, whether it came suddenly or gradually, and whether your dog had been barking a lot beforehand. A briefly hoarse voice after long barking may pass, but a change that lasts more than a few days or gets worse is a reason for an examination.
Pay particular attention if breathing has changed too: if it has become noisy, your dog tires sooner or struggles in the heat. That can mean the voice box itself is not working the way it should.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your dog.
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A problem with the voice box
When the muscles of the voice box no longer open properly the voice turns hoarse and quieter and breathing is noisy, especially after exercise. It is seen more in older dogs.
About the condition: Laryngeal paralysis -
Inflammation of the voice box
After long barking, coughing or an airway infection the throat can be irritated and the voice hoarse.
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Changes in the nose and throat
Inflammation or another change in the nose or throat can alter the sound of the bark and the breathing.
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A growth in the neck or throat
A growth around the voice box or neck can press on the airway and change the voice. It is less common, but it is a reason not to wait.
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A foreign object or injury
A lodged object or an injury to the neck can suddenly change the bark and cause coughing or pain.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- When the voice changed and whether it was sudden
- Whether the bark is hoarse, quiet or silent
- Whether there is also coughing, gagging or noisy breathing
- Whether your dog tires sooner or struggles in the heat
- Whether your dog had been barking a lot beforehand
- Whether swallowing is easy and there is no new drooling
When to book a routine visit
Book a visit if the change in voice lasts more than a few days, is getting worse, or if breathing or stamina have changed.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Laryngeal paralysis Breathing Laryngeal paralysis is a condition in which the cartilages of the larynx no longer open properly when the dog breathes in, because the nerves and muscles that move them weaken. Less air reaches the lungs, and the dog struggles to cool down, since dogs shed heat by panting. If a dog is struggling to breathe, its gums turn blue or it collapses, it needs a vet immediately.
- Nasal disease Breathing This is an umbrella term for various problems of the nasal passages and sinuses: infections, inflammation, foreign bodies such as grass awns lodged in the nose, tooth root disease or tumours. A dog's nose matters not only for breathing but also for smell, the sense through which it gets to know the world. Lingering nose trouble can have very different causes, so it is worth showing to a vet.
- Cancer Cancer Cancer is not one disease but a whole group of different malignant tumours that can appear in almost any organ or tissue. They can grow slowly or quickly and spread to other parts of the body, so the earlier a change is noticed, the more options a vet has. Only a vet can tell whether a lump or other change is malignant.