What this means
The character of the cough is useful information. A dry, loud cough that sounds like a goose honk and worsens with excitement or a pull on the lead points at one area. A wet, rattling cough after which the dog swallows points at another. A cough that wakes your dog at night, or appears when lying down, is a separately important sign and must be mentioned to your vet.
It is also worth noting when it happens: only after exercise, only with excitement, only at night, or around the clock. Whether it started abruptly after a visit to a dog park, or built up gradually over months. That picture over time, along with your dog's age and size, tells your vet a good deal before the examination even begins.
The collar deserves separate thought. In small dogs that pull on the lead, pressure on the neck can make a cough worse, and a harness sometimes changes the picture. That is worth discussing at the appointment.
If the cough started suddenly and your dog had been chewing a toy, a bone or a stick, say so. A piece inhaled into the airway is one of the reasons not to wait.
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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An airway infection
A contagious airway infection causes a sudden, dry, loud cough, often after contact with other dogs. The dog usually stays reasonably bright.
About the condition: Kennel cough -
Narrowing of the windpipe
In small breeds the windpipe can flatten, giving a dry, honking cough. It worsens with excitement, after exercise or when pulling on the lead.
About the condition: Tracheal collapse -
Problems with the heart
When the heart has to work harder, fluid can gather in the lungs. The pattern is coughing at night or when lying down, and tiring sooner on walks.
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Changes around the voice box
When the voice box stops working properly the bark changes and breathing becomes noisy alongside the cough. Signs sharpen on a hot day or after exercise.
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Dust, smoke and allergens
Tobacco smoke, dust or strong scents irritate the airways. The cough is dry and tied to being in a particular place.
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A foreign object in the airway
An inhaled fragment or grass seed causes a sudden, persistent cough starting from one exact moment. This needs assessing quickly.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- Whether the cough is dry, or wet and rattling
- When it happens: at night, after exercise, with excitement
- Whether it began suddenly or built up gradually
- Whether your dog tires sooner on walks
- Whether the gums and tongue have any blue tinge
- Whether there is nasal discharge or a raised temperature
When to book a routine visit
Book a visit if the cough lasts more than a few days, if it keeps happening at night, if your dog tires sooner, or if the cough is getting worse. If breathing is laboured or the gums look blue, go straight away.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Heart disease Heart This is an umbrella term for various conditions in which the heart muscle, the valves or the heart rhythm stop working as well, making it harder for the heart to pump blood around the body. Some are present from birth, others develop with age, and they can go a long time without any noticeable signs. During a check-up the vet listens to the heart and decides whether further tests are needed.
- Mitral valve disease Heart The mitral valve separates the left upper and lower chambers of the heart, and in this disease its leaflets gradually thicken and stop closing tightly. As a result, some blood flows backwards with every beat, the heart has to work harder and over time it enlarges. The disease develops slowly with age, and a vet may hear a heart murmur long before an owner notices any change.
- Tracheal collapse Breathing Tracheal collapse is a condition in which the cartilage rings of the windpipe weaken and the windpipe flattens, making it harder for air to reach the lungs. It tends to get slowly worse over time, and excitement, heat, pressure on the neck or excess weight can make breathing even harder.
- 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.
- Brachycephalic airway syndrome Breathing In short-muzzled dogs the nostrils, nasal passages, soft palate and throat are packed into very little space, so air has a harder time getting through. These dogs work harder to breathe than others, especially in heat, when excited or after exertion, and that can turn into real danger. How much it affects a particular dog varies a great deal, so their breathing is worth talking over with a vet.
- Distemper Infections Distemper is a contagious viral disease that can damage the airways, the digestive system, the skin and the nervous system. Puppies and unvaccinated dogs are at greatest risk. What is making a dog ill and how far the disease has gone is for a vet to work out, and the first signs are easily mistaken for an ordinary cold.
- Kennel cough Infections Kennel cough is a contagious inflammation of the upper airways caused by one or more viruses and bacteria. Dogs catch it wherever many dogs meet: boarding kennels, training grounds, shows or popular walking spots. The dog has a loud, dry cough but may stay bright; what caused the cough is for a vet to establish.
Body systems: Heart Breathing Infections