The dog coughs to clear the airways of impurities and objects. It is useful for owners to figure out which cough is not dangerous, when a veterinarian's consultation and treatment is required or urgent emergency care is needed.
Material Content:
Causes of Coughing in Dogs
Coughing occurs when the nerve receptors of the respiratory tract are irritated by dust, mucus, sputum, or foreign objects. Then the signal enters the cough center of the brain, from where it is transmitted to the nerve fibers of the abdomen, diaphragm, chest. In response to an impulse, the muscles contract and forcefully expel air.
The causes of cough are combined in 2 groups:
External:
| Internal:
|
Veterinarians recommend tracking the characteristics of a cough in order to describe its properties in detail at the reception.
- Productivity: dry without secretions, wet with sputum.
- Intensity: weak, superficial, anguished, deep, paroxysmal.
- Volume and timbre: sonorous, muffled, hoarse.
- Frequency: frequent, rare coughing.
- The nature of the course: acute - from 2 to 14 days, chronic - longer than 3 weeks.
- Time of appearance: night, morning, afternoon, seasonally.
- Color and consistency of secretions: clear sputum, viscous yellow or green mucus, blood impurities.
- Dynamics: stable - the same in intensity and frequency, recurrent - temporary decay is replaced by amplification.
The vomiting center lies next to the cough, so severe attacks are accompanied by vomiting.
Varieties of ailment
The etiology distinguishes the following types of cough:
- Viral - dry, frequent, strong. The dog coughs, as if choking and trying to free himself from a foreign object. After attacks sometimes burps foam. It occurs with the defeat of the parainfluenza virus, canine herpes, adenovirus, bordetella, reovirus, mycoplasma. The dog’s temperature rises, lymph nodes, tonsils increase, lacrimation intensifies, and a transparent secretion is secreted from the nose.
- Allergic - superficial, frequent, occurs with intolerance to the components of the feed, shampoo, drugs, insect bites. It is accompanied by redness of the eye protein, swelling of the eyelids, lacrimation, skin rashes and itching, nasal discharge.
- The inflammation of the respiratory system for the first 2-3 days is accompanied by a dry, sharp, hoarse cough, then moist with colorless sputum or yellow, greenish mucus. It appears with damage to the respiratory system by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The dog refuses to eat, becomes apathetic, the temperature rises, other symptoms depend on the specific disease.
- Cough with a lung tumor - in the first stage is rare, dry with transparent sputum. Blood streaks appear on the second in the discharge, in the third stage the dog constantly coughs, loses weight, weakens.
- Cardiac - muffled, rare, aggravated by physical exertion, sometimes pink phlegm is released. It occurs with hypertrophy of the heart muscle and organ pressure on the trachea. The dog quickly gets tired, shortness of breath appears during movement, the mucous membranes acquire a bluish tint.
- Parasitic - moderately moist or dry, occurs when infected with worms. The dog rises in temperature, appetite disappears. Intestinal helminthiases are accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, and dehydration. With pulmonary infection, the dog coughs up blood, shortness of breath occurs.
- Coughing upon contact with an object is convulsive, hoarse, with signs of suffocation. The animal spits white foam, sometimes with blood, rubs its face with its paws, shakes its head.
In small dogs with structural defects in the palate, pharynx, trachea, reverse sneezing syndrome is noticed. The animal inhales air sharply, then makes a sound similar to coughing, quacking, sneezing at the same time. This happens with a spasm of the throat and palate in response to an irritant: collar, stress, changes in air temperature, pungent odors. Treatment is not required, the owner's task is to establish and eliminate the stimulus.
What diseases indicates
The table lists the diseases that are accompanied by cough:
Viral infections:
| Helminthic infestations:
|
Infections of the respiratory system:
| Noncommunicable diseases:
|
In chronic inflammation of the bronchi and pulmonary allergy, bronchial asthma develops with excruciating coughing fits.
Diagnosis
If the dog coughs longer than 2-3 days, it is shown to the veterinarian even with normal health and the absence of other disturbing symptoms. The doctor makes a preliminary opinion on the basis of the examination and the following data:
- the age of the animal;
- breed;
- physiological condition;
- conditions of detention, diet;
- vaccination periods;
- circumstances that preceded the cough and its properties;
- concomitant symptoms.
If in doubt, additional studies are selectively carried out:
- clinical and biochemical blood analysis;
- chest x-ray;
- Ultrasound of internal organs;
- bronchoscopy.
Sometimes additionally prescribed a cytological, bacteriological study of the secretion of the bronchi.
How to treat at home
The cough will not stop if its cause is not eliminated. After diagnosis, the veterinarian develops a treatment regimen for a specific disease:
- Dogs with a normal protective reaction can cope with a viral infection on their own within 1-3 weeks, after recovery they acquire immunity. In severe cases, the doctor prescribes antibiotics, immunomodulators to avoid complications.
- In inflammatory and infectious diseases of the respiratory system, complex therapy is required. It includes etiotropic, symptomatic, supportive drugs.
- An allergic cough passes spontaneously if the irritant is correctly identified and eliminated. With seasonal allergies to plant pollen, a pet is given antihistamines.
- Helminthic infestations are treated with antiparasitic drugs, specific medications depend on the type of helminthiasis. The dog stops coughing after removing the worms.
- In cardiac diseases, the animal needs drugs to support the heart.
- Benign neoplasms are removed surgically. With a malignant tumor, chemotherapy is prescribed, but the prognosis is poor. To facilitate well-being, steroid drugs, bronchodilators are used.
A constant cough during or after eating and drinking indicates a violation of the swallowing reflex, in such cases the pet is best shown to a specialist. Sometimes this happens when the dog eats too fast, usually he manages himself, help is not required. If the dog cannot clear his throat in a few seconds, suffocates, they immediately take him to the clinic, where under anesthesia the stuck item is removed with an endoscope.
Before recovery, the animal is transferred to a sparing mode. They are kept in a warm room without drafts, the room is often aired, and a humidifier is placed. Walking time is reduced, physical activity is excluded. Free clean fresh water is left, fed boiled, chopped food.
The use of folk remedies
To alleviate the condition of the dog, "inhalation" is established. Hot water is collected in the bathtub, broths of eucalyptus and fir are added. Then the pet is left to breathe steam for 15 minutes. Warm warm air facilitates sputum discharge, restores normal breathing, reduces pain, swelling of the mucous membranes.
What can not be done
The dog is not given medication without first consulting the veterinarian:
- Antitussive drugs inhibit the cough center, so they can not be taken with copious sputum.
- Expectorant, mucolytic agents do not bring relief with a deficiency of fluid in the body, increase dry cough.
- Paracetamol is toxic to dogs and cats, disrupts the liver and kidneys.
- Antibiotics help with the defeat of bacteria, in other cases, they only inhibit the beneficial microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.
- If the dosage is incorrect, aspirin violates blood coagulation, causes internal bleeding, anemia.
Stuck bones, threads cannot be pulled out of the throat, independent actions will lead to injuries of the walls of the larynx.
Prevention
To reduce the risk of developing diseases that cause cough, observe the basic rules:
- Pets are kept in a dry room, do not overcool.
- Fully fed.
- Avoid excessive physical exertion, stressful situations for the dog.
- Do not buy fragile toys that are easy to crack, do not give tubular bones, take out small bones from the fish.
- The dog is periodically taken for a routine veterinary examination to identify hidden diseases.
- Follow the vaccination schedule.
- They are regularly treated with flea and tick remedies.
- Once every 3 months, deworming is performed.
A cough in a dog is a symptom of a mass of diseases. Without veterinary knowledge, it is difficult to establish its prerequisites, so home treatment begins with a visit to the veterinary clinic and the creation of conditions for a quick recovery.
