Old Dog Coughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a 12 year old collie cross , who about 3 months ago got kennel cough. We went to the vet and we were given antibiotics.She seemed to do ok and then my pointer got it .But it didn't last long with him .Anyway it seemed like my old girl got it back again , but she has been coughing ever since.She seems worse when she has been laid down for a while or first thing in a morning.She was diagnosed with a heart murmor about 4 years ago and we were told to try and keep her calm and not stress her , but that it would get worse with age.
Is it possible the kennel cough has affected her more than we thought and it has lead to something else ?
She has other old girl problems too but the coughing is the most worrying

I would suggest going to your vet to confirm, but to me it sounds like the kennel cough and the current cough aren't related...

Coughing, particularly after lying down etc. as you describe is one of the symptons of a heart murmor. As you say she already has a mild/moderate murmor, it is possible that this is getting worse and it may be time for medication.

The same thing happened to our old boy..he had a heart murmor when we rescued him, age about 8 years. The vet said just to watch and if he started to cough on a fairly regular basis, to take him in for a check up. He was fine for the next 4 years, but in his last year started to cough every day, 4 or 5 times a day. At that stage he went on to the meds, which did work (though he was on them for less than a year as had to be pts due to a stomach tumour).

Even if it is her heart murmor getting worse, I'm sure with the right meds she be fine for a good while yet.

I agree, best get it checked out. Coughing can be a symptom of heart conditions. They do respond really well to meds though. Good luck with her, I hope you get her sorted

Hi Anna the heart murmur is possibly caused by age related congestive heart failure , is your dog on any heart medication ? If not a drug called Vasotop 1.25 (Ramipril an ACE inhibitor) may help her.
Heart conditions in elderly dogs can lead to congestion on the lungs and this can result in a cough which is a natural reflex to clear the lungs.
..when a dog with a heart condition has been sleeping or inactive for a while the fluid has chance to gather in the lungs .
If your dog had Kennel Cough , because she already had a heart problem it could have made the condition worse. I would go and see your vet and discuss things with him to see if something can be done to help her.

PS I had a dog with a heart murmur, grade -2 to begin with progressing to + 4, she lived to the age of 16 and was prescribed Vasotop.

My Oldie developed a persistent cough last summer (seems a long way off now). We had tests done for everything from heart trouble to Cushings. Then he stopped doing it!. It was either a minor infection or an allergy we decided.
Hope your dog is better soon.

hi
i am in the same situation with my staffyroxy who is 14..... she has been on heart meds, water tablets and steroids since end of summer.. but she had the cough for w hile before... we always thought it would go but it didnt and got much worse... the meds did help a lot at the biginning... but they dont work as good now... she is on a very go slow... she eats well but they say thats the steroids.... she sleeps most of the time.... we manage to get her to go outside to the toilet... she does have accidents at times....she coughs standing and laying down mankes no difference now.... i know her time is near and i am finding it very hard .... but it helps that she isnt in pain at all.....

how is your pet today? i hope she is improving please let me know
all the best
michele

I would get her rechecked with the vet just to be sure.....

Good luck x

Just a quick update...My dog had her first fit today , it didn't last long , but I am sure thats what it was .She just fell to her side , started twitching and her eyes rolled back .Just before that she had been running around barking.We are off to vets tomorrow ,So we shall see what they say?

Sorry to hear this.

Fingers crossed the vets have some positive news for you.

hi annaw

so sorry to read that...let us know what the vet says.. and i send healing wishes

xx