My 17-year-old Pomeranian has coughed for 2 days.
It sounds like something in the throat.
Is it kennel cough or allergies? My other 2-1/2-month
old Pomeranian is also coughing. What can I do to
help them feel better?
Mei
S.F., CA
A large number of syndromes can lead to coughing in older dogs. Most of them are not contagious.
If your younger dog were not also coughing, I would be worried about such problems as heart disease, pneumonia, collapsing trachea, cancer and bronchitis.
However, when two dogs in the same house simultaneously develop coughs a contagious syndrome such as canine influenza or infectious tracheobronchitis (a group of diseases known collectively as kennel cough) becomes a likely possibility.
Foreign objects lodged in the throat can cause coughing; however, this is extremely rare. And it is virtually inconceivable that two dogs in the same house would cough for this reason. Allergies cause coughing in dogs only rarely.
In your case, I feel that a veterinary checkup is in order for both dogs. 17-year-old dogs are elderly and fragile; two- or three-month-old puppies are no less fragile. There is a good chance that the cause of the coughing is not serious. However, it is best to be cautious with dogs like yours.
