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My dog is coughing like a seal. What can I do before seeing the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed | 6 years and 2 months old | 9 lbs

My dog started coughing. She hasn't been out of our yard or house and no new dogs have been around her. It started as a little cough, like clearing her throats and a few hours later has turned into a more progressive cough. Almost sounding like a seal. Is there anything I can do until I can get ahold of my vet? She isn't having breathing problems, and she is eating okay.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on June 10th, 2017

Sorry to hear that Maeve isn't feeling so great. Unfortunately, there is little you will be able to do at home for her coughing unless you have access to medications for it. You may want to make sure you limit her environmental exposure to things like smoke, musty air, or environmental allergens. As for medications, the kind of things that might help are cough suppressants, bronchodilators, and anti-inflammatory drugs. Ultimately, it is hard to say how to medicate the condition until it is determined why the coughing is occurring. X-rays will likely be required to gather more information on this topic. Some of the more common causes for coughing in dogs are infectious disease, inflammatory conditions, structural issues of the throat / trachea / esophagus, and heart disease. If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask. Hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on June 19th, 2018

    There are many different causes of cough, especially in a stray. Unfortunately without diagnostics there is no definitive way to diagnose it. Heartworm disease, lungworm, tracheal collapse, infectious or allergic bronchitis, tumor, fluid in the lungs, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure are among some of the common reasons for coughing. I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. A heartworm test and x-ray may be recommended to help determine the diagnosis and best treatment plan. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 8th, 2017

    It's unlikely to be allergies and more likely she has kennel cough (upper respiratory infection). I would definitely recommend taking her in to your vet to make sure it isn't anything more serious and then she can be prescribed antibiotics to help clear things up. Best wishes with Phoenix at the vet. I hope everything works out well for her. Take care.

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