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Why is my puppy itchy and coughing with a raspy wheezing sound?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 2 months and 30 days old | 3.4 lbs

I recently got a 13 week old puppy and I took him for a check up, they said it was fine. But lately he's been really really itchy even tho the doctor said he didn't have fleas and he coughs like a really raspy cough. At first cough sounds like he's going to throw up and then it becomes like a whizzing sound. It gets worst at night and I randomly hear him whimper as he itches himself desperately. What's going on with him? He's a toy morkie by the way

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on September 28th, 2017

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further

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