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My senior dog is coughing. Could it be heart disease? How to treat?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 18 years old | 30 lbs

Hi, my mom recently passed away and I took her dog khloe in. She is very old, obese, and has been coughing and gagging recently. I have been treating her with powdered oxytetracycline and will be going to get her some carpofen tomorrow as well. I have read that it could be kennel cough which i can treat or heart disease. she is so old I am really hoping its not heart diseases. If it is heart diseases how would I treat her for it?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Sarah Derksen, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 18th, 2018

Hi. Poor Chloe, and we are so sorry for the loss of your mom. Yes, the cough could be simple from an infection, allergies, collapsed trachea, etc. But in older pets, it can be secondary to heart disease where the heart b3gibs to push up on the trachea, or even causes fluid in the lungs. In older, small- to medium-size breed dogs, the most common heart diseases are degenerative issues, such as endocardiosis, also called chronic degenerative-valve disease or acquired valvular heart disease. The good news is there are medications that will help the heart function better and not work so hard. The sooner things are diagnosed and treatment is started, the better the prognosis. The first step is to have Chloe examined, and then have an echcardiogram ( heart ultrasound), blood pressure, and an EKG. It will Chloe on the right track

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 21st, 2018

    Because Heidie is an old dog, my first suspicion is that she could have heart disease. This in unfortunately common in old dogs. With heart disease, the heart does not pump as efficiency as it used to, leading to a back up of fluid in the lungs and subsequently causing the cough. Another cause of her symptoms could be a respiratory disease. Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain so I recommend a vet visit this weekend. The vet can do a physical exam and x-rays to diagnose what is causing her symptoms, and can discuss treatment with you. If she did have heart disease, it cannot be cured but the symptoms can be managed with medication. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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