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Why did my senior dog's hacking cough return after vet care?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Female | unspayed | 12 years and 1 month old | 20 lbs

My dog has a persistant hacking cough, she is 12 years old pug, not lathargic, eating and drinking fine, the medicines and shots they gave her at the vet wore off and she is coughing again. i dont know what it could be

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 26th, 2018

Did they take any xrays of her chest an trachea? At her age, heart disease or a collapsing trachea is common. Bronchitis or a tumor can also be possible. An xray can see if there is tumor and see how wide the trachea is. Heart disease will be evident by an enlarged heart. Bronchitis can be from age or an allergy. Most of these treatments have medications that can control symptoms but none of these have cure. I would consult with your vet again to see what testing or medication can be given at home to help her.

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Kennel cough (infection of the upper respiratory system) can explain a persistent cough. It's possible that it was not treated for long enough to kill all the bugs responsible. Kennel cough is most suspicious if Bella has been in contact with other dogs in the past month or so. If Bella has not had contact with other dogs, then the cough is likely due to something else. They can develop a cough with conditions like pneumonia, heart worm, heart disease and cancer. For this reason, it's best to have Bella rechecked by your veterinarian. They can do some more diagnostics to determine the cause of the cough and prescribe the appropriate treatment. For more information, I recommend you read the articles at the links below. https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-7-questions-about-kennel-cough-in-dogs-answered/ https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/testing-for-cough I hope that helps and Bella gets better soon.

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