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Why is my senior dog still coughing after kennel cough & heart murmur?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund | Male | neutered | 15 years and 1 month old | 20 lbs

On January 30th my 14 year old dachshund was diagnosed with kennel cough. He was put on 14 days of antibiotics but he still has a wet sounding productive cough. His chest x ray was fine. What should I do? Eats and sleeps well - no lethargic behavior and normal temp. He does have a 3 out of 6 heart murmur.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Christie Long, DVM

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on February 19th, 2017

I would add to Dr. Melanie's excellent advice below that it take 24 - 48 hours for pneumonia to become obvious on x-rays, so it's possible that Moxie has pneumonia, but at the time the x-rays were taken the pneumonia wasn't visible.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Given that Moxie does have a heart murmur, his cough could be related to his heart disease. Fluid build up in the lungs from the murmur can cause a cough, so I would see if the vet feels heart medication might be an option for him. He could also still be suffering from kennel cough, as it can take up three to four weeks for kennel cough to resolve, and he may need additional medications to help with his symptoms. I would have Moxie seen by your vet on Monday for a health check.

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