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Why is my dog suddenly coughing and obsessively licking things?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 8 years and 2 months old | 36 lbs

My dog all of a sudden started hacking type cough and obsessively licking the floor for like an hour then stopped then woke us up with the same type cough this morning and obsessively licking everything. Any reason why this is and what to do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on June 27th, 2019

The obsessive licking sounds like an anxiety issue that is likely related to the coughing. Coughing in dogs can have a variety of possible causes, including kennel cough, heart disease, lung disease, infection, etc. I would recommend that you have Bodhi examined by the vet to see what could be the cause.

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