Why is my senior dog collapsing and coughing like a goose?

Question

I have a 12 year old jack russels terrior. She starts to loose balance in her back legs and then completely collapses on her side. She remains conscious and frantically whimpers during this time. Usually, she would only collapse whenever she got overly excited, such as seeing another dog. However, recently it's been happening without any "exciting" triggers to cause it. She also has this consistent cough that sounds like a goose honk. Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Female | spayed | 18 years and 10 months old | 80 lbs

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, sorry to hear about Shiloh. It looks like she is an older pup and the potentials for what is causing her to collapse can vary greatly (anything from neurologic in origin to orthopedic in origin). In older pets, severe muscle loss, heart problems, or other metabolic problems can contribute to their weakness and collapsing episodes. In a dog with a cough however, I would be most concerned with an underlying heart problem, then a neurologic or orthopedic problem. I would recommend seeing her veterinarian to have her evaluated and check her for any underlying heart problems, neurologic or orthopedic problems. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Why is my senior dog collapsing and coughing like a goose?

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