Dog cough
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I agree, heartworm in particular (which you will need a specific blood test to diagnose) is notorious for causing coughing. Perhaps a round of antibiotics might be in order too if it's a respiratory infection - has he been vaccinated for kennel cough?
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Have you thought about giving your dog an anti-inflammatory. Steroids are really hard on the liver and if given for too long can cause cushings syndrome. So, short term is ok, but not long term. There are some holistic options, one is Standard Process Boswella Complex. It contains turmeric, a natural anti-inflammatory.
Inflammation can be caused by a great many things, including allergies. Do you have access to a veterinary allergist?
Inflammation can be caused by a great many things, including allergies. Do you have access to a veterinary allergist?
So we tried him on metacam but he has a sensitive stomach and it game him diarrhoea so other than that no. I would be really interested in holistic options, would you say the boswella complex is the best one to try?
I have always wondered about allergies, but he is 3.5 years old and the cough developed at just over 2.5 but I do think its definitely worth exploring as have moved house in that time.
Thank you for you reply.
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My dog Murphy sees several different DVMs on a regular basis. Each has their strengths and each is playing a vital role in his health care.
That said, please don’t misunderstand what I write below.
We are the ones that advocate for our pets. If we don’t, they won’t get the care they need. I recommend, if your current vet is not able to diagnose the issue after all this time, he or she is not the right vet to see about it.
Find another vet or, find a well respect teaching hospital like the Royal Veterinary College. I don’t know where you live in the UK, so you’ll need to search for one closer to you. Teaching hospitals see a great variety of things that our vets never get exposed to.
I am fortunate to be an hour away from one of the best vet schools in America, CSU. We are frequent fliers up there.
That said, please don’t misunderstand what I write below.
We are the ones that advocate for our pets. If we don’t, they won’t get the care they need. I recommend, if your current vet is not able to diagnose the issue after all this time, he or she is not the right vet to see about it.
Find another vet or, find a well respect teaching hospital like the Royal Veterinary College. I don’t know where you live in the UK, so you’ll need to search for one closer to you. Teaching hospitals see a great variety of things that our vets never get exposed to.
I am fortunate to be an hour away from one of the best vet schools in America, CSU. We are frequent fliers up there.
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I forgot to mention the turmeric. Do a little search and you can see it is an anti inflammatory. There are other things that also will help. My understand is turmeric is best. The Standard Process stuff is a little expensive, even here. If you can find it in the UK, try a bottle and see if it helps
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I just looked up metacam. Was that used as a cough suppressant?
When my dog was coughing, we used hydrocodone. It helped quite a bit
When my dog was coughing, we used hydrocodone. It helped quite a bit
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1,286 Posts
I had a similar thing with my Poodle. Kept coughing so took her into the Vet. They x-rayed her and her heart was fine. We do not have heartworms where I live so knew it was not that. They had me worm her two weeks in a row, and put her on Prednisone. She was on it once a day for a week, then every two days for a week, every three days, for a week, then every four days for a week. She was fine for a couple of weeks and then back to coughing again. Started back on the prednisone, same routine and has now been four weeks with no coughing. Never did really know the cause of it but it was a real hacking cough, then she would act like she was going to throw up but never did. Hope that was the end of it.
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