# Guinness has a strange cough



## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

First off, let me say, I am taking him to the vet this afternoon. I just wanted to see if anyone has any ideas.

My 14yr old lab has had a cough for about 2 weeks now. Its not super bad or constant. He has been having 2 or 3 coughing fits (maybe 10-15 coughs) a day. Usually at least one of those will be in the middle of the night. Last night he woke me up at midnight coughing.
It sounds sort of like a cross between dry heaving and something caught in the throat. But, he never brings anything up.
His energy and appetite are fine. Also, this is not related to exercise as far as I can tell. At least he never coughs during his walks. 

He has never been boarded or around lots of other dogs-he is DA, so I keep him out of places with lots of dogs!
Kenzie hasn't shown any sign of a cough.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

It could still possibly be kennel cough. That's how my boys sounded when they had it recently. Good luck at the vet.


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## Brinkleythegolden (Jun 18, 2012)

Yep, it sounds like the same cough that Brinkley had when he got kennel cough from Obedience class.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

Back from the vet.
They had me leave him in the car until they had a room ready and then we had to go in the back way in case it was kennel cough.
She doesn't think it is kennel cough. She did something to his trachea trying to get him to cough but couldn't. 
We did x-rays and she thinks he has chronic bronchitis. She showed me these little things that look like donuts in his lungs. I guess that is why she is thinking chronic bronchitis. We sent the xray out to be read by a radiologist and I should hear back tomorrow.

The other possibility we haven't ruled out is laryngeal paralysis.

We are starting him on an antibiotic (cefpodoxime) and an antihistamine (claratin) in case allergies are an issue as well. Normally she would first start with prednisone, but he is on rimadyl so we can't use pred.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I hope the antibiotics cause the cough to go away. Poor boy.


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## ScottyUSN (Jul 18, 2011)

I see you're in the southwest.. My boys both have allergy problems this time of year. I can't say they have coughing fits, but ears and eyes are runny. Since it all falls under ENT you might try some Benadryl or generic: Diphenhydramine.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

She said to try Benadryl or claratin. I went with claratin since it is less drowsy.


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## Helo's Mom (Oct 16, 2011)

How is Guinness doing today?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear about Guinness, hope he's doing better today.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

He's doing about the same. He has only had 1 dose of antibiotics though.
I'm still waiting for the official word from the radiologist.
From what I've read online (always a bad idea!), in dogs, chronic bronchitis is more like COPD. So, he won't be "cured" but hopefully I should be able to manage it.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

Vet just called. Radiologist also confirmed chronic bronchitis.
She asked if I wanted her to fill a script for a bronchodilator as well. I told her to hold off on that for a few days to see if the antibiotics worked.
I think I'm going to start a new thread to see if anyone has dealt with chronic bronchitis.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

here is the new thread
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...breed-standard/294202-chronic-bronchitis.html


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## NewfieMom (Sep 8, 2013)

It is totally weird that I forgot this, but at the end of his life, my Lab, Biscuit, couldn't bark! I wouldn't have volunteered this information before you got your diagnosis of another problem, but I now recall that he had a problem with food going into his breathing tube or being unable to get enough air. It was a laryngeal paralysis of some sort. What we did about it, I cannot recall! Was it the paralysis or a surgery that caused him to lose his bark? I know he was fine other than that he didn't bark!!!

He died in 2008 (nothing to do with the larynx). I know I lost my memory years ago, but this is ridiculous!

NewfieMom


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