Coughing and panting.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm sorry to hear that your dog is having a problem with panting and coughing. There are several possible reasons for this.

If this was a new issue then I'd be concerned about a virus such as kennel cough, but this is unlikely given that the cough has been there for a few years. Also, panting would not be a sign of kennel cough.

Heart disease certainly is a possibility. However, he has seen the vet recently and the vet was not concerned about his heart then this is less likely. A dog that is coughing because of heart disease will almost always have obvious changes that can be heard with a stethoscope such as a significant murmur or irregular rhythm.

You may want to ask your vet about a condition called laryngeal paralysis. This can affect older dogs and can cause coughing and panting. It's much more common in large dogs and often labs, but it's still possible. It's a tough condition to test for as some sedation is needed, but it's a possibility. While there are some treatments for laryngeal paralysis, they are not simple treatments.

Some dogs can get asthma or another form of small airway disease and this is certainly possible. If this were my case I would likely be wanting to take an xray to look for signs of asthma. Sometimes though the signs can be subtle and hard to diagnose. Many dogs with asthma get great relief either on medication to open up the airways or on very small doses of steroids.

A cancer in the lungs is possible. But, lung cancer does not usually cause coughing until it is quite severe so I think this is not it.

Similarly, a fungal disease like blastomycosis could do this. This is much more common in young dogs though.

I really think that having some xrays done would be the next best step. The xrays probably can give your vet a good idea as to what is going on.

Hope things improve soon!

Dr. Marie


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Dr. Marie replied:

No worries. I've had cases like this and getting a diagnosis is tough. The good news is that all of the really bad things that I can think of appear to be ruled out. So, if this is the case and there is no cancer, serious heart disease, fungal disease, etc. then as long as the cough is not really uncomfortable to your dog, the right option may be to just monitor things.

If this were my case I'd likely be offering you a few tests such as repeating xrays every few months to see if something new comes up or perhaps doing a CBC blood test to see if there is obvious evidence of some type of allergy, but really there is a chance that no diagnosis will be found.

One additional thought, although I'm sure you've got this covered is heartworm. It's unlikely, especially since there is no heart murmur. And, most likely, you have had him heartworm tested, but it's worth mentioning.

I wish I could give you a more definitive answer! This is one of the problems with veterinary medicine. The answer is often very difficult to find.