If your dog coughs and chokes, there may be several reasons. Often the cause is completely harmless. However, there may also be a serious reason behind the coughing and choking. If the symptoms occur regularly, you should therefore plan a visit to the vet with your dog to be on the safe side.
This article will tell you why your dog coughs and chokes and what you can do about it.
Your dog's cough can be dry or wet. A dry cough is often associated with severe pain for the affected animal. A wet cough sounds softer and is usually accompanied by sputum.
In both cases, your dog may not only cough but also choke. Unlike a dry cough, choking a wet cough often results in additional vomiting of fluid or mucus.
Coughing and choking are a normal reflex in dogs. There are several possible causes.
Your dog can catch cold too. Typical symptoms of a cold in dogs include a cold and a cough, which is often accompanied by choking. As a rule, such infections are harmless and can be treated well even without a veterinarian. If the symptoms such as coughing and choking in your dog do not subside after a few days, it may nevertheless be advisable to consult a veterinarian.
A possible cause of coughing and choking may be foreign bodies that have been inhaled. By coughing and choking, your dog tries to get them out of his lungs. Since these are usually very small particles, it usually works without problems. In individual cases, however, larger foreign bodies may have to be surgically removed.
Some dogs tend to gobble up their food in a few moments. It can happen that the four-legged friend swallows his food and then coughs and chokes to get rid of the foreign body. As the owner, you should not dismiss such behaviour lightly. Because on the one hand your dog can suffocate and on the other hand the looping increases the risk of a life-threatening gastric torsion.
Another possible reason for your dog coughing and choking is an infection with kennel cough. Kennel cough is a contagious respiratory disease, with typical symptoms including a dry cough accompanied by choking. If your dog is suspected of kennel coughing, a visit to the vet is necessary.
Also an enlargement of the heart muscle is conceivable as a cause for the cough in your dog. A dilated cardiomyopathy is usually accompanied by so-called cardiac cough. It can occur especially in older dogs and can also lead to an accumulation of fluid in the lungs. In this case, veterinary care is an absolute must.
If your dog coughs and chokes more often without any noticeable improvement, you should always consult a vet with him. Since coughing and choking are not a disease, but only symptoms, it is important to find out the cause first.
Depending on what triggers the symptoms, appropriate treatment may be required. Because not always a little rest and care are sufficient to heal the sick dog. If, in addition to coughing and choking, fever is also a symptom, a remedy for fever can help to lower the elevated temperature of the sick dog.
With severe infections, the use of antibiotics is often unavoidable. If your dog suffers from asthma, he will probably be prescribed a spray or tablets. Heart disease can also be treated, at least in part, with medication.
If your dog suffers more frequently from infections of his respiratory tract, this is a clear sign of a weakened immune system. In this case, Bellfor Immune can help strengthen your dog's defences and prevent infections that cause coughing and choking.
Bellfor Immun is available in powder or biscuit form. The selected ingredients of this purely natural food supplement provide your dog's organism with important amino acids and valuable micronutrients it needs for a strong immune system.
Coughing and choking can have harmless causes in dogs. However, it can also indicate serious illness. If the symptoms are more common, you should take them seriously. Only if the cause is treated will coughing and choking stop.
To strengthen the immune system in weakened dogs, we recommend a dietary supplement with Bellfor Immun. The natural preparation supports the immune system of your four-legged friend and helps to prevent infections and to survive them better.