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Is this cough a problem?

September 7, 2021

It is normal for your dog to cough every now and then just like a person would. However if the cough is occurring a lot more or they are having coughing fits, it may need further investigation. Coughing can be caused by inhaled irritants, or bacteria or viruses caught from other pets or environmental contamination.

Problems affecting the lungs can also cause coughing, either a wet moist cough, or a dry hacking cough. Bacterial pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, foreign objects in the airways, asthma and abnormal growths can all be causes of coughing.

As you can see there is a range of causes of coughing. Sometimes a clinical exam is enough to allow us to treat your pet, but sometimes we need other diagnostics such as x-rays, or sample from the lungs to help us determine the cause.

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