coughing

[Maxy24]

When my aunt walks her dog Phoebe she will start to cough the whole way. When she is playing outside she will do it too. She does not do it often in the house. My aunt thinks it might be allergies and when she called the vet and described it the vet said maybe kennel cough. I don't think it is though since she does not do it all the time and she had a shot for it two years ago. Do you think it is allergies? If so how would you treat it?

[Charliesmommy]

What kind of dog?

[Maxy24]

Shi-tzu, but she never did it before ans she's going on three years old. Uncle just came over and I told him I posted it here so he told me to tell you that it's not exactly like a cough, it's like a mouth sneeze except more like she is trying to clear her throat, a hack from the back of the throat.

[squirtsmom]

My dog does that too, tiny toy poodle, and they have not figured it out yet.

[Charliesmommy]

It does sound like it could be kennel cough, which usually sounds like a "clearing the throat" kind of cough and can be triggered by exercise. I believe (though I am not sure and maybe someone else can pipe in here) that the vaccination is only good for 1 year, so if she was vaccinated 2 years ago, she could definitely get it again. Has she been around other dogs?

[Maxy24]

yeah at the groomers about three weeks ago.

[Charliesmommy]

Well, the good news is that kennel cough generally clears up on its own in a week or so. So, depending on how long this has been going on, that should give you an idea of what it is. If it lasts longer than about 10 days, I would say it is either allergies or a more serious respiratory infection. If it is allergies, I don't know of much you can do about it, short of keeping her inside. It would be difficult to determine what exactly she's allergic to outside. If the coughing becomes a problem for her, the vet can give her cough medicine.