Why is My Dog Coughing?

Welcome back. This week we will be skimming the surface on coughing in dogs. After all, you rarely notice coughing 1 hour after your trusted veterinarian opens and it can be alarming for pet parents to watch their dogs struggle to breathe. Just like in people, a cough is not a disease itself but a sign that something is irritating your dog’s airways or lungs. Understanding possible causes and knowing when to seek help can make a big difference for your pup’s health.

Where is the cough coming from?

The respiratory tract can be divided into two sections:

• Upper airway (nose, throat, trachea): Coughs here often sound loud, harsh, or “honking.”

• Lower airway (lungs and bronchi): Coughs from deeper in the chest are often softer or “wet,” sometimes sounding like your dog is trying to clear mucus.

Common Causes of Coughing

• Infectious: Conditions like kennel cough (Bordetella bronchiseptica) and canine influenza are common upper airway irritants. In otherwise healthy dogs, these illnesses often run their course without major intervention, though treatment can help your dog feel better and recover faster. In dogs with underlying health concerns (such as heart disease, immune suppression, or brachycephalic airway syndrome), treatment may be needed to prevent complications and support recovery.

  • Prevention: Vaccines are available for both Bordetella and canine influenza. These are especially important if your dog lives a “high risk” lifestyle—frequenting dog parks, doggie daycares, grooming salons, or boarding facilities. Vaccines don’t guarantee your dog won’t catch the disease, but they reduce the severity of illness if infection occurs and decrease contagiousness to other dogs.

• Pulmonary: Bronchitis, pneumonia, or asthma-like inflammation in the lungs cause deeper, wetter coughs. These cases often require treatment to reduce inflammation or clear infection.

• Cardiac: Left-sided heart disease can cause the heart to enlarge. As the heart grows, it may push against or pinch the trachea, leading to coughing. In more advanced disease, fluid can also build up in the lungs (pulmonary edema), causing further coughing and difficulty breathing.

• Structural: Conditions like laryngeal paralysis and collapsing trachea are common in some breeds. Structural conditions can be present at birth, but most develop with age and time.

What about reverse sneezing?

Sometimes what sounds like coughing is actually reverse sneezing. In this case, your dog pulls air in quickly through the nose, producing a snorting or honking sound. This usually happens when the soft palate or back of the throat is irritated. Though it can be dramatic, reverse sneezing is usually short-lived and harmless. Gently covering one nostril (NOT BOTH) for a couple of seconds may help stop a reverse sneezing fit.