Urgent
Coughing in Dogs and Cats
Coughing is never normal. It can signal infection, heart disease, lung disease, or a foreign body.
Urgent care if there is blood, laboured breathing, or blue tongue.
Coughing in Dogs and Cats
Coughing is never normal. It can signal infection, heart disease, lung disease, or a foreign body.
- •Kennel cough (infectious tracheobronchitis)
- •Heart failure
- •Feline asthma
- •Foreign body in airway
Possible causes
- •Kennel cough (infectious tracheobronchitis)
- •Heart failure
- •Feline asthma
- •Foreign body in airway
- •Pneumonia
What to do at home
- Reduce activity, switch to a harness
- Humidify the air
- Record a video of the cough for the vet
- Do not use human cough syrup
When to call the vet
- →Foamy or bloody sputum
- →Laboured breathing, open-mouth breathing in cats (always critical)
- →Blue or pale gums
- →Cough lasts more than 5–7 days
FAQ
What is kennel cough?
Contagious tracheobronchitis in dogs, common after kennels, shows or boarding. Treated with antibiotics.