Excited dog starts hacking

Your heart swells with pride as your take in his accelerated gait. Then he hacks up a lung as soon as he stops. There are several reasons why your pooch could be hacking. Other times, it could be part of a condition that is built around persistent hacking.

The most famous of these particular conditions is tracheobronchitis, more commonly referred to as kennel cough. Various viral infections such as exposure to certain fungi could also be the root of the issue.

In some cases, a cough could be symptomatic of more serious illnesses. Some of these conditions can be prevented through vaccinations such as distemper. Other ailments such as heart disease or cancer require significantly more care than a mere annual shot. From a purely technical standpoint, your dog will not develop a coughing condition from exercising. However, his daily walk or romping session may work to exacerbate any hacking-related issues that may otherwise crop up.

The reason for this is physiological in nature. When a dog gets excited or otherwise worked up — something that running or other forms of exercise are bound to do — his bodily functions are naturally going to accelerate.

Naturally, one of these conditions is breathing. If your pooch merely has something in his throat — say, he happened to inhale a bit of dust or something during his run — he will be more likely to hack just because the reaction to do so will be naturally accelerated.

If he has a condition like kennel cough or chronic bronchitis , the persistence of the cough could also increase. After a certain period, when the body has had a chance to decelerate, you should see the instances of coughing dissipate to a normal pace.

This is because your pooch's body will have adjusted to its functions on a normally regulated basis. If your pooch merely picked up something in his throat during exercise, the coughing will probably completely cease.

The fact that exercise will exacerbate a cough begs a rather important question if your dog suffers from a condition where persistent coughing is afoot. If putting your dog on a leash and going for a stroll is part of your daily routine, you should keep it on the schedule.

With that being said, you should restrict your dog from doing anything beyond the basics. Any vigorous activity is going to increase the chances of coughing to occur. If your pooch happens to have kennel cough, for example, over-exertion is going to cause the problem to linger longer. While this may not sound too difficult, it can be somewhat of a tough task depending on the dog. Some breeds thrive on activity due to instinct, such as a border collie or dogs found in working or herding classes.

In these cases, they may be practically begging you for physically stimulating activity. Their desire to get back at it makes a lot of sense if you look at their situation from your own experience. After all, there is work to do, bills to pay, and obligations to meet, right?

While an inherently active dog doesn't share your financial or social obligations, he does share your spirit to have as little downtime as possible. Treatment for tracheal collapse includes weight loss as well as medicines including cough suppressants, bronchodilators, steroids and antibiotics. In severe cases, your dog's vet may recommend surgery. Depending on where you live, heartworm disease may be a more or less likely cause of coughing in dogs. While heartworms are more prevalent in warmer areas, such as Florida and California, the risk of heartworm disease exists anywhere there are mosquitoes transmitting the disease.

Dogs with heartworm disease may have a cough or they may exhibit no signs at all — it depends on the dog's size, how many worms they're harboring and the dog's overall health. If your dog does show signs of the disease, they may have a mild, persistent cough; low energy; weight loss and reduced appetite. A severe heartworm infestation could result in signs of heart failure, including a swollen abdomen from fluid buildup.

Dogs, like humans, are subject to contracting the flu, known in dogs as canine influenza. The cough exists as the result of the respiratory infection that can last anywhere from ten to thirty days.

Your dog will likely be prescribed medicine as a course of treatment. If you have other pets in the home, it is best to quarantine your sick dog to their own area of the home, as canine influenza is contagious between animals — but lucky for you, it cannot be transmitted to or from humans.

The best thing you can do for a coughing dog is to bring them to the vet. Many causes of coughing in dogs are completely treatable, but they need to be properly diagnosed in order to be treated. When you bring your pup in to see their vet, be sure to describe their cough in detail and to tell the vet about any other signs your dog has had such as coughing blood, mucus, white foam, etc. With the right care from your veterinarian, your dog will be back to howling and barking in no time.

Wooten divides her professional time between small animal practice in Greeley, Colorado, public speaking on associate issues, leadership, and client communication, and writing.

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