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COMMON CAUSES OF COUGHING IN DOGS AND CATS

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  

This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Coughing is a common presenting problem in cats and dogs, and there are many causes that should be included in a differential diagnosis list

Coughing is a reflex response to chemical or pressure stimulation and must by differentiated from vomiting, regurgitation and pharyngeal retching.

Here are some of the most common causes of coughing in cats and dogs :

  • Abscesses - pulmonary or extrapulmonary
  • Achalasia (megaoesophagus) - due to food inhalation
  • Airway obstruction
    • Collapsed trachea
    • Foreign material (non-food)
    • Food inhalation
    • Laryngeal paralysis - especially in old dogs (eg labradors)
    • Tracheal compression
    • Tracheal hypoplasia
    • Tracheal stenosis
  • Allergy - feline asthma syndrome
  • Bronchiectasis
  • Bronchopneumonia
    • Infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, toxoplasmosis)
    • Food inhalation - megaoesophagus, laryngeal paralysis, vascular ring anomalies (eg persistent right aortic arch)
  • Foreign bodies
    • Pharyngeal
    • Oesophageal
    • Tracheal
    • Bronchial
  • Granuloma
    • Pulmonary
    • Extrapulmonary
  • Haemorrhage
    • Trauma
    • Neoplasia
    • Clotting defects (eg warfarin poisoning)
  • Heart failure:
    • enlargement of left atrium in dogs with endocardiosis
    • gross cardiomegaly
    • secondary pulmonary oedema
  • Infections 
    • Mediastinum - nocardiosis
    • Upper airway infections (mycoplasma, bacteria, viruses)
    • Pneumonia (bacteria, viruses,
  • Inflammation
    • Tonsils
    • Pharynx
    • Trachea
    • Bronchi - chronic bronchitis
  • Lymphadenopathy
    • Head
    • Neck
  • Neoplasia
    • Mediastinum
    • Tonsils
    • Pharynx
    • Pulmonary - bronchial
    • Extrapulmonary
    • Trachea
  • Parasites
    • Heartworm - in endemic and adjacent areas or imported animals from endemic areas
    • Tracheal parasites Filaroides osleri (Oslerus osleri)
    • Lungworm
  • Pulmonary oedema (none cardiogenic causes)
    • Electrocution
    • Toxins - eg ANTU, organophosphates, paraquat
    • Head injuries
    • Post-ictal period
    • Smoke inhalation
  • Tracheitis and tracheobronchitis - especially kennel cough in dogs

 

Updated January 2016