If you hear that your dog is coughing, then most likely first of all think about what it's gotten cold ... Or choked with some bone ... Or ... Often, every owner in his head begins to sort out all sorts of thoughts, draws an analogy between the animal and himself. However, this should not be done in all situations. After all, in all mammals, cough as a physiological act is similar, but the reasons for its occurrence in both dogs and humans have a great difference.
Who is this cough?
Dog cough is a reflex, forced, jerky, sonorous, involuntary exhalation. It creates a cough center, which is located in the medulla oblongata, where it receives certain signals of sensory receptors (sensors) along the vagus nerve. In dogs in the larynx, vocal cords and in the areas of the division of the bronchi and trachea, there are the most cough sensors. The places in which such sensors accumulate are called cough reflexogenic zones.
First of all, you must remember that a cough is a protective reflex that arises in the body of pets as a result of chemical or mechanical irritation of sensitive cough zones. There are a number of diseases, in which cough excretes pus, foreign particles, mucus from the airway pathway, thanks to which recovery comes.
But it is worth knowing the features of the cough zones, which are located in the bronchi and the trachea - they respond equally to the irritation that occurs both from the side of the lumen and from the outside. Therefore, it can be hard to say that coughing is a symptom not only of respiratory disease, but of the tissues and organs that are located near them. This is why a cough can appear in an animal for very many reasons. And not in all cases it is useful for the dog.
Now we will consider only the most common types of cough: cardiac and respiratory.
I cough differently
Cough can be very different both in duration and in strength.
Veterinarians have painted the cache according to the characteristics:
- Duration - chronic (several months, years) or acute (several days, several weeks);
- Strength - from mild coughing to debilitating and occasional coughing (possibly even with vomiting);
- Allocations during coughing - moist with bloody mucus, pus, mucus or dry;
- Timbre - muffled or sonorous;
- The nature of manifestation - for example, cough can only be in the morning or only at certain times of the year.
You should carefully observe the cough of your animal, perhaps even you will be able to record on video how the dog does it. This will enable the doctor to make the correct diagnosis.
Coughing is a symptom!
Cough is always treated in connection with the disease that caused it.
Respiratory cough
Dogs can also become infected with various infections that are respiratory: lungs, trachea, nasopharynx, bronchi. In the beginning, such a disease is accompanied by a sonorous, intense, unproductive and dry cough (pus and sputum are not allocated). When viruses begin to act and destroy the organism, different harmful bacteria join this process, the cough is muffled and often accompanied by pus. Moreover, in this case the dogs begin to swarm, there is pus in the eyes and a cold. An animal's body temperature rises, and they feel very unwell. In other words, they have the same symptoms as people with influenza.
Undermine immunity in dogs can only severe viral infections (bacteria that contribute to the appearance of pus, and pus it is a combination of bacteria with the cells-killers of the immune system), and therefore, respiratory cough in a domestic animal happens much less often than we do. If to say differently, the chances of a cold in a dog is very small. Moreover, dogs do not smoke, which means they can not have a "smoker's cough" either!
Cardiac (cardiac) cough
There is such a cough as a result of a number of factors (for example, violations in the valve system) because of which the heart muscle acquires a larger volume, because the muscular wall thickens. The heart takes shape in the form of a ball and presses on the trachea, which is close to the knee. In this case, the cough zones that are located on the trachea can not understand that coughing is not necessary and signals the brain. Gradually, the intensity of the cough increases (as does the heart), its timbre is deaf, and it has no secretions. At the same time it seems that the pet is choking on something and just tries to throw this foreign body back.
How can we be sure that in this case the cause of the cough is cardiac pathology? You just need to watch the dog a few days. If the same cough as in the beginning appears all the time and intensity, and its frequency increases, then you need to contact the vet for a while.
As a rule, a heart cough is a chronic cough, because the cause of its appearance is hypertrophy - an increase in the heart, and it is very difficult to treat it. The doctor can only reduce the intensity of this symptom of the heart disease.
What do I need to understand when coughing?
Remember that a cough is a symptom of some disease, so to reduce its intensity, first you need to understand the reasons for its appearance. However, coughing can also be a protective reaction that will benefit and the animal will recover. In other words, it is not necessary at any opportunity to treat cough with antitussive drugs. When the dog heals the otosnovogo disease, the cough itself will disappear. Only here is the dry, excruciating cough, an exception that can cause attacks of suffocation and anxiety. In this case, such a cough can not help the animal and requires immediate attention to the doctor.
To cough up a cough or change its character you need to use medicines, which are now very many. They are divided into two groups (conditionally).
The first group is the means that affect the nonsharp center and block this reflex, regardless of the cause of its appearance. Such drugs can only appoint a doctor, while it should be used in the complex also therapy. This is due to the fact that basically they only mask the symptoms and do not eliminate the cause. In the end, you might think that the dog is cured, and the disease will progress. Moreover, such facilities are very strong, so if they are applied incorrectly, they can only do much harm.
The second group is an expectorant. Such drugs can not stop a symptom, but they increase the amount of mucus, dilute it, thereby facilitating a dry cough. Together with the mucus from the body go out pathogens diseases - microorganisms that are harmful. These remedies cure infectious cough, which happens in dogs much less often than in humans.
In pharmacies for people, you can buy many drugs that are intended for expectoration and against coughing. However, not many of them will suit your pet. In some cases, it is not allowed to use a dog at all!
Remember that a dog cough is always a symptom of a disease!