Coughing and sneezing dog.

Dr. Marie replied:

There are a few things that could cause sneezing and congestion in a young dog like this. The most common are respiratory viruses.

The most common respiratory virus that we see is Kennel Cough. Your dog doesn't have to have been in a kennel to get it. It's spread quite easily through the air. Some dogs with kennel cough will be sicker than others. Some will be coughing non-stop and sound like there is something stuck in the throat. Others will just have a period cough and be stuffed up.

If this is kennel cough, then many dogs will get better on their own. It can take a few days to weeks to get better. I usually recommend a vet visit if you are seeing:
-a green discharge from the eyes or nose
-he is lethargic
-he doesn't want to eat
-the cough is annoying to either you or the dog

If this is kennel cough then your vet can prescribe a cough suppressant. Some dogs with kennel cough go on to get a secondary bacterial infection in which case we will prescribe antibiotics.

Another viral possibility is distemper. In my area, distemper is quite uncommon, but more and more areas are starting to see distemper now. If he has had regular puppy vaccines then he is likely vaccinated against distemper and it's very unlikely that he has this disease. Dogs with distemper tend to get really sick and often the disease is fatal. But again, this really doesn't sound like distemper.

There are other possibilities that are less likely such as lungworm or even roundworms. Even though roundworms are intestinal parasites they will go through a stage where they can affect the lungs. They shouldn't cause sneezing though.

A foreign object up the nose could do this as well...but would be less likely to cause coughing.

If he seems like he is happy and alert then it's likely ok to wait a day or two before going back to the vet. But if you see the above symptoms or if your gut is just telling you that something is wrong, then it's best to have your vet see him again.

Hope all is well!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Pneumonia is usually secondary to something else in dogs. So, if there was a respiratory virus (such as kennel cough) then it can get worse and worse and cause a secondary pneumonia. However, dogs with pneumonia are super sick and don't want to eat. So, no, this really doesn't sound like pneumonia at all!

Feel free to reply again, but just so you know I am heading offline now as it's bedtime for me. :)

I'll check in on your question in the morning.

Dr. Marie.