If you’ve ever heard your dog hacking like they swallowed a kazoo or your cat making that infamous hurk-hurk-hurk noise, you know how concerning (and sometimes confusing) pet coughing can be. Is it just a tickle in the throat—or something more serious? Let’s break it down.
Pets Cough Too—But Not Always for the Same Reasons We Do
When we cough, it’s often from a cold or allergies. But in pets, coughing can mean a whole variety of things:
🐶 In Dogs
- Kennel cough: That harsh, honking cough after boarding or playdates.
- Heart disease: Especially in older pups, fluid buildup around the lungs can trigger coughing.
- Allergies/asthma-like irritation: Dust, smoke, or pollen can tickle their airways.
- Laryngeal Paralysis: Often accompanied with noisy breathing
- Something stuck: Dogs love to chew on things that can potentially get stuck
🐱 In Cats
- Hairballs: The classic culprit, but not the only reason cat’s cough.
- Asthma: Cats can develop airway inflammation that sounds like a wheezy cough.
- Respiratory infections: Sneezing + coughing + watery eyes = time to see the vet.
- Heart disease: Just like dogs, coughing can be linked to the heart.
- Something swallowed: Cats love to swallow things that irritate their throat
Let’s Relate: Think about the last time you had a tickle in your throat at a quiet meeting—you had to cough, right? Now imagine being a dog who just inhaled a piece of grass or a cat whose lungs are irritated by dust. That urge to cough is just as strong, but unlike us, they can’t explain what’s wrong, and they can’t hold it in.
Your cat hacking up a “fake hairball” that never appears? That could be asthma. Your dog sounding like a goose at 2 a.m.? That might be kennel cough. It’s their way of saying, “Hey, something’s not right in here!”
When to Worry 🚨
Call us immediately if your pet’s cough is:
- Frequent or worsening
- Accompanied by trouble breathing, blue gums, or lethargy
- Happening after exercise or excitement
- Paired with loss of appetite, weight loss, or vomiting
A one-time cough after drinking water? Probably nothing to panic about. But repeated or persistent coughing always deserves attention.
Bottom Line ❤️
Coughing in pets is more than just an odd noise—it’s a signal. Sometimes it’s harmless, sometimes it’s serious, but it’s always worth paying attention to.
Because whether it’s a honking Labrador or a wheezy tabby, catching the cause early can mean more tail wags, more purrs, more sleep and a lot more peace of mind for you.
