Dog coughing

[sandymere 8,261]

From back along.

Exercise induced bronchial-spasm. (A layman’s perspective)

 

Its not uncommon to come across questions and references to canine athletes presenting with laryngeal /bronchial symptoms post exercise, often presenting as coughing soon after or the day following high intensity exercise. My first experiences of this go back some 20 years to when I trained greyhounds under permit to Henlow Stadium, I noted that dogs had a tendency to cough for a day or two following racing/trailing after having a lay off. I’ve also come across similar in coursing dogs and working lurchers when they have had a particularly hard run and as it seemed to settle once the animal was at full fitness I’d put it down to lack of condition, the diagnosis seemed to fit as the episodes reduced as the animal gained racing condition without the need for further intervention.

 

Later in life I became a ************working in ************** with an interest in respiratory conditions. One lunch break whilst reading posts on a greyhound forum I saw a question referring to a dog coughing the morning after a race. The advice offered was all about kennel cough, with a variety of suggested treatments varying from antibiotics to garlic. Taking into account the time span of evening racing and a symptomatic cough the next morning it would be unusual for a viral or bacterial infection to show so quickly. It brought back memories of my racing days and what I’ d called an unfit cough, now as a ********* I had the facilities and knowledge to allow me to look for a proper cause and diagnosis as an alternative to kennel cough and so this is what I set out to do.

 

I searched veterinary journals and web sites but found little in the way of answer so I began to look at medical and nursing journals for similar symtomology. Exercise Induced Bronchial-spasm, (EIB), this is often termed exercise induced asthma, had obvious correlation and seemed the nearest reasonable diagnosis. EIB is often a diagnosis by exclusion rather than anything else; sufferers often don’t have compromised peak flow in normal circumstance and no underlying diagnosis of asthma. It can be a problem even in Olympic athletes presenting as chest tightness, dizziness and commonly a post exercise cough. The exact causes are not really known but a suggested area is hyperinflation and drying of the lungs causing inflammation and a resultant increased mucosal production. The increased mucus is then coughed up for a period until the lungs recover. The symptoms seem to reduce on increasing fitness so the correlation seemed to make sense. Once the human or dog is fit it will be able to work at a lower level of lung capacity and so have a lower level of the drying stimuli and symptoms will subside.

 

There are treatments used for human athletes that include inhalers and anti mucosal medications but if increased fitness is a viable treatment in dogs I would question the need of pharmaceutical intervention. I’m sure in some human athletes there is an underlying aspect of asthma and then the drugs will have a major effect but feel that this is less likely to be the case in canine athletes. So back to the original question rather than jumping straight into kennel cough treatments for a cough the morning we after a hard run we should consider EIB as an alternative. Perhaps what is required is a look at our pre event preparation and take on the advice given to humans with this type of condition, warm up well, cool down well, maintain condition to a reasonable degree and build up appropriate fitness after a lay off.

 

[jackthelad 1,855]

iv had this in the dog iv got here after an injury whilst getting him back fit twice hes had unexpexted runs and twice the next morning hes had a cough think only lasted a few days and never heard him cough when hes been in good condition

[Moocher71 4,044]

5 hours ago, my hounds said:

To treat lungworm(not saying in this case though)a course of Milbemax should clear it up

Milbemax only treats some strains of lungworm ,my dogs get milbemax every 3 months from pup plus drontal ,and flea treatment .but my whippet x got lung worm and 3 different vet practices said kennel cough and ruled out lungworm .

i sent a sample to worm count and it came back fox lung worm .he was on treatment for ten weeks and at times I felt I was loosing him it got that bad .i really don't trust the vets round my way ,6 times they said kc and alls it took was a poop sample ,I didn't no about worm count as i would have done it weeks befor I did ,he had to have ct scan and camera couple weeks ago at specialist vets and all come back clear but he as lots mucus in his throat left by worm ,we are waiting on lab results still to find out how to treat him but at least worms are gone ,he now as milbemax every month.fingers crossed he b ok now and he will b able to spend his days hunting along headge rows again ,once given all clear .

specialist wanted to no if he'd been taken out uk as there's strains lungworm in Spain etc  they can not treat .but he never been abroad .

atb

mooch

 

 

 

[Black neck 15,162]

32 minutes ago, Moocher71 said:

Milbemax only treats some strains of lungworm ,my dogs get milbemax every 3 months from pup plus drontal ,and flea treatment .but my whippet x got lung worm and 3 different vet practices said kennel cough and ruled out lungworm .

i sent a sample to worm count and it came back fox lung worm .he was on treatment for ten weeks and at times I felt I was loosing him it got that bad .i really don't trust the vets round my way ,6 times they said kc and alls it took was a poop sample ,I didn't no about worm count as i would have done it weeks befor I did ,he had to have ct scan and camera couple weeks ago at specialist vets and all come back clear but he as lots mucus in his throat left by worm ,we are waiting on lab results still to find out how to treat him but at least worms are gone ,he now as milbemax every month.fingers crossed he b ok now and he will b able to spend his days hunting along headge rows again ,once given all clear .

specialist wanted to no if he'd been taken out uk as there's strains lungworm in Spain etc  they can not treat .but he never been abroad .

atb

mooch

 

 

 

Sounds expensive 

[Moocher71 4,044]

27 minutes ago, Black neck said:

Sounds expensive 

It cost around 6 hundred the times they kept saying kennel cough and a lung wash that came back clear .

the ct  scan and camera along with samples taken cost 1700

we really thought it was a seed on his lung and I spoke many times with good lurcher /terrier folk over this and even they said a seed maybe or cancer but he in to good condition for cancer on lung .at times he looked like he going to die and it's a horrible thing to watch your dog go through as we had no idea what was wrong for some time ,I'm not a vet and I'm happy to staple cuts etc but when you have no idea and vets are telling us it's kc and it pass I'm sad to say I listened to them as we went to 3 practices in town ,never go to town vets again ,I would rather pay more and know my juckel in good hands ,

few times I thout about taken our last walk ! As I wasn't happy seeing him so bad .he bred to run and he just not happy seeing me go out leaving him behind .hopfuly he won't have any long lasting probs because of it  and he be able to go ferreting again once a bit fitter .

atb 

mooch