Cough & Cold Respiratory Distress Put To Rest

One thing which both pet parents, as well as our pets, dread is the flu season; sneezing, coughing, and of course, having respiratory distress. Have you ever wondered why exactly we get sick? What exactly causes coughing? Coughing and sneezing are very natural mechanisms to get the irritant out of our respiratory system, but sometimes the coughing and sneezing mechanisms are intertwined with the mechanism of our body to help get rid of pathogens!
Also, not every cough is related to the flu as there are many other reasons too.
Do not worry. Through this blog, let’s have a look at what goes behind the scenes- why my pet has a cough & cold and what we can do to help our pets.

What Is Coughing?

A cough, also medically termed as ‘tussis’, is a voluntary or involuntary act that clears the throat and respiratory or the breathing passage of foreign agents such as microbes, pollutants, irritants, fluids, and mucus. It is a rapid expulsion of air from the lungs as a reflex action or deliberate action.

Coughing & Its Importance

There are minute intricate systems that work hand in hand to help our bodies stay fit and fine. One such system is the physical barriers such as cilia/ hair/ etc, which are present on the mucous membrane of the nose, which helps prevent the pathogen from entering the body. On irritation of these, there is a reflex sneeze that expels the pathogen out. However, this is just a tiny example of what our body is capable of doing! Let’s now understand what coughing is and its importance.

DefenseMechanism

Cough helps and aids the body to get rid of pathogens [which causes diseases] by providing protection and also aids in clearing the airway [trachea-bronchial tree]

1. Fight against Pathogen

The coughing mechanism of our body is helpful in hinting at a probable infection. As the infection rises, there is more cough and cold as the body tries to compensate and fight against the micro-organism. On the flip side, as the infection falls, or as the immunity builds, the cough and cold levels start dropping down, which again helps us to realize that the infection has been cured or minimized to a greater extent.

2. Coughing can transmit Pathogens.

Coughing and sneezing, although normal, have the capability to transmit bacteria, and viruses [that is, if the root cause of coughing is indeed a disease-causing pathogen]. Although, normal sneeze and cough due to allergens [dust, dander, allergy-causing items] may not particularly pose a threat of transmitting any bacteria/viruses.
For example: If a Dog or a puppy has Kennel Cough disease. One of the most common culprits for kennel cough is a bacterium called Bordetella bronchiseptica, although the coughing could be triggered due to viruses as well, such as Canine Adenovirus, Influenza Virus, and Parainfluenza Viruses.

If a healthy dog comes in contact with a coughing dog that has been diagnosed with kennel cough, it’s pretty obvious that the healthy dog might get an infection. It’s important to note that to prevent this from happening, always routinely vaccinate your dogs against such viruses so that immunity builds up and your dog has fewer chances of falling seriously ill.

Tip – A persistent cough during the evening or night hours indicates heart problems [Serious and life-threatening conditions such as pulmonary embolism or Congestive heart Failure] so it’s best to get your pet diagnosed at the earliest for any doubts about the cause of coughing/wheezing.

What Signs Should I Look Out For?

Coughing could be because of the influenza virus causing normal seasonal flu to life-threatening conditions such as CHF or Allergic reaction. It’s best to get your pet diagnosed at the earliest to avoid any future obstacles in the recovery phase.

Keep an eye on –

A. Type of Cough: Dry Cough [without sputum or mucus being expectorated/ coming out from throat or Productive Cough [with sputum/ mucus accompanying coughing]

Dry cough- could be because of asthma or allergy. Other causative factors involve viral respiratory infections. In kennel cough, particularly, there is a honking type of coughing.
Productive cough – it could be because of respiratory infections, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, etc.

B. The period of coughing. I.e., whether the cough lasts for a few hours or more than a few days or worsens as time passes by.

Acute Cough: If the cough lasts only for a few hours and subsides, then it’s an acute cough
Chronic Cough: If it lasts for more than a few weeks, it may be a chronic cough due to some health issues.

Generally, allergens cause short-term coughs. Even some mild respiratory infections last for a few days. Prolonged coughing needs to be diagnosed thoroughly as the causative factor could be the heart itself. Thus proper medical help should be sought out at the earliest to rule out or rule in cardiac complications and cardiac diseases.

C. Behavioral Aspects- If your pet is depressed or seems extra tired if they have Anorexia – i.e., they won’t eat.

D. Rise in temperature – Keep an eye on whether they have a fever. This could be easily attributed to infectious disease progression.

Diagnosis: Finding The Root Cause.

The Diagnosis is generally based on the type of cough, its consistency of it, and the time period your veterinarian will diagnose your pet on the basis of some tests

BLOOD PANEL

Your Vet may suggest a routine blood checkup to rule out or rule in Infections. A complete blood count test (CBC) gives a clear picture of the blood cells and whether there’s an infection going on in the body.

X-RAY

X-Ray is an extremely handy diagnostic tool as it can check the lung patterns and even the heart for any lesion which may cause coughing in your pets.

History

Based on the history of signs and symptoms that your pet may be exhibiting, a good diagnosis can be made. Diagnosis is based partly on history as well! Hence it’s essential that you give a proper and complete history of the signs that your pet exhibits.

Ie. If with coughing you notice any other signs and symptoms and if there are any other concerns, which you may have, they should be promptly expressed to your Vet.

Respiratory Distress Put To Rest: Treatment Protocols

Treatment is based on diagnosing. Thus Diagnosis is key. If your pet has coughing due to Respiratory causes, your Vet may suggest antibiotics, fluids, and other such medicines for your pet.

In cases of other reasons such as allergies, the coughing generally subsides when the causative irritant is removed (like pollen/cigarette or vehicle smoke, etc.)

On the other hand, for coughing caused due to heart problems, the treatment protocol is totally different and focuses primarily on resolving the heart disease to subsequently resolve the coughing problem.

HOMEOPATHIC SOLUTION FOR COUGH & COLD IN PETS

WHEEZ-GO FOR COUGH AND COLD ISSUES

All Pets will naturally cough from time to time. A persistent cough however can be a symptom of a more serious underlying illness or medical condition. Pets are social creatures that naturally sniff and slurp. This is why bacteria and viruses –including a canine form of the flu — quickly spread from dog to dog. Germs also can land on Doors, furniture, food bowls, toys, and other surfaces where the next dog to come along picks them up. The discomfort of the dog and the helplessness of the pet owners can be addressed with WHEEZ-GO for PET, a Homeopathic Veterinary Medicine to treat Cough & Flu-related symptoms for any reason.

ME & MY COUGH & COLD HOMEOPATHIC SUPPLEMENT

Me & My COUGH & COLD Pet Supplement is very useful for pets that show symptoms of catarrhal cough, cold, headache, sneezing with a running nose, inflammation of the mucous membrane, pain in the chest, and bronchitis with or without rattling sound.

Dermisule homeopathic remedy for skin infection in dogs and cats

DERMISULE For All Kinds of Skin Issues

DERMISULE for pets is the best remedy for dogs suffering from different skin conditions like eczema, allergies, rashes, lesions with hair loss, redness, dry, scaly, pus, or bloody discharge. Specific or general lesions or spots as in Mange disease can also be improved.

ME & MY IMMUNITY, IMMUNITY BOOSTER SUPPLEMENT

Me & My IMMUNITY Pet Supplement is a unique formula of valuable supplements for Dogs & Cats that help in maintaining and raising the IMMUNITY of your lovable pets. It is made for weak and old pets as it improves immunity, helps better utilization of food, and allay minor ailments or complaints of a non-specific nature. It also gives strength to the body’s mechanism for fighting against germs of all kinds.

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Cough and cold in pets – Goelvet Pharma Official
May 18, 2022

[…] The pets look good when they are running in the house but the worry increases when they are in the flu season; sneezing, coughing, and of course, having respiratory distress. Coughing and sneezing are very natural mechanisms to get the irritant out of our respiratory system, but sometimes the coughing and sneezing mechanisms are intertwined with the mechanism of our body to help get rid of pathogens! Let’s know about the respiratory distress in pets. […]

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