Anyone elses' dog UGY FAKE COUGH FOR ATTENTION??? GETTING TIRED OF HIM

[tricky1]

UPDATE 8/18/23: Took Gunner to the vet today, vet caught a heart murmur, did a scan (2 views) and has enlarged heart. I didn't get much info on a detailed diagnosis but I think it's a B2 MMVD. He's on 2.5mg BID Vetmedin (pimobendan) and 1 tablet of antibiotic doxycycline for the likely/suspected kennel cough. Hard to say from an x-ray about possible tracheal collapse but they were clear in the x-ray scan. I had suspected a "heart cough", also what my boyfriend's dad had said a few years back. Glad my boyfriend took the initiative and took him to the vet. Bill came out to about $440. He just got paid today and got a raise recently. The heart med is about $89/mo if that is going to save his life and prolong it

BREED: Mini American Shepherd pretty sure from a BYB

COUGH CHARACTERISTICS: wet/moist 3 coughs finished with prolonged hacking sound (rarely anything comes out I may have seen clear mucous on the ground)

DURATION: OVER 2 YEARS NOW

I live in Eastern WA so it's drier and this dog grew up on the west side for 6 years. He still experienced the cough but not as bad and I wonder if it has to do with me moving in with my boyfriend who he seems so attached to

Will upload a recording eventually but he does it every time in the morning between the hours of 3 AM to the time we get up and it gets worse (more coughs within a 15-minute period) as he gets excited and runs to go potty. We give a him a routine and everything, I feel like he has underlying asthma/chronic seasonal allergies even though we give a 24-hour Zyrtec every day. His energy levels seem fine and he definitely a "velcro dog" to my boyfriend who got him at 12 weeks. He is now 8 Y/O (fixed) and has alot of other behavioral issues (separation anxiety - destructive/chewing when we leave the home uncrated which we stopped doing, lip curling/growling/snapping at strangers if they get too close to his bubble on leash, pulling on leash, excessive jumping on furniture and my boyfriend but not me, We play and walk him fast I feel we are giving him enough attention and potty breaks. I am hiding in the bedroom as I type this post

 

[houstonreborn]

@tricky1 Have you been to the vet about this in the last 2 years? A hacking cough could be a collapsed trachea, but can also be caused by an enlarged heart, often linked with DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) - get in to the vet and get this checked out!

 

[tricky1]

@houstonreborn Yeah we did like in January but vet said “it’s just old man cough” and suggested Zyrtec which was helping for a bit but this past weekend his cough has persisted, more frequent, more loud, like every single hour

 

[houstonreborn]

@tricky1 Hmm. That seems like something you might want a second opinion on it it’s gotten more frequent and more loud. Never hurts!

 

[veejean]

@tricky1 I get the fake yawn with the side eye. You know, the super opened mouthed one with the high pitched sigh. Usually at 3 mins past 7, god forbid if I’m 3 minutes late to feed her.

 

[tricky1]

@veejean I get that too. But it’s a mix of coughing attention seeking behavior and coughing from laying too long (fluid buildup in the lungs possibly)

 

[veejean]

@tricky1 Are you sure it’s fake? I’ve never seen that one before.

 

[tricky1]

@veejean I don’t think it’s fake maybe 20% of the time he does it to ask us to take him out

 

[veejean]

@tricky1 As for the behavioural issues, these can be trained out over a few months, but you have to be precise and consistent, both of you. It sounds like he isa good dog, just needs to know his social standing.

 

[tricky1]

@veejean Thank you I agree. Boyfriend is lazy

 

[veejean]

@tricky1 Train the boyfriend also

 

[tricky1]

@veejean Mission initiated

 

[veejean]

@tricky1 Godspeed.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@tricky1 Haha, my elderly neighbor’s elderly Chihuahua used to do this constantly. When my neighbor broke her hip and was hospitalized, I kept this little dog at my house for three weeks. I have four dogs, so she had to settle into a routine. She didn’t cough at all for the entire three weeks, lol.