Letters from readers:

No solution yet for chronic cough

Hello,
I found your website by search engine tonight and hope you might be able to find an answer to my problem.

My little Maltese, Timothy, has suffered with raspy, wheezy coughs since last May (three months). He's been to two vets and had several examinations and medications. The coughing (sometimes chronic for 14 hours) keeps coming back.

He's 10 years old, has always had periodic bouts of heavy panting, but mainly when hot or tired, not alarmingly. X-rays show his heart is slightly large, but no tracheal collapse, no abnormal signs (other than the heart size).

Vet No.1 diagnosed bronchial infection/irritation and/or possible heart disease, put Timothy on Lasix and cough pills and has seen him at least three more times for the problem. The meds brought on excessive thirst and the coughing never completely disappeared.

Vet No. 2 (my old vet in a different state while visiting family), diagnosed slight sore throat, bacterial infection and/or possible foreign irritation lodged in/around trachea (such as hair), slight fever, (physical exam only) and gave Timothy a cortisone shot and lincocin pills. He said there was no heart murmur (I asked if Lasix might be hiding such and the answer was no).

Timothy seemed to do remarkably well in the past four weeks since coming home from Vet No. 2. About four days after that visit, Timothy coughed up a big glob of mucus that looked like clear rubber. He didn't cough more than three short times in these four weeks, but today, the tight wheezy cough has returned. He's done it three times in the past four hours. It sounds like it's trying to accelerate again. He has one more Lincocin to take.

I'm at my wits' end. So sorry for the long post, but wanted it to be as clear as possible. I live in the country and there are a lot of weeds, etc, in the fields. I've heard that dogs can have allergies but they show up in skin rashes, not respiratory problems such as they do in cats.

Is it possible that some dogs DO have allergies that bring on coughing spasms? I'm so beside myself for the comfort of this little dog. He's a good little boy and thinks he's still a puppy. He doesn't understand why when he jumps up to play he has to stop because he has to cough and it depresses him. It's like he feels he's being punished for wanting to be happy.

I live on a pension and so afraid that if lots of tests are in the future I won't be able to afford it and will have to let my best little friend be put down. If there is a herbal remedy you know of that can relieve Timothy of this problem, I would be willing to use it. Please can you help? - Jan

Hello Jan,
Sorry to take so long in answering - my web mail can sometimes be left a week or two when I have been otherwise occupied. First, please understand I am not a vet but just try to help people such as yourself with hopefully logical advice. On first reading your letter I suspected that your wee dog had a heart murmur. Obviously your first vet also suspected that but wasn't sure with the cough mixture for the cough and the Lasix in case of heart murmur. I am picking that your little dog is a bit overweight - Lasix is furosemide, which is a diuretic used to reduce the liquid build-up in the tissues of dogs (or people) with heart valve disease (enlarged heart). The advice for people on Lasix is:

• Do not use Lasix if you are unable to urinate
• Tell your doctor if you have kidney disease, liver disease, gout, lupus, diabetes, or an allergy to sulphur drugs before taking this drug
• To be sure Lasix is not causing harmful effects, your blood will need to be tested on a regular basis.
• Kidney or liver function may also need to be tested.
• Lasix will make you urinate more often and you may get dehydrated easily. Use potassium supplements to get enough salt and potassium.

Of course, the same would apply to dogs on Lasix. If your little dog is not overweight I don't know why the vet would have put him on Lasix as he wouldn't have been showing signs of fluid retention. This is just something you should talk over with that vet.

However, as vet No. 2 said there was no heart murmur I think that is a sign that either you have nothing to worry about or there is only a very slight murmur. But I would still start him on hawthorn supplements daily just to keep the heart healthy.

It does sound more as if there is either something causing the mucus such as a foreign body in his digestive system somewhere (perhaps a small bone or something sharp that he has picked up outside) or it could be an allergy. I know what it is like to have limited funds and a very loved little boy who is unwell. The Lincocin is an antibiotic that has a reputation of causing a little diarrhoea and therefore thirst, so if the wee fellow was taking both Lasix and Lincocin he would have a massive thirst I would think and could easily dehydrate. I would try with the second vet to work out whether the problem is a foreign body as that would be the important one - make sure that you give all the details about the big lump of mucus and the immediate relief and now the return of the problem. It does sound as if the mucus build-up was from some foreign body that is still causing some irritation and infection. The antibiotics would clean up the infection but without the removal of the object the infection would return.

And whether or not it is an allergy I would get him on natural food and get rid of the commercial preparations. Dogs are omnivores not carnivores and need a variety of food. A big raw meaty beef bone about once a week will keep his teeth clean and give him hours of pleasure. But they also eat grasses and herbs and fruit and vegetables. A raw carrot to chew on or a piece of apple or other fruit is a good snack, or fill his kong toy with plain cottage cheese, pieces of tinned fish (not the kind preserved in brine or flavours, just water or oil), grated pumpkin, brown rice or frozen mixed vegetables. For his evening meal stay away from anything called dog food - a huge percent of it is just trash that you don't want to know about.

The few good natural foods on the market are hugely expensive, so it is best to give your little guy home cooked meals. Organic chicken mince (or other organic meat minces) or gravy beef is a good start, and you can cook up a large pot full with vegetables and thicken it with a few unrefined porridge oat flakes or a handful of unpolished rice (all non-GM of course). Add some oil to the cooled stew - omega 3 and 6 if possible, or virgin olive oil or coconut oil. The coconut is very good. Such a mixture keeps well in the fridge or freezer and can be stored as daily portions.

The most likely causes of allergies in both people and dogs are: gluten grains like wheat, barley, rye, oats etc, dairy products, soy and corn. And of course all the stuff that is heaved into commercial dog foods such as preservatives, flavour enhancers, colourings, bleach, rancid oil, diseased carcases and various chemicals used to euthanise the diseased carcases.

I hope this helps the wee guy to get back his health - there is such a huge gap in your life when you lose a little dog so hopefully he will soon be fit and healthy again. – Ed