Hi, I have a Pom who is roughly 10 years old. He started coughing about 6 months ago and at first we thought it was due to his trachea because he has that issue too. After a while, we noticed it was a different sound. Took him to the vet and they told us he has a significant heart murmur and his heart is rather enlarged. They gave us 3 medications and suggested we see a cardiologist. That is not something we can afford right now. We started him on the pills and at first it did seem to work ok but now he's coughing again and it seems to be even more. I don't know what to do, I don't know if he's in pain. It keeps us up at night. We are concerned but even the vet said taking him to a cardiologist would mainly be giving tests and confirming what they already know. His energy, attitude, diet and everything is so good still so it's hard to believe he's even sick. It's sad because when we come home he's always so excited but that makes him cough, basically everything does at this point. Anyone go thru anything like this? Any suggestions?
Sorry to hear that your Pom is having these problems. They have a reputation for being long lived, so ten is quite young to have these problems. Did the vet give you a grade for the murmur? I presume that he is a normal weight for his breed, as additional weight will make a big difference to the way he copes. His medication dosage may need to be adjusted slightly, so it is worth a follow-up visit with your vet. Is he on Vetmedin?
I went through this with my last Pomeranian, Boomer. He had both a collapsed trachea and congestive heart failure. I tried all the meds the vet could give and when it got to the point where he was coughing so much that he couldn't sleep nor could we, we made the decision to have him put down. Just imagine that you are trying to breathe underwater and that is what your dog is going through. If he is being kept up at night with this as well.....I just had to put myself in my dog's shoes and think how terrified he must be and see us knowing we could do nothing to help him except hold him through the long nights. Sometimes the dark night air was helpful but other times not. It finally got to the point where we had to say good-bye. It was the hardest day of my life but I know it was for him. All I tell people is that you will know in your heart when it is time to stop the suffering of your furry family member because it will not feel right but because it will feel like the ONLY thing you can do. So sorry, Taylor
My little girl Bailey had the exact same thing. Had to put her down in March..she would've turned 13 on October 13th.
I have a 6 month old Pom and he has started to honk/cough the last 2 days, Only does it once a day but still... could a little puppy already have this condition? Im taking him to vet tomorrow
I would say that it is very unlikely. There are other conditions that might cause coughing though, you are doing the right thing by letting your vet diagnose the cause.
Please do not follow the advice of anyone putting their dog down because they were coughing al night. These people shouldn’t have dogs. My Pomeranian was diagnosed with an aggressive heart murmur at the age of 9. It is IMPORTANT to see a cardiologist 1-twice a year to have tests done. The medication you were given can prolong your dogs life for many many years with a good quality of life. Unfortunately the heart medications will also eventually negatively affect the kidneys. This is why it is absolutely vital that you regularly take your dog to check ups with their cardiologist. Adjusting the medication is necessary but needs to be done properly under a cardiologists orders. My dog lived until she was 16. A cough is not suffering. Please understand this. It might sound annoying but until you get to the point in which they are truly suffering, you will understand and know the difference. We had to put our baby girl down but we knew it was the right time. If you can’t afford to see a cardiologist, please apply for care credit or even start a go fund me account. I’d be happy as I’m sure many others would to donate as well.
