Kennel cough is highly contagious and causes inflammation of the windpipe and voice box. Other bacterial or viral disorders can inflame the tonsils, larynx or pharynx and cause the dog to retch and cough. Dogs can contract pneumonia and bronchitis if the allergic reaction affects the lungs.

Treatment

Dogs with kennel cough should be isolated due to it's contagious nature and your vet will be able to give you medications to cure it. Dogs often contract kennel cough if they are kennelled while you are on holiday because there are so many dogs together,  they may all catch it. Your vet will be able to inoculate the dog before you go on holiday to prevent him catching it. Cough suppressants make a dog more comfortable but they are not the cure, they just enable the illness to be cured with other medications while allowing the dog to breathe more easily. The vet has special forceps for removing foreign bodies.

Persistent coughing

If your dog coughs and gags in the night it could indicate a heart condition where fluid builds up in the lungs especially if the cough gets worse after exercise. A distressing cough that, after light exercise produces a coughing spasm, could mean a collapsed windpipe. Persistent coughs in older dogs, particularly if they are excited. could mean they are suffering from chronic bronchitis. Internal parasites can cause a light cough.

Treatment

Any sort of persistent cough can be serious and your vet should see the dog as soon as possible. A collapsed windpipe can be life threatening and surgery may be needed to insert a plastic windpipe, which can be done for younger dogs. Chronic bronchitis responds to suitable medication. The internal parasite, lungworm can sometimes cause internal damage to your dog and may require surgery.

Snoring

Any dog owner will know that dogs can snore. Those breeds with flattened faces have longer soft palates that hang down at the back of the throat and these palates interfere with the larynx and cause snoring. It can also happen if there is an allergic reaction which affects the palate or in the case of an older dog where the palate loses its elasticity with age.

Treatment

Dogs such as the Pekingese and Pug have more chance of potential heart and breathing problems for the future, so it is better to consult your vet for a proper consultation. He may surgically shorten the length of the soft palate. Allergic snoring is cured by medication.

Breathing abnormalities

Unusual or distressed breathing can be the sign of a possible life threatening condition. If the membrane covering the lungs is inflamed, the dog can cough up blood, pus and other fluids as well as having breathing difficulties and not wanting to exercise. Shallow breathing may mean there is an injury to the ribs that makes breathing painful. Rapid breathing may indicate lung, heart or kidney disease.

Voice changes

When the larynx is injured the dog's bark changes. The larynx swells if there is an allergic reaction, typically from bee or wasp stings. A condition called laryngeal paralysis can occur in older dogs especially Labradors, Retrievers and German Shepherds, changing a bark to a roar.

Treatment

Your vet can give the dog antihistamines to reduce allergic swellings. Laryngeal paralysis does not respond well to surgery. The other option, is another opening made into the windpipe in the neck, bypassing the blocked larynx, dramatically improving the dog's breathing.