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excess mucus

My 8 year old pug is having gagging/coughing due to mucus in her throat.  She tries to cough it up but doesn't and has a hard time breathing when this happens,  I have been giving her a product "mucus-Clear"..but I;m not sure it is doing any good.  Its at its worse when she sleeps as it must gather and then she cant breath so must get up and try to cough it out.  I haven't  been able to find anything on line regarding thid specific problem.  Any suggestions would be appreciated ?? My vet says this is just a typical problem with pugs.  Sue in Portland
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Avatar universal
Wow! Your dog has the same symptoms as my 14 yr old silky terrier.  She too sneezes violently and mucus goes everywhere.  It started two years ago.  I had her sinus's "blown out" as I call it because they were packed.  Then had several teeth pulled in hopes of ending this.  Neither worked for longer than a couple weeks.  This winter has been hard as its been really cold and we do not have a whole house humidifier.  The mucus becomes very sticky and won't come out.  Then she is up and down all night.  I know she is uncomfortable.  She still eats well and still has  life left in her.  I am sad to think I will have to put her down because no one can figure it out.  It is strictly a respiratory problem - no skin or ear issues.  She eats dehydrated raw and no people food.  I have been to both a holistic vet and regular one.  They are both stumped.  Just tried antibiotic and it did nothing.  Someone out there has the answer!  I just pray they do.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Our beagle has had a terrible sneezing and phlegm problem since last winter - around February. Constant since then. We have changed her food and bedding at different times, we also moved so I know it is not an environmental factor. She has been to five different vets including a holistic one and still no results. She went through two or three courses of different antibiotics to rule out infections. Also had a rhino scope which was inconclusive. This is driving us crazy and I am sure her as well!!  She sneezes violently sometimes banging her head against the floor and large amounts of mucus go flying everywhere. She also has thrown up due to the mucus. I am at my wits end. Anyone have any insight or suggestions?
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
This sounds like my dogs problem as well- please let me know if you have found an answer!
Avatar universal
My 16 year old terrier was diagnosed with collapsing trachea approx 1 year ago. Bricanyl is the medication she is taking for that. Some months later, ( and after another vet had said that her heart sounded very good for her age) she was put on heart tablets as after a scan , I was told that her heart was enlarged. I was never totally convinced about this diagnosis. She also has furosemide which they have to get rid of excess fluid build up, apparently. Also she has Bisolvon powder which is sprinkled on her food to treat the build up of phlegm which at the moment does not seem to be doing much. As I am typing she sounds like she is drowning in phlegm and I am on the verge of calling it a day as it must be awful for her. I don't know what else to do. I have just given her approx half a teaspoon of honey as just read that can help, think it may be easing off actually. She has just settled. Hope this may help and if anyone out there has any other advice I would love to hear it. Pauline
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
Having almost same issue with my 7 year old pug.  
The congestion and phlegm is unbearable!
Waiting for results from vet.  Hopefully tomorrow!
My little guy is currently on predisone, apparently to help with the breathing.  Which i guess it has a wee bit.  
Im totally beside myself.  I cant imagine what they must be feeling.
I feel your pain pauline.  
If I hear or get any other suggestions from my vet... I will ket you know!
I did give dog whob16 yrs honey but she had a hard time taking a poop because of the honey like having to much sugar I don't know what to do help me please gilley
I have a 14 year old jack Russell with the same exact condition and he has bad phlegm buildup. Do you notice a difference by feeding your dog honey?
Avatar universal
Yes she is so full of life I don't know where she gets her energy from she is  a maniac in the garden and playing with my other 2dogs this is a second opinion you would think out of 2vets one of them would know as soon as she eats she starts vomiting thick white slimy phlemn and then on and off all day
Helpful - 0
675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
Dear Moaney,
I am not sure 'dietary problems' are what is going on here. At 14 weeks old she can not afford to become malnourished, so my suggestion is you take her for a second opinion to a different vet.

Has she had all her puppy shots?
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Avatar universal
My puppy 14weeks old after I feed her she starts bringing up which  slimy  phlemn then she does it on and off all day not putting on weight vet said its dietry problems give her chicken and rice table spoon 9times a day did it for 3weeks she still the same
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Avatar universal
My puppy is a Coton de Tulear and she has bad mucous problems. I am not sure what to do with her since vets are way over priced.
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Avatar universal
Very typical in pugs. Look how short their snout is. Allergy season affects them, too.
Helpful - 0
462827 tn?1333168952
Hello & welcome to the forum.......

Some reasons for coughing:

First, Heart Disease- With Heart Disease, the weak heart cannot pump as well...Fluid builds into the lungs causing the cough..The cough is usually MOIST like they're choking on congestion...Actually, they are...The cough is worse during the night &  mornings. Also, during periods of running, playing & excitement....Fluid will show in the lungs on an xray.....Heart is usually enlarged......Fairly easy to rule out & Heart medications work well for treatment.......

Next- Kennel Cough- This is a virus and antibiotics will do nothing.....Cough syrup is very necessary to help this run it's course.....Lasts a few weeks & the cough is excessive!!!!

Collapsing Trachea- Common in small breeds- This cough is more like choke-gasp, choke/gasp....It sounds like a goose honking....Meaning like when your sucking through a straw & it collapses. Like it kinda sticks then opens, etc. It is actually doing just that.....The trachea collapses then opens back up...This ailment is treated by weight control & Medications for lung disease....Cough meds, bronchial dilators,  Asthma meds., steroids when necessary, etc.

Respiratory Diseases cause coughing....Asthma & Bronchitis are treated with the same meds as Trachea Collapse. This is more of a dry cough with wheezing at times or both....With this, sometimes the Heart shows enlargement, but it is not a Heart Problem! It's from lack of oxygen through the respiratory system.....Steroids are useful as needed for allergy season that can be a trigger.....Dust mites in the house affect this a lot (Especially in the winter when the heat is on and the house is closed up tight).......It seems they breath better outside.....Something else: Dust Mites in DRY dog food alone can trigger this.....This disease can be controlled for years once you know what to do.....

There's a common cough called A "Reverse Sneeze"...You can google it to know what it sounds like.....I can't describe it....It kinda sounds like all the above, dammit!!!  ;)  Although it sounds awful, it's really harmless.....Lots of dogs do it their whole life...

Then of course, Heart Worm Disease will cause a cough....Also will show an enlarged heart....Will be seen on an X Ray....Can be ruled out with a blood test.....If your dog has not been on monthly Heart worm medication, you need to have this blood test done..... This disease is possible at any age......

Also, Allergies can & will trigger a cough.....

All of these can be evaluated by a Vet...Good luck, Karla
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
My rescue dog got kennel cough from a neighbor's dog. We got Her as a r -6 year old puppy. She was full of life, loved to swim, run, etc.  Her residual respitory problems of breathing is the left over medical condition. She has had 3 antibiotics, cough medicine, steroids, x-rays to rule out pneumonia, deep throat swabs, blood work and visits with multiple vets due to on-going excessive mucus. Her fluids are clear and she has zero bacteria infections from all the test results.
We have bathroom steamed her, but not seen any benefits.  I have done hours of researching trying to find anything to help her. One online vet says we can give Benadryl. I just started that yesterday. Out of desperation, I have been giving her muscinex with lots of water once a day. This has been the most helpful out of all of the things we have tried, but it doesn't decrease the mucus, just makes it so she can breathe a bit better. I am fearful of long term damage from these meds, so please do not think I am recommending this for your dog. I am going to try the vet approved honey, lemon, and warm water given by syringe down the throat, along with vet approved Robitussin today. That was my find late last night.

She is almost 3 years old and we have been fighting her condition for 4 months. It just seems to be getting worse and worse. I have found exercise helps to clear the lungs some and if she doesn't get exercise, Her mucus seems to increase.

We have taken to bringing her into bed at night to try to keep her warmer. At 54 pounds she a bit large to share a bed with my husband and I.

If anybody has found a helpful way of managing fluids in pet's longs, please post.
Thank you,
nmillar76
441382 tn?1452810569
I had replied to your last post on this same subject a day or two ago.  Perhaps you didn't see it.  I normally don't do this but here is the response that I gave you on your other thread so that you can see it.


There is something called brachycephalic syndrome that breeds with pushed in faces suffer from.  It makes breathing difficult, to say the least.  There are several things that occur when a dog suffers from brachycephalic syndrome.  The three things that brachycephalic syndrome is marked by are an elongated soft palate, stenotic nares and everted laryngeal saccules.  

When a dog has an elongated soft palate, the soft palate is too long and the tip of it extends into the airway.  This interferes with air being able to get through the airway into the lungs.  Stenotic nares are narrow, malformed nostrils which make it even more difficult for air to get in.  And everted laryngeal saccules is a condition caused when there is excess skin just behind the vocal cords that gets sucked into the airway upon breathing in, further compromising air intake.

There are surgeries that can be performed to alleviate these conditions if it gets to the point where the dog has so much trouble breathing that exercise becomes almost impossible.  At the age of eight years, however, the dog is a bit old to have a truly favorable surgical outcome.  In your dog's case, the mucus could be somewhat eliminated if you can determine what causes it to build up.  Do you notice it getting worse at certain times of the year?   It could be that she is allergic to something in your area that causes the mucus to form, which gives her the breathing difficulties due to the brachycephalic syndrome that is basically part and parcel of her genetic makeup.

I would suggest keeping a journal of everything she eats and does.  Make notes as to what the weather is, the pollen count, etc., and how much she seems to struggle with the mucus each morning.  Eventually you may see some correlations that will point toward a specific allergen that can either be eliminated from her environment or perhaps she can be given something to stop the body's response to this allergen that will help.

It's difficult to watch our beloved pets suffer.  We want to help them and make their lives as easy as possible but sometimes this makes for a lot of extra work and some detective snooping on our part to bring about a solution.

Please let us know how she does.

Ghilly
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Hi , My dog 6 months german shepherd dog has too much mucus in her poop.she coughs at the same time and sometimes mucus in the nose.

Please advice
Thanks
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