While cats frequently seem to have bouts of cat colds, dogs less frequently display symptoms of canine coughs, runny noses, sneeze attacks, or other dog cold symptoms. Our Magical-Dawg had runny eyes during allergy season, a less common sign of dog allergies. Do you wonder if your dogs suffer from dog allergies?

Are Canine Coughs Dangerous?

Goopy eyes and nose in your dog could be a sign of a life-threatening illness, though, such as distemper. A cough—especially the characteristic honking sound—often accompanies kennel cough (canine infectious tracheobronchitis).

Just as the feline URI can have different causes, kennel cough arises from infection with one or combinations of several infectious agents. It’s spread from dog to dog and can run quickly through a kennel situation. There also is a dog flu disease that thankfully isn’t very common.

Only your veterinarian can diagnose the cause of your dog’s discomfort and prescribe the best treatment. Preventive vaccinations help protect pets from the most common illnesses.

Home Remedies for A Canine Cough

Home nursing tips can help relieve the discomfort. Use a vaporizer to help unclog the nose. Put the pet in a fairly small room with a cool mist humidifier and use it just the same as you would for a child a couple of times a day. That not only helps break up the congestion, but it can also moisten inflamed or tender eyes and nostrils and make them feel better.

If you don’t have a vaporizer or humidifier, a hot shower can work. Take the pet into the bathroom with you and run the hot shower so that the air becomes filled with steam. I know that a hot shower helps me whenever I have sneezle-issues! A 10-minute session several times a day works great. Don’t go for longer than that, though, because heated air for too long can be hard for some pets to breathe, especially short-faced Bulldogs.

Get more information about home care options in the DOG FACTS book!

Use warm wet cloth or cotton balls to soak and soften eye or nose secretions and clean them off. Don’t peel dried matter off, because that can hurt or even form scabs. To soothe sore tissue after you’ve cleaned off the mucus, dab on a bit of plain saline solution, or some baby oil. That can also make it easier to clean away any more crusts that might form.

Keep Them Eating

Refusing to eat can make a pet sicker or even threaten her life. Offer pungent and more tempting foods to spark the sick pet’s appetite. Warm the food for five seconds in the microwave to just below cat body temperature—about 95 to 98 degrees. That not only makes the treat more alluring, it also unlocks the aroma so the food smells more pungent and penetrates even a stopped-up nose.

Moisture also helps enhance aroma, so try adding a bit of warm water, chicken broth, or tuna juice from the can to the regular food. Run it through the blender to make a mush, and there’s a good chance that will tempt her appetite.

Take steps now to prevent the “achoo” in your Peke-apoo. When your pets feel under the weather, get vet help at the first sniffle.

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Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!  Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!