Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not that you asked, but walking your dog isn't just for exercise. It's exciting for them to be able to sniff new things and go on new paths. It works their brains and can tire them out just as much as running around in the yard. I hope you consider getting your dog out in the world (and out of your yard) at least once/week.

Agree. OP, you cannot just forgo walking your dog. It’s wrong.

see above. The OP is currently having a medical issue post Covid and never said that they have never walked their dog.

Anonymous wrote:Not that you asked, but walking your dog isn't just for exercise. It's exciting for them to be able to sniff new things and go on new paths. It works their brains and can tire them out just as much as running around in the yard. I hope you consider getting your dog out in the world (and out of your yard) at least once/week.

Agree. OP, you cannot just forgo walking your dog. It’s wrong.

The “honking” could be a sign of a partial airway obstruction, that creates a more narrow opening resulting in air making noise. Might have chewed/eaten something that is stuck. If that’s the case, the stuck object might move, obstructing the airway. The coughing is reflex to try to move the partial obstruction. Isn’t something you can see or feel. Might just be virus or sore throat from swallowing something though. If were my pooch, I’d call the vet and try to have to her seen. She can’t take care of herself. Is it better than it was (in which case watchful waiting isn’t bad choice) or is it same/worse (in which case should call vet).

Maybe she’s got Covid

OP, it's very likely an irritation or just possibly an upper-respiratory virus, though I hear you about doggie's recent isolation. If she's otherwise well and not having labored breathing, i.e. not using her rib cage like a bellows to get air in and out and her color seems good (gums pink), and she's sleeping ok, it is likely NOT worth a weekend ER visit. You can ease her breathing by taking her into the bathroom and running a steamy shower and sitting with her for 15-20 minutes; the moist, warm air will reduce irritation that this dry cold weather makes worse.

If your primary vet can receive them, it might be worth sending them a video of the cough for a quick read on on whether it's of concern. Vets are pretty good at triaging coughs by sound.

If the breathing seems at all labored or if it doesn't resolve, especially given that she is a lab mix, you might want to get some expert ears on her respiratory noises to rule out the onset of laryngeal paralysis. But definitely don't panic about that based on a doggie cold. Just keep it in mind as something to ask the vet about when she can be seen.

If you are concerned enough to seek an urgent visit, I've had good lucky recently getting seen promptly at Blue Pearl Rockville when other ERs are closed to cases.

Have you tried all the urgent care vets? A cough/honk could be something serious like a stick splinter or trachea issue…or a hundred other things.

Friendship, or that newer one on M St NW?

Anonymous wrote:I’m no dog expert but you haven’t walked your dog in over a month?? That doesn’t sound healthy to me….

Np I've had dog trainers tell me because I have a big backyard that we exercise in my dog did NOT need a walk. I do but, it isn't necessary if you exercise them in some way.

My dog had a similar issue. Went away after about 10 hours. We think she ate a hairball or maybe some popcorn that got stuck in her throat.

Anonymous wrote:What kind of dog, OP? Some breeds are predisposed to issues.

I’d still lean toward kennel cough as the most likely suspect. Do your neighbors have dogs she could have greeted through the fence? Did any of the people in the house love on other dogs and then come home to her? It’s super transmissible.

She’s a lab mix, and there are no dogs in any of the neighboring yards. People come over to our house, but no one that works in a vet office or shelter or that has mentioned a sick dog at home.

OP here. I haven’t walked the dog recently because I’m dealing with tachycardia issues after having Covid. Just standing up sends my heart rate into the 150s. But instead of judging the fact that I’m dealing with that by making sure my dog gets exercise while I don’t, can we stick to the issue at hand? I’m doing the best I can right now. Good grief.

Not that you asked, but walking your dog isn't just for exercise. It's exciting for them to be able to sniff new things and go on new paths. It works their brains and can tire them out just as much as running around in the yard. I hope you consider getting your dog out in the world (and out of your yard) at least once/week.

Maybe he just swallowed some hair or ate something funny in your yard and is having trouble swallowing it. I think it would be fine to wait. Sometimes this happens to my dog, but then he gets over it on his own.

What kind of dog, OP? Some breeds are predisposed to issues.

I’d still lean toward kennel cough as the most likely suspect. Do your neighbors have dogs she could have greeted through the fence? Did any of the people in the house love on other dogs and then come home to her? It’s super transmissible.

I’m no dog expert but you haven’t walked your dog in over a month?? That doesn’t sound healthy to me….

Our 5 year old otherwise healthy dog has been coughing/honking all day. She hasn’t been around other dogs at all, and hasn’t even been on a walk in about a month, (we have a huge fenced back yard that we play with her in for exercise every day), so I don’t think she could have caught kennel cough or anything like that. She is otherwise acting relatively normal. Eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, and doesn’t seem lethargic. Our vet urgent care couldn’t see her today, and our vet is saying they don’t have any appointments until the first week of February.

Any ideas what this could be, how we could help, and where we can find a more accessible vet in the dc area? We can never get in anymore, now that everyone got a pandemic dog and we’re sick of it.