Toy Puddle Cough, Grass eater

Question
We adopted a toy puddle who just turned 12 years old. We are so happy to have him in our home. His past owners passed away and last one had to go into an assisting living. When we take him out, we have noticed that he cough a lot or when he plays with us. Why is that? Also, when we let him go on the back yard (winter) he likes to eat grass. Is that normal?

Answer
Hello Ingrid,
Sounds to me like your dog could have the beginnings of Congestive Heart Failure.  CHF when the heart muscle becomes weakened due to a number of factors including getting older.  The weakened heart doesn't pump as efficently as when it used to resulting in a build-up of fluid around the heart.  Signs can be coughing when exercising or playing, coughing when getting up in the morning or during the night and difficulty breathing.  These tend to be the first signs that your dog may have CHF.  While CHF is a serious disease, your dog can live several years in releative good health as CHF is a slow-progress disease.  
You should get a Vet to diagnosis your dog to be sure that CHF is what your dog is suffering from and so he can pinpoint a cause.  I would recommend a Holistic Vet if possible, because they can get your dog on Herbal Remedies and Supplements that will be a better course of action than medicinally treating your dog.   
Visit these Websites for more information about CHF and Herbal remedies:
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/congestive-heart-failure-in-dogs.html
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/dog-heart-problems.html

Please check out these Wonderful Tabs for your Dog called NuVet Plus Pet Tabs. These Tabs are made with human grade ingredients and include Vitamins, Minerals and supplements that help keep your dog Healthy, and not only that, but also help Correct health problems that may be attacking your Pet. NuVet Pet Tabs have been shown to help fix/reduce or remove CANCER/TUMORS, CATARACTS, ALLERGIES, JOINT PAIN OR PROBLEMS, WEAK MUSCLES, LIVER/KIDEY ISSUES, THYROID, DIABETES, CUSHINGS & ADDISONS DISEASE, and HEART DISEASE plus many more. These are diseases that have been seen more frequently in the last 20 years or so and are disabling or killing our pets way too early in their lives. The NuVet Team has been working to develop a Tab that when taken on a regular basis, will not only help to prevent these diseases in our pets, but can reverse signs and symptoms and eventually the diseases themselves over time.
Please go to http://www.nuvet.com/53330 and navigate the site using the menu items at the top of the bar. You can see products, ingredients, and even testimonials about how this wonderful product has helped others Beloved Pets.
Please mention the code 53330 if interested in ordering and if you have any questions please contact me at MsTopkdog@yahoo.com
My own Std Poodle has the beginning symptoms of CHF and I have had him on NuVet Plus Tabs for going on 3 months now.  His coughing is less and his energy levels are increased.  He also has had little tumor bumps on his body and Cataracts that have been helped.  I truely believe that NuVet has helped.  I am also going to start adding some of the Herbal Remedies listed on the link I gave you to my dogs diet to help him that much more.  

As to your dog eating grass, there are alot of speculations as to why dogs eat grass.  Some believe that they do it to supplement their diet with plant matter, other people believe that dogs eat grass when their stomach is upset as the grass will encourage them to vomit.  Still others say that dogs like to eat grass because of the taste.  
Eating grass isn't harmful as long as your dog doesn't eat too much (as too much will make him vomit) and you don't treat your grass with pesticides or chemicals that would harm your dog.  (which means not letting him eat grass from other peoples lawns, because they might treat their lawns)

I hope this answer has helped you some.  If you have other questions for me about this, or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim