schnauzer coughing

Question
I have a 6 year old schnauzer that I raised from 4 days old.  she is inside and spayed.  For two days she has been coughing like trying to clear her throat, yet everything else is normal.  She does this like every few hours.  She has no temperature, is eating well, playing well, sleeping well and not doing it while sleeping. Do you think she needs to go to the vet? I live on small income and have to be careful with my money, but my pet is my baby.  help

Answer
This could be kennel cough, tonsillitis, internal parasites, or a couple other more serious problems. The only way to be sure what your dog might have is to have your vet examine her. You should at least take in a stool specimen to make sure that the dog is parasite-free.

There really is no real treatment for kennel cough, other than keeping an eye open for secondary bacterial infections which should then be treated. If this is kennel cough, it will run its course in about two weeks, and most dogs will seem fairly normal except for the hacking. Keep her away from all other dogs as it is highly contagious. Tonsillitis is generally treated with antibiotics, and the vet would diagnosis it by looking at the dog's throat. Taking her temp daily is a good idea. If she worsens, get her into the vet ASAP.

Here is what your veterinarian would probably do/ask when examining your dog: http://www.2ndchance.info/cough.htm

Karen