Instructions
Give your dog plenty of water. This will mean that it will have to go to the bathroom more frequently, but most common coughs are simply caused by a dry throat. If your dog is coughing and smacking its lips, it is simply dehydrated. Offer plenty of water to your dog so that it has the opportunity to cleanse its throat.
Give the dog some weak aspirin to calm its throat. If your dog is not dehydrated, the next most common cause of a cough is a common cold. A cold will just take a little time to pass. Keep giving the dog plenty of water and a little aspirin every day that the cold persists, and it should be over the cold within a week or so.
Change food brands. Sometimes a dog will develop a cough based on a slight allergic reaction to its food. If this is the case, a simple change of foods will help ease the coughing. If the dog's coughing stops within one day of changing foods, do not to go back to the old food, as that was causing the cough.
Take your dog to the vet. If neither of these simple tactics worked, the dog might have a more serious problem that will need to be diagnosed by a trained professional. It could be a problem with your dog's tonsils or a disease known as kennel cough, which is usually prevented by a vaccination when the dog is a puppy, but does not always work. Either way, your dog will need special medication to prevent further damage to its body.
How to Help a Dog With a Persistent Cough
Dogs can be huge responsibilities for any household. So, naturally, you never want to see your dog suffering from any kind of ailment. If your dog has a persistent cough, you can do a number of things to alleviate any strain or discomfort that your dog has. Dog coughing should never be ignored because it could be a symptom of a possibly serious illness. Take precautions and keep an eye on it.