For several months now Meko, our oldest (and my favorite... shhh, don't tell the other girls) and the one I wrote about in my book, The Miracle Dog, has been coughing a lot. She used to cough when she played too hard and ran around too much. But now she is coughing daily, when she gets up from a nap, when she is walking around, even when she changes sleeping position during the night (which means, none of us are getting a very restful sleep most nights).
Although I hate to think about it, she is getting older (she will be 12 years old in November). She has been through a lot, more than most dogs since she fought and survived IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia). But she keeps going, enjoys life, playing, suckling her toys, and snuggling and I believe she has many more years left in her.
As for the coughing, what we found out is that she has a heart murmur and as she ages, she has more problems with her heart. She is currently on low doses of Enalapril and we just started her on Lasix. Since it has only been 5 days, I have seen little improvement from the Lasix (which cuts down on the fluid in her lungs and helps her breathe easier). But like a lot of medication, we have to give it time. She has good days and not so good days. But Meko, our little fighter, isn't in a big hurry to leave this world, not while there is still pizza to eat!!!