how can i help my dog be more comfortable with the cough he has due to a heart murmur?

He is not very active, yet he still "honks" and weezes. i feel helpless and just want to know if this is painful for him and if there is anything i can do to eleviate some of the stress this causes him. he is a 13 year old cocher spaniel.

can you ask the vet about prednisone or other meds? They can have harmful side effects, but helps pain and lack of appetite.

Talk to your vet about medication that will help the heart to beat more effectively. He may need a diuretic to decrease the fluid accumulation in the chest and abdomen which causes coughing.

That's exactly what Max, our 16 year old Chihuahua has. He gets two pills (one for his heart and another one foe something else), but they don't appear to be working. For the last couple of days, we've been giving him 1/8 of an acepromazine tablet that helps one of our other pets relax during thunderstorms. Max has an appointment tomorrow. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do except encourage him to sleep. Once our dog wakes up he starts coughing and drinking excessive amounts of water. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81/jar-la/MaxFlagJul12006.jpg I just learned how to upload, so I'll probably be going overboard in posting pictures of my pets for awhile.