Cough???

[Lisa_D]

Something odd with Bear started last night. I noticed that I could “hear” him breathing from another room. It was fairly loud panting, definitely louder than a normal pant for him. He did not pant continuously, but would do this on and off. Now, I never had the opportunity to actually hear a dog cough, thank goodness none of mine ever had kennel cough or respiratory issues. But to me it sounds what would be a cough or clearing of throat sound.
I called the vet. He has an appointment on Friday. They thought it could be a respiratory infection or maybe even a cardiac problem. Have any of you experienced this with your Chows? He does not appear to be in a type of distress like not being able to breath and is eating & drinking OK. It also seemed like he might have had a dry mouth compared to his normal. Bear is 9 1/2 years old now.

[Cara&Haley]

We have a 12 year old visitor who makes a lot noise when she sleeps. Very heavy breathing. Not sure if this is what Bear sounds like but it shouldn't been too much to worry about.
What did the vet say?