My dog, age 12, has been coughing (due to an excess of mucus, where
his nose runs)) for about 3 years.  Yhe vetinarian has tried several
allergy medication to no avail.  I recently tried Benadryl for dogs. 
Somedays he is better than other days, but he keeps on coughing about
6-8 times a day.

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Request for Question Clarification by nenna-ga on 03 May 2004 14:38 PDT

hotchick72,

What exactly are you asking us to answer for you? Are you looking for
alternative thearpies for your dog's coughing? What else could be
making your dog cough? The more details the better

Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher

I understand that coughing can be symptomatic of a heart condition
that is not necessarily serious and can be treated.

Has the vet checked his heart?

It seems possible that your dog has a non-allergic rhinitis?  I do not
know if there are corticosteroids (like nasacort, flonase etc) for vet
use.  Such medications are typically tested on dogs, so they would be
proven effective.

Benadryl would likely show some benefit in this case(what you've
observed), because it stops a particular type of immune response, but
would not likely solve the underlying cause(the non-allergic
rhinitis).

The fact that your dog is coughing(not sneezing) is also bothersome to
me.  I assume he's been X-rayed and checked to see if the anatomy of
his nose is normal? He might have a growth, or he could have inhaled a
foreign object in his nose that could cause these types of symptoms as
well.

Last.  You described this problem as being ongoing for several years. 
During this time I would guess he's been on antibiotics quite
frequently for sinus infection if indeed his nose is clogged up so
often?  Such would indicate some problem with drainage that would not
be cured by allergy medications.
 
Stating the obvious, if you've tried the allergy medications and they
are not effective, then he likely doesn't have allergies. This does
not mean that he isn't being exposed to some type of irritant,
particulate or other thing that is making his nose run. Check his
bedding, and make sure he doesn't have a habit of sniffing dryer
sheets and car exhaust.

one link i found.

http://denvervetspecialists.com/Clinical%20Updates/Chronic%20Rhinitis%20in%20Dogs%20and%20Cats.pdf