Dog coughing and bad breath

Hi everyone,

I’ve noticed in the last few days, my dog’s breath has been pretty bad. Obviously I don’t expect it to be minty fresh, but I don’t bat an eye at his normal dog breath. But on Tuesday I noticed it was bad so I brushed his teeth and gave him a dental chew, and it’s been a little better but still worse than usual. Then yesterday he started coughing, and that’s persisted into today.

Everything else is normal — appetite, thirst, energy levels, and behavior. His gums look normal too. I felt around his teeth and he didn’t react like he was in any pain.

My plan is just to continue monitoring and take him to the vet if he has any concerning symptoms or the cough gets worse. But I was hoping to see if anyone here had additional thoughts (especially if the bad breath and coughing might be related or if it’s more likely a coincidence).

Some more info: he’s a 65lb poodle mix estimated 7 years old. No current or history of medical conditions. Neutered and up to date on vaccines.

Thank you!!!