Question: Dog has a cough on exhale, seems like she is trying to cough something up. I think she occasionally does cough something up, but swallows rather than vomiting it It is almost constant now. She is otherwise healthy.

ANSWER: She is not a healthy dog if she has a chronic cough. Chronic coughing can be a sign of congestive heart disease, heartworm infection, other bacterial/viral/fungal infections, lung cancer (or cancer that has metastasized to the chest), foreign object (tumor) stuck in throat, allergies (with secondary complications), or even a congenital problem. She needs chest xrays, a complete blood panel, maybe even more tests. It is possible that it maybe something totally curable or at least something that can be done to make the dog more comfortable and possibly live a longer life. Good luck!