I think it's likely he is experiencing reverse sneezing and not coughing - though it's freaked many of us out at first (myself included!)

Never heard of Sportsman Pride - but I did a search and here is the list of ingredients I found for the Puppy Formula (I've put in red the ingredients that are a red-flag IMO) We've had numerous discussions here regarding food choices especially since the massive recalls earlier this year and a lot of members have done a lot of research on ingredients, etc. If it were I, I would switch brand. Some of the higher quality foods costs a bit more, but these smaller dogs typically only eat 3/4 to 1 cup of food per day and they eat less of the higher quality food because they get more out of it.

INGREDIENTS: CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, RICE, CORN MEAL, CHICKEN FAT (PRESERVED WITH MIXED TOCOPHEROLS), CORN GLUTEN MEAL, DRIED BEET PULP (SUGAR REMOVED), NATURAL FLAVORS, FLAXSEED, DRIED EGG PRODUCT, CANOLA OIL, BREWERS YEAST, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, LECITHIN, TAURINE, L-LYSINE, ROSEMARY EXTRACT, L-CARNITINE, VITAMINS: CHOLINE CHLORIDE, NATURAL-SOURCE VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, ASCORBIC ACID (SOURCE OF VITAMIN C) , VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, NIACIN, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (SOURCE OF VITAMIN B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (SOURCE OF VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT, MINERALS: KELP POLYSACCHARIDE COMPLEXES OF ZINC, IRON, MANGANESE AND COPPER, ZINC SULFATE, COPPER SULFATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, CALCIUM IODATE, COBALT CARBONATE, SODIUM SELENITE. GUARANTEED ANALYSIS CRUDE PROTEIN (min) • 27.00% CRUDE FAT (min) • 17.00% CRUDE FIBER (max) • 2.50% MOISTURE (max) • 12.00% LINOLEIC ACID (min) • 3.00% ASH (max) • 6.00% CALCIUM (min) • 1.20% PHOSPHORUS (min) • 1.00% SODIUM (min) • 0.30% ZINC (min) • 200 MG/KG VITAMIN A (min) • 12,000 IU/KG VITAMIN E (min) • 150 IU/KG ASCORBIC ACID (min) • 30 MG/KG* OMEGA-6 FATTY ACIDS (min) • 3.30%* OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS (min) • 0.50%* L-CARNITINE (min) • 15 MG/KG* TAURINE (min) • 0.05%* *Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

First of all, I add my welcomes to you and your family!! Hootie is adorable!

Second, I LOVE your avatar!! Priceless

Third, you, Hootie, your hubby and family should plan to be a part of the NC ratty meet up in October!! We are going to meet in Asheboro. I will try and find the thread and list it so you can read about it. We'd love to meet you all face to face!!

Meet ups are fun, you get to actually meet the folks you are chatting with, the dogs get a real fun playtime and we are all excited to meet each other and all the pups!

I'm from NC also. I live in Elizabethtown which is in the lower southeastern part of the state, between Fayetteville (Frot Brag) and Wilmington!

Glad to have another NC person with us!!

Oh yes, we also love photos of ratties so if you haven't already gotten the camera out and taken a ton of photos, start now and then post them over on the photo ratty forum.

Looking forward to getting to know you better!!

lol..thanks...we are new the having a small dog...we had a walker hound for years...and since he died 3 years ago...the kids didn't want a dog for a while...(it was hard on the household...still hard for my hubby and son (R.I.P. Duke dog)
I will buy new food today!

Okay, your Avatar in just too cute!!!!  I would say no on the food.  Way to much corn and that could definately be the root of the dandruff.  I also noticed that it is made by Sunshine Mills (which also makes Ol'Roy) and was included in the recall for contaminated wheat gluten from China (not that food in particular though).  If you would like to see a good site on food you can check out dogfoodproject.com  

The fact that is has corn twice in the top 5 ingredients is a huge tip-off that it's not a high quality food (and, since ingredients are listed by weight, there may actually be more corn and/or corn meal in it than chicken). Also, the chicken by-product meal is troublesome

Here is some information regarding ingredients that should not be in a good quality food:

High-quality food should NOT contain the following:

Food fragments.  Fragments are lower-cost by-products of another food manufacturing process such as brewer's rice  (a waste product of the alcohol industry), and rice flour.  Most foods contain at least one fragment as makers attempt to keep the food affordable. Beware of a product that contains several fragments of a single food or is the main ingredient.

Meat by-products.  Using an animal by-product (or more than one animal by-product) for a food's main protein source is indicative of a low-quality product.  (i.e. chicken by-product).  Animal by-products are any part of an animal not acceptable for human consumption.  Ingredients listed as by-products are not required to include actual meat.  Please click here to read the article 'What is Really in Commericial Pet Food' to learn really what is in the by-products in pet foods.

Corn products in dog food.  The presence of corn products - particularly if they are high on the list of ingredients - may indicate that corn has been used instead of a more expensive alternative.  About 25% of the corn produced in the U.S. today is genetically modified.  Dogs have a difficult time digesting corn.  

Corn gluten meal in dog food.  Corn gluten meal is a concentrated source of protein that can be substituted for costlier animal protein. In many bargain dry dog foods, corn gluten meal provides a large proportion or the total protein in the food rather than more digestible forms of protein such as meat.   

Generic fats or proteins.  Animal fat can be just about anything; recycled grease from restaurants or an unwholesome "mystery mix" of fats.  Animal protein is far inferior to beef protein or chicken protein.   

Artificial preservatives.  BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, and propylene glycol. These cause cancer in animals.

Artificial colors.  Your pet doesn't care what color his food is and doesn't need daily - lifetime - exposure to these unnecessary chemicals.

Sweeteners.  Corn syrup, sucrose, sugar, ammoniated glycyrrhizin, and other sweeteners are sometimes added to lower-quality foods to increase their appeal. Dietary sugar can aggravate health problems in pets including diabetes.

Flavors.   A high-quality food does not require flavoring to be palatable.