HELP! How do you help a gagging dog? (Pet Question)

[Guest]

Ok, I'm pretty good on home pet care, but my ol'mutt apparenty has a major frog in her throat and her coughing and choking is making both of us nuts. Her breathing is fine, she's drinking water and nibbling food, but she's also eating grass every time she goes out and making this horrible hacking noise, like something is irritating her throat, every 10 minutes or so. I don't SEE anything obstructing her throat, but it's not like she'll really let me look. Otherwise, she doesn't seem ill.

Anyone have a clue what I can do for my poor pup?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Get her to a vet. Fast

She could have a chicken bone lodged crosswise or something piercing her esophagus. Or it could just be an allergy.

In any case, get her to the vet. It's the only way to know.

 

[Straight-8]

Like a person, this can be caused by a lot of things. The one that comes to mind though is a weed seed or something like that stuck in her nasal passage. These can be hard to flush out and you may want to take her to a vet.

If it is more like a vomiting type of gagging then it may be that the dog just wants to vomit. This is not usually a big deal with dogs (happens quite regularly and doesn't necessarily mean they are sick - it is how wild dogs feed their young). Eatiing grass would be consistent with a desire to vomit as they will normally eat grass to 'settle their stomaches' i.e. by vomiting!

Hope she's better soon.

 

[Guest]

I can verify no chicken bones or anything like that. She's not a chewer and she doesn't have anything to chew anyway. The last thing she had to eat was a Greenie. Unfortunately, I can't get her to the vet right now -- the emergency vet is some distance away and ABG currently has the car. She's never exhibited any allergies before -- she's 13 -- and she's been inside, mostly in her crate, all day.

The seed idea is possible. It's also possible she's got a hair ball...don't laugh, we have 6 cats. The only thing we have more of than cat hair is air.

 

[carsonshepherd]

They eat grass to make themselves vomit... maybe you could walk her around outside a bit and see what happens? and call the husband if you can, and tell him to get home. for doggie.

 

[minsue]

Mal, my dog would do that a lot and then finally vomit. I agree with the good Dr, though, as soon as ABG gets home with the car I'd get that dog to the vet just in case. Especially if this is not normal behavior for your dog.

 

[ElizabethWest]

You've been given great advice and I won't add anything further. Just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you and the poor doggie.

 

[Guest]

ABG is on his way home.

She's otherwise acting ok. She's done the "hack up" thing before, but never for so long (this has been for a few hours now), which is why I didn't cue in on it immediately. Usually she coughs up whatever's irritating her, I wipe it up, and life goes on.

She's drinking water and ABG wants to give her a little moist food to see if she's just got a dry throat. Since it's after hours at our vet now anyway, if we wait a short bit to see if she coughs it up and she doesn't, it's the same trip to the emergency vet.

She'll lay for 10 minutes at a time without coughing and then start up.

Don't think I'm not willing to haul her in, because I've turned over that $150 at the ER vet to find out that nothing's wrong before,

She's even doing some of her play behaviors -- wagging, wiggling, shoving my hand with her nose so I'll pet her -- and she just ate more grass. Feh!

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

Mallie, is her abdomen distended at all? Gagging can be a sign of bloat. If you have any Gas-X in the house, pop a couple into her and yes, get her to a vet as soon as you can.

No, no bloating. I checked for that. She's even peeing and pooping like...a dog!

Damn it, I prefer when an animal just acts sick so I KNOW. She's in her crate again now, quiet as can be.

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

Hmmm. Any old pine needles around? Those can be horrendously irritating to puppy throats.

No, nothing like that. The last thing she ate that made her gag like this was the rabbit fur from a cat toy.

I checked for that, too. No little plastic carcasses.

However, we just gave her dinner. We mixed some moist food with her dry and made her eat it slowly. No coughing or hacking while she was eating, none now that she's in her crate licking her chops.

Of course, that meant the cats had to have moist food tonight, too, just to prevent revolution.

I'll give her another hour and see how she does, but it's looking good right now. Or there's a mass of vomit somewhere I haven't found yet...

 

[Guest]

Update

She's quiet now. IN fact, she's sleeping.


Now I have the sesame seed caught in my sinuses. Hack hack hack!
\


Thanks everyone for the advice. She'll be going to the vet as soon as possible, but the crisis of the last few hours seems to have passed.

 

[minsue]

Glad to hear she's doing better, Mal

 

[BlackShanglan]

No, no bloating. I checked for that. She's even peeing and pooping like...a dog!

Damn it, I prefer when an animal just acts sick so I KNOW. She's in her crate again now, quiet as can be.

That's a relief. I was racing through the thread thinking the same thing as Jammies - unproductive attempts to vomit, oh shit. Sounds, though, like you're right in ruling that out.

As an aside, another symptom to check in dogs and cats is the response of gum tissue. It can help you recognize a serious medical problem. Gum tissue should be warm and reddish-pink, and if you press on it gently with a finger, the impression (it will turn whiter under pressure) should return to normal within a second or two. If your pet's gums are cool and/or the blood does not refresh quickly (allowing, of course, for recent drinks of cold water, known poor circulation, etc.), it's a sign that this could be a serious problem.

Shanglan

 

[carsonshepherd]

Update

She's quiet now. IN fact, she's sleeping.


Now I have the sesame seed caught in my sinuses. Hack hack hack!
\


Thanks everyone for the advice. She'll be going to the vet as soon as possible, but the crisis of the last few hours seems to have passed.

good deal. maybe she just had gas...

 

[Guest]

Hi Mal,

Sorry to say this, but it sounds to me like your doggy has Kennel Cough (Tracheobronchitis).

The symptoms are a swollen trachea and a hacking cough, as if the dog has something in its throat and is choking on it, attempting to expell something that just isn't there.

It comes and goes in spasms and sypmtoms can also include weepy eyes (although not always).

The long and the short of it is: get her to the vet asap.

Of course, I could be completely wrong, but in my experience, that's what it sounds like.

It's NOT serious (although it can be in weak/young dogs), and it's pretty common - it's a contagious bacterial infection in most cases, but it does need treatment.

I hope she feels better soon!

Lou

 

[scheherazade_79]

Hi Mal,

Sorry to say this, but it sounds to me like your doggy has Kennel Cough (Tracheobronchitis).

The symptoms are a swollen trachea and a hacking cough, as if the dog has something in its throat and is choking on it, attempting to expell something that just isn't there.

It comes and goes in spasms and sypmtoms can also include weepy eyes (although not always).

The long and the short of it is: get her to the vet asap.

Of course, I could be completely wrong, but in my experience, that's what it sounds like.

It's NOT serious (although it can be in weak/young dogs), and it's pretty common - it's a contagious bacterial infection in most cases, but it does need treatment.

I hope she feels better soon!

Lou

My first dog had that when I got him from the pound. He made a full recovery, so it's nothing to worry over. Although, if the coughing has stopped, it might just be that there was something stuck in her throat that got cleared by the food. Hope she's better soon

 

[Guest]

Hi Mal,

Sorry to say this, but it sounds to me like your doggy has Kennel Cough (Tracheobronchitis).

The symptoms are a swollen trachea and a hacking cough, as if the dog has something in its throat and is choking on it, attempting to expell something that just isn't there.

It comes and goes in spasms and sypmtoms can also include weepy eyes (although not always).

The long and the short of it is: get her to the vet asap.

Of course, I could be completely wrong, but in my experience, that's what it sounds like.

It's NOT serious (although it can be in weak/young dogs), and it's pretty common - it's a contagious bacterial infection in most cases, but it does need treatment.

I hope she feels better soon!

Lou

I was wondering if it might be that. I didn't know about the spasms part. Last night was the worst she's ever been. She was boarded at the vet a few weeks ago (Memorial Day weekend) and might have picked it up there.

She's been quiet as her usual self all night, and she just ate another treat and isn't choking. But she's going to the vet anyway, if for no other reason than we are thinking of trying a new vet that just opened much closer to us (and which we might be able to get into -- our vet has a waiting room full every time because they are "first come, first serve".

Thanks

 

[imalickin]

Laugh at all his jokes?

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

She should have had the kennel cough vaccine before boarding, especially at a vet's. No kennel or groomer around here will accept an unvaccinated dog. You'd remember her being vaccinated, it's the one that's blown up their nose (unless they're as intransigent as my boys, who get the old-fashioned shot in the arse).

She gets shots every year -- we board her at the same vet who gives her her shots and they have carte blanche to update here when she's there if she's due.

Hm.

Well, it's closing in on 24 hours since she started it yesterday and she's quiet -- trying to convince me that the thunder outside is going to get her and I should hold her 50lb butt in my lap, but otherwise fine. She's snoring a little louder than usual, but that could be irritation from the coughing.

Thunderstorms rolling over this afternoon -- three cats hiding under the bed, one cat sleeping on the back of a chair in front of a window.

 

[wornoutkeyboard]

She gets shots every year -- we board her at the same vet who gives her her shots and they have carte blanche to update here when she's there if she's due.

Hm.

Well, it's closing in on 24 hours since she started it yesterday and she's quiet -- trying to convince me that the thunder outside is going to get her and I should hold her 50lb butt in my lap, but otherwise fine. She's snoring a little louder than usual, but that could be irritation from the coughing.

Thunderstorms rolling over this afternoon -- three cats hiding under the bed, one cat sleeping on the back of a chair in front of a window.

My dog lives under my desk when it thunders outside. Which gives me nowher to live, so you see it is a quite difficult situation.

I hope ur puppy feels better.

~WOK

 

[ElizabethWest]

Glad things are better, Mal. Hope it continues that way.



Side note: Shang said shit!

 

[minsue]

Side note: Shang said shit!

. .