Coughing/hacking/puking Noise

[sobesmom]

Occasionally, my dogs will eat or drink too fast - and make a coughing/hacking noise. And occasionally puke up a sliimeball. The food or water they just horked down. I think that's normal, as long as it's occasional.

 

My foster started making that noise a few days ago. At first I thought he just ate something too fast, or ate Stuffy stuffing, and needed to hack it up. I've seen puked-up stuffing before. NO big deal (just don't let THAT foster destroy a stuffy). And pick up the puke quick - so they don't eat it and puke it AGAIN!!!! I had one foster that would keep EATING it after he puked it up!!!

 

But - it's been going on for several days now. He might make the "hacking/ puking" noise every 2 minutes for ten minutes....then nothing for hours. Then - start it again. It's off and on, but it's been going for a few days. He sounds like he needs to puke something up. Like a cat with a hairball. Or something is stuck in his throat. Or - he's a smoker with a hacking cough.

 

He's never puked. It sound like he should...but he doesn't. I really wish he's puke it out!!! And - he's happy healthy and well. Eating well, pooping fine, playing great, sleeping fine --- normal in every other way. He "may" have eaten something odd. He does pick up strange things to chew on - a pen cap on the floor - a colored pencil...just random stuff. He's in the "experimenting phase" and checking things out. But - in my experience....most things pass OK. Heck - Diana pooped Crayons for quite a while! Then we learned to PUT UP the crayons! But it never hurt her. ( She just had PRETTY poop).

 

So - what IS this?????? I wasn't concerned at first...but now it's continuing. I gave him a piece of bread, to clear it out - it didn't.

 

I'm not an alarmist....but I think I'll email my adoption coordinator tomorrow - and ask her opinion, too.

 

I swear he's got a "frog" in his throat. Vet - or not?

 

 

[Ragsysmum]

Sounds like it might be reverse sneezing. There is a video on Youtube of this. Hope this link works for you.

 

[Neighsayer]

Sounds like a reverse sneeze to me. Mickey used to do it a lot but not often now.

[GeorgeofNE]

Sounds like kennel cough to me--

 

 

[nyGreys]

Beanie my boston terrier used to do this quite often, especially

when he was excited.

[grey14me]

sounds like it could be a blockage to me...I would definitely get him checked out. I mean, it could be reverse sneezing, but that isn't usually something that all of a sudden starts up and continues for days.

Edited March 26, 2008 by grey14me

[BootsyCollins]

Ah, I've enjoyed the sound of reverse sneezing before. It is FREAKY! If you can, take a video of it and show your vet, or the adoption group. If it's reverse sneezing it's completely harmless. If he's not eating, it may be something worse.

[Guest snowberry]

I have to say, it sounds a bit like kennel cough to me too It should clear by itself but sometimes further infection develops, and then it's a vet/antibiotics job. It is highly contagious to other dogs, so best to keep him away from other people's dogs until you get the all-clear - I think it's a couple of weeks after it's gone before you can let him go on play-dates.

[Guest BlueCrab]

My only other thought would be to consider food as well. We had a regular "hacking something up without hacking anything up" problem with Duke which resolved when we switched him from Nutro to Canidae. I never thought anything about it until I read a separate thread on here where other writers wrote in that their dogs hacked a lot on Nutro but didn't seem to on other brands. That's when I finally put it together (insert sound of hand smacking head).

 

Nothing scientific here, JMHO.

 

BTW, new (non-grey) dog came to us from Humane Society with kennel cough which was definitely an icky cough and a phlegmy hack. Resolving when we got him - already on meds from HS. Our vet gave him a clean bill of health to move in and all's been well.

[sobesmom]

Sounds like kennel cough to me--

 

I was worrying about that too. But he's been with us since February 9th, so I though he'd have it sooner if he had it?

 

 

 

Sounds like a reverse sneeze to me. Mickey used to do it a lot but not often now.

 

Maybe, but it just started one day and hasn't stopped. He kept me up all night last night doing it.

[GeorgeofNE]

Kennel cough is quite contagious. He might not have had it when you got him. He could have gotten it at the vet's, at a park, anywhere he may have been around other dogs.

 

Easily cured if that's what it is.

 

 

Sounds like kennel cough to me--

 

I was worrying about that too. But he's been with us since February 9th, so I though he'd have it sooner if he had it?

 

 

 

Sounds like a reverse sneeze to me. Mickey used to do it a lot but not often now.

 

Maybe, but it just started one day and hasn't stopped. He kept me up all night last night doing it.

 

[Guest 4Irishgreys]

Don't want to alarm you but my 11+ grey Ginger was doing a lot of coughing & when I had her at the vet a couple of weeks ago they heard a heart murmur. Ultra sound & EKG showed she has mitral valve regurgitation. She is now on pills and "coughing" has stopped. I find out "coughing" can be a symptom to a heart problem, if I had known that I would have had her at the vet sooner.

 

Shirley & the Irish crew - Shannon, Ginger, Madison & Dylan

[jodyksam]

It's a safe bet to take him to the vet's to be checked out, even if it turns out to be reverse sneezing, because at least you'll know he's okay!

[Guest greytexplorer]

Sounds like a vet trip is in order---pronto!

Could also be allergies. Trees, grass, and weeds crank up here in the South long about February.

Good luck, and let us know what the vet says.

[sobesmom]

Thanks for everyone's input - I LOVE this site!!! I emailed my adoption rep today, and she suggested that it probably wasn't kennel cough...since he's been here for 6 weeks with no symptoms, and my dogs don't cough, and he hasn't been exposed to any other dogs in this time.

 

Also- probably not reverse sneezing, since it started 3 days ago, never before and is persitant.

 

So- that leaves - some blockage. Or a heart issue. If it's a blockage, it's not a total blockage... since he still eats, drinks, poop, and pees normally. So- it might hack up, or go down on its own. A heart issue - is possible, but relatively rare.

 

So- her advice is "wait and see" for a couple days. If he's no different by Monday (or if something gets worse) to the vet.

 

I DID change his food in the same timeframe. So - as goofy as it is (my adoption rep thinks it's really goofy) I've switched him back to the food he had before the coughing. Just to rule out the crazy possiblility that it's some weird food thing. I've never heard of coughing as a symptom of food change - but it doesn't hurt to rule it out IMO.

 

Thanks everyone, I'll keep you posted!

 

Please cross your fingers and paws for Wizard, that this is a simple little thing.

 

[sobesmom]

So- we've given it "wait and see".... with the group's ok, I called the vet today. Foster has an appt. tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. And - they asked me to bring a "sample". Ok. But - he's actually more of an "afternoon" pooper....so I might not have that. I think they can "get" a sample if I can't provide one. And - I don't think worms are the issue.

 

I'm getting REALLY worried now. Last night he coughed/puke-noised ALL night long. And - started whining. Not good.

 

And- I'm not "really" confident in my vet's office. They have one vet that I LOVE. She's relatively new - but she came from a place with a big greyhound group, so she's seen LOTS of greys. And - the first time I had her for a vet for my dogs - she said greys were her FAVORITE breed.

 

The other vet....the "senior" vet.... barely knows what a grey is. He's practiced here for 30 yrs...... and has never seen a grey befoere mine. There are NO other greys here. We had a bit of an altercation once, when I brought a grey in for stitches, and he was going to "knock her out"... and I asked with what. Sorry- informed patient - and - when he told me what he'd use - I said no. Too strong. So - we had a bad incident.... the treatment went fine with a MUCH lesser dose... but thank god for an informed person. But - he thinks I had a chip on my shoulder and told him his job. But - the next time I took my dogs there for shots ---- he did nothing but RAVE about how wonderful they looked, in such good shape (he sees a LOT of fat dogs)....how well-behaved they are... how WONDERFUL it was that I adopted these dogs....blah....blah...blah..... I think his partner had a "chat" with him.

 

So - I've got a 50/50 chance of drawing a vet I'm comfortable with tomorrow. And - NO - I DON'T get to express a preference. This is a SMALL town. There are 2 vets in the office - and 1 is out on "calls" for horses and cows.

 

So - I'm a little nervous. I'm worried about what the heck is wrong with foster, and I'm going in with a good amount of info - I've asked here, and done research eslewhere...... and have some thoughts. I do not have an answer....but....whichever vet I get - I'm going to ask EVERY question I've come up with.

 

So - please cross ALL fingers and paws for my foster tomorrow.....I hope it's nothing serious, and I just missed something obvious.

[Guest snowberry]

Fingers duly crossed - but even a non-grey-savvy vet would notice a heart murmur, I'm sure. Hope it all goes well for you.

[Guest brooke]

i had the same problem with my grey. started out with hacking without anything coming out. spoke to a vet and he just wanted to "watch it". well, it got worse over the years and now i actually have chronic vomiting issues and the vet wants to do very costly testing. hope all works out for you. changed his diet and began meds for now. good luck to you.

[Guest ArchiesMom]

I don't know if I should even post this since I don't want t alarm you, and it probably has nothing to do with your dog's problem, but just in case...

 

Our grey Archie did the same thing you're describing for about 6 months before he died. It was definitely not reverse sneezing now that I've seen the video, more like a hairball hack like maybe he had a hair stuck in his throat. Nothing EVER came up. I don't have a video camera and he never did it at the vet's office, so she and a specialist both just guessed that maybe it was post-nasal drip or something.

 

But, along with the hacking he also had intermittent nose bleeds that got better with antibiotics then came back again, and also elevated pancreatic enzymes. An ultrasound of his pancreas this past December showed nothing abnormal, and he had no cancer indicators in his blood tests, but on January 31st he died very suddenly, and the vet said she found two large masses in his pancreas. We didn't have him autopsied, but we're assuming it was pancreatic cancer.

 

I have no idea if the hacking and the nosebleeds and the pancreas problem were related or not, but it's a possibility.

 

I'm hoping your dog is fine and it's nothing serious.

[RobinM]

What did the vet say?

[sobesmom]

I got the good vet! (the other is a good vet, too - I just like and trust one more than the other).

 

She feel's that he's got an upper respiratory infection. Probably not bordetella, but one of many others.

 

So - antibiotics and a cough suppressant for 7 days - and we'll see how it goes. He seems to have reduced coughing already! Hopefully my dogs haven't caught it, but we'll know soon.

 

And - he's gained 5 lb in the 8 weeks he's been here.

 

[RobinM]

YAY!

[sobesmom]

YAY!

 

Thanks! I probably sound silly now....but I really was VERY worrried. I've never had a dog cough. I even told my adoption rep, via email, when I was getting her advice/approval to vet.. for the issue.... that I felt terrible that a foster was sick on MY WATCH!!!

 

Her response- thanks for taking care of it.

 

Thank you to everyone - I mentioned many things that I read here to the vet- and I really think that it made for a better diagnosis and treatment for Wiz.

 

BTW- he seems to be improving already! Of course he needs the full course of antibiotics.... but the cough suppressant at least is making him MUCH more comfortable.