jetcitywoman Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 For about the last week Capri has been coughing and gagging several times a day. Not like she's choking, more like a tickle in her throat sort of thing. She'll do it after she's been resting/sleeping so it's not induced by exercise. And she does it on an empty stomach so it's not like she's choking on anything. Can dogs get acid reflux? Any other ideas? It doesn't seem to bother her except for the momentary discomfort, but it's been chronic for about a week now and I'm thinking of taking her to the vet. But if a post on GT can save me the cost of xrays or endoscopic surgery or whatever... why not? Or at least help me narrow down the possibilities to ask the vet about. Quote Sharon, Loki, Freyja, Capri (bridge angel and most beloved heart dog), Ajax (bridge angel) and Sweetie Pie (cat) Visit Hound-Safe.com by Something Special Pet Supplies for muzzles and other dog safety products Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greytbookert Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 hmmm, could be a cold, I guess but if it were me, I would go to the vet since it has been a week. How old is Capri? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MnMDogs Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 It could be reflux - may want to check with your vet to get his/her recommendation for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greystoked Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Our Sweetie does that from time to time. I figured out he was getting on of the many thick, long hairs shed by his human Mom!!! Seriously, it's like dog and woman are in competition to start shedding their Winter coats. I've tried to tell her, going bald solves many problems, but she's got some hairy genes in her. Apparently a hair will get tangled/caught on a toof, especially after having a PB lick. Leading to these embarrassingly strange poses as the poor creature stretches his neck forward, bends down slightly, and lets loose a series of grraaphhick gags. Sounds like an 80-pound cat hacking up a hairball, honestly, it's enough to gag a maggot. A quick toof brushing will take care of it, if that is the case with your pupper. Worth checking first, as relief (cessation of symptom) is pretty much immediate. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedFawnMom Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Does she wear a martingale (rather than a harness), and is she a puller? Or do you ever grab onto her tag collar? A couple of times, I've had to grab Lucy by her tag collar to keep her from darting out the door when someone is coming in, and if she's pulling really hard against me, she'll make a similar kind of noise for a couple of days after, I think due to irritation of the windpipe. A friend's IG had a chronic "cough" that went away soon after they put him in a harness instead of a collar (he was a puller). Quote Always missing our angel Lucy, a four year osteo survivor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetcitywoman Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 hmmm, could be a cold, I guess but if it were me, I would go to the vet since it has been a week. How old is Capri? She's about to turn 7. Healthy and happy other than this odd gagging. Does she wear a martingale (rather than a harness), and is she a puller? Or do you ever grab onto her tag collar? A couple of times, I've had to grab Lucy by her tag collar to keep her from darting out the door when someone is coming in, and if she's pulling really hard against me, she'll make a similar kind of noise for a couple of days after, I think due to irritation of the windpipe. A friend's IG had a chronic "cough" that went away soon after they put him in a harness instead of a collar (he was a puller). Nope, she's soooo good on lead that no matter how much I give her there is slack hanging down. I rarely grab her by the collar and when I do I'm ultra gentle and let go as soon as she starts going where I want her. She does get her teeth brushed every night. I think tonight I'll grab a flashlight and peek around in there and see if there's a hair or something. And if not, then we'll take her to the vet. Thanks everybody. Sounds like an 80-pound cat hacking up a hairball, honestly, it's enough to gag a maggot. Exactly, if she was a cat I wouldn't worry because she looks and sounds like she's trying to puke a hairball. Quote Sharon, Loki, Freyja, Capri (bridge angel and most beloved heart dog), Ajax (bridge angel) and Sweetie Pie (cat) Visit Hound-Safe.com by Something Special Pet Supplies for muzzles and other dog safety products Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Mine will do that while grooming themselves. I think they get hair caught in their throats. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spencers_Greyt Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Maybe it's reverse sneezing - a lot of times that sounds like choking. You can do a search on it here and see if that's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheila Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 here is a video of a dog doing the reverse sneezing thing. How does it compare to what you are seeing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetcitywoman Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Nope, not reverse sneezing. If you've seen a cat hork up a hairball, that's what she does. I took her to the doc this morning. Her heart, temp and lungs were all normal, so the vet thinks it's just a touch of kennel cough. We'll give her Doxycycline for a week or so. We'd let her bordatella vax expire because we didn't plan on boarding her any time soon. But now I'm thinking we'll get it caught up and keep it up. I do take her to meet and greets, and I think any exposure to strange dogs carries risk of bordatella, right? Not just prolonged exposure, but also quick incidental. If I understand right, it's an airborn contagion a lot like our human cold virus. Quote Sharon, Loki, Freyja, Capri (bridge angel and most beloved heart dog), Ajax (bridge angel) and Sweetie Pie (cat) Visit Hound-Safe.com by Something Special Pet Supplies for muzzles and other dog safety products Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest d0ggiem0mma Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) I personally don't think the protection is worth the over vaccination. Bordatella vaccines are tough on my pups and kennel cough is nothing more than a simple cold! We stopped doing that vaccine a couple years ago and haven't had any problems despite the constant stream of foster dogs through my house. Just my $.02 Also, I'm not a giant fan of using antibiotics to treat very minor kennel cough. The illness is generally self-limiting and usually resolves in about 2 weeks w/o treatment. The doxy doesn't seem to make it resolve any faster either... but the over use of antibiotics is to blame for all the super bugs we now have! Edited February 12, 2011 by d0ggiem0mma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vjui Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I know that it has been a few weeks since anyone has posted in this thread. By coincidence, my 8 year old grey, Nico is doing the same thing. I always thought he occasionally got a "hairball" caught in his throat, but today I came home from work to find him agitated, gagging, lip smacking and coughing. I took a video with my iPhone and uploaded it to my vet. He does not think it is kennel cough. He thinks its more a throat irritation. Afterhe gave me some ideas for OTC meds, I took Nico out for a walk. Wouldn't you know it? He started chomping on grass like a cow. Another call into the vet. He seemed to think it was a GI upset or something. He advised me remotely about bloat. So, as of right now, Nico is resting quietly with only occasional gagging. I'll keep you all posted if I can get to the bottom of this. Thanks for the idea about looking in his mouth for hair--I'll check that out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I will tell you that when Poodle started doing this, especially during and shortly after sleep they looked for congestive heart failure. He had a strong 3 of 5 murmer but they didn't think that was it. Now they have decided that his trachea is collapsing but I think that is more common in smaller dogs (especially poodles). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF_in_Georgia Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Silver had a frequent cough. The vet was inclined to attribute it to seasonal allergies. It progressed to full-blown bronchitis, though, so she's on antibiotics--and Benadryl every day. Pollen counts today are 8.8 out of 12 in Marietta. And Virginia is having some medium-high pollen counts, too. Quote Kathy and Q (CRT Qadeer from Fuzzy's Cannon and CRT Bonnie) and Jane (WW's Aunt Jane from Trent Lee and Aunt M); photos to come. Missing Silver (5.19.2005-10.27.2016), Tigger (4.5.2007-3.18.2016), darling Sam (5.10.2000-8.8.2013), Jacey-Kasey (5.19.2003-8.22.2011), and Oreo (1997-3.30.2006) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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