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Our Hound Has Been Hurking/gagging A Lot Lately...


Guest carhound

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Guest carhound

I have no idea what could be causing it. It has been going off and on for the past couple months usually after eating a meal. But lately I've noticed that it's been happening during other times of the day.

 

She is usually naked when in the house, and definitely when she is alone. So I don't think she accidentally choked herself and I'm seeing the after effects of it. She hasn't gotten into anything, and all her stuffies are intact. Every once in while (3-4) weeks I will accidentally pull on her collar too hard during a walk and she will hurk a little, but then she's fine.

 

I'm wondering if it could be a food allergy of some sort. She's been on Avoderm Salmon Meal and Potato for the longest time, but for the past 8 months we have been switching it up with the Avoderm Revolving Menu as well. We found that she can't eat the Duck version, (she licked to the point of open sore on her butt). I've seen her hurk the same way with the salmon meal as well. I don't know if this matters or not, just trying to paint a broad picture for everyone.

 

Is this anything I need to be watching more closely as it could be a sign of a bigger problem, or should I not worry about it?

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How old is she?

 

It could be acid reflex, so it might be worth trying meds for that (Pepcid or Prilosec). But if it's not happening in the right time period to be acid reflux, you might want to look up laryngeal paralysis.

 

Get a video of your girl when it's happening so you have something to show your vet. Also, vets often can scope a dog for an accurate diagnosis. (My Sam wasn't going to allow the scoping under any circumstances. He's taking Doxepin, and his problem that we think is LP is well-controlled.)

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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)

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Silver started doing this in March. Vet suspected some vocal cord paralysis and so when he had his dental in May, he checked and confirmed the partial paralysis. BUT, I wonder if it was allergies causing the hacking and such because all of it started when we moved into apartment in March and when we moved out in June we noticed all that stopped and hasn't happened since. Now, the vet said sometimes a dental will help, if the dog has bad teeth like silver, because it cleans up a lot of the bacteria. So it is possible that the dental is the reason he stopped but I really think it was allergies - something in the apartment.

<p>Kim and the hound - Rumor
Missing my angels Marlow, Silver, Holly and Lucky

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Guest elliemae421

When my boy started to do that we thought he had tonsillitis,after a week or so on antibiotics no improvement.

We were sent out to Ohio State and was determined he had squama cell carcinoma of the right tonsil,

it was removed and he has metastasis of the right lymph node. Further surgery is not an option,he is on Palladia

and doing super! We were just at Ohio state and they were super pleased!

I saw this and got concerned not to scare you but to be aware,His started as a cough as well.

There is a thread on here Just diagnosed with Squama Cell Carcinoma! Hopefully yours will be okay! :clover

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Guest greytkidsmom

We are having similar issues with one of our dogs right now. You definitely want to have your vet involved as you try to figure it out on the off chance that it is something serious like a cancer. I took a video of him with my phone and showed the vet which was a huge help.

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Could it be a reverse sneeze? Sweep does that fairly often (usually after eating/drinking too fast or getting really excited). It was definitely alarming until I figured out that's what it is! Rubbing her throat usually makes it pass quickly.

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Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly
 Sweep:heart

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I agree to consider Laryngeal Paralysis (aka: LP). Gagging when eating is common with LP. Also watch for excessive or loud panting, increasing exercise intolerance, loud breathing, and worsening symptoms in hot weather.

In a brief nutshell, a dog's throat has two "flap doors" that must open and close to enable the dog to breathe and eat. Laryngeal Paralysis is the loss of nerve/muscle functioning required to control those flap doors. LP is a progressive disease that worsens over months and years. It is not a problem to ignore because an owner could place the dog in a life-threatening situation without realizing it (e.g., allowing dog to run/play in warm weather, or lie outside in heat too long, or become too excited or stressed, etc.) LP can be easily managed for years, but eventually, LP can progress to deadly suffocation.
Signs of Laryngeal Paralysis (MSU, link below):
  • Increased noisy breathing from throat (stridor), sometimes called “roaring”, most noticeable when panting.
  • Distressed breathing, especially in hot weather, humidity, and when excited or stressed.
  • Unable to exercise as much, may sit or lie down or even collapse.
  • Bark change / hoarse bark (in about half the cases).
  • Throat-clearing, or hacking, or coughing.
  • Gagging with or without regurgitation (may or may not be associated with drinking/eating).
  • (Possible) hind-end weakness / unsteady gait (advanced cases).
  • (Possible) loss of muscle mass (advanced cases).
  • When severe, the gums may become pale or blue colored (not the normal pink color).
OP, if your Greyhound shows any of these symptoms, please alert your veterinarian. If LP is suspected, be careful to limit your hound's excessive activity. Ensure dog is inside the house in a cool, calm, stress-free environment. Avoid walking dog in warm temperatures. (Dawn/early morning is the coolest time of day to take walks, otherwise after sunset.) No running. Add water to dry kibble (if you don't already). Be careful to not allow hound to become overweight. (A healthy pet Greyhound weight is being able to see the last two ribs.) If LP is suspected, please leash walk your dog with a harness instead of a collar (to eliminate any pressure on the dog's larynx). Excessive exercise that increases heavy panting increases swelling of the dog's throat, which could potentially set an LP dog into a breathing crisis. A breathing crisis requires immediate emergency veterinary treatment with oxygen to prevent dog from suffocating to death.
Laryngeal paralysis is seen in many large dog breeds of any age (puppies, middle age, or seniors).
Laryngeal Paralysis links:

 

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