Padfootx13 Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Another time to ask the wonderful GT members for advice! For the past week or so, Padfoot has been occasionally making noises that to me sound like when a person is hacking phlem. It seems to happen most often when he gets excited (after he's had a zoom around our apartment when we get home from work or when I go into the cupboard that has his food/treats in it) and is usually followed by a couple seconds of hacking/gagging where nothing comes up. He acts like nothing is wrong afterwards but it gives us a scare when it happens. Do you think it calls for a vet visit? Thank you in advance for any advice! Quote Padfoot the greyhound fr. Coach Venom, Joined his forever family: 10-1-13 Lupin the galgo, Joined his forever family: 7-18-14And the reptiles: Bernie the Bearded Dragon and Tonks the Russian Tortoise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RMarie Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I think that's normal. James does that after he's gotten excited and done zoomies. I know I start coughing after I break up phlegm from laughing too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramonaghan Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Happens here too. Sweep does it when she's excited about treats or going for a ride. Quote Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig. Missing gentlemen kitties Mud, Henry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly Sweep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Maybe could be reverse sneezing. I think there are some videos of it on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 My girl, Venus, would reverse sneeze when she got really excited. However, it never ended in a cough. What gives me a bit of pause is the comment of this happening after zooming around. I think if this is new for Padfoot it may not be a bad idea to schedule a vet visit. This certainly doesn't sound like an emergency but to me it'd be worth the price of the exam to make sure the vet doesn't find something obvious. After that it can just be a wait & see thing. Hopefully it then just becomes the new normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wasserbuffel Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Sounds like reverse sneezing to me too. Jayne does it all the time when she's excited for a treat. It's like she's choking on something before we even give it to her. Scared us a first, but now we just tell her, "Don't die" and wait until she stops to give her the treat she's sneezing for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustyroo Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 No need for a trip to the vet. This is common. Mine do this too. Quote Jodie D (hope to have another grey name her soon) Missing my Bridge Babies: Rusty (Cut a Rusty) 10/18/95-06/09/09 Solo (Tali Solo Nino) 01/10/98-03/25/10 Franny (Frohmader) 02/28/04-08/31/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clawsandpaws Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Like Kudzu, the fact that it happens after exercise/excitement would make me nervous. Dudley has gagged after running around before, but I have never heard even the kennel hounds doing what other people have experienced. When was the last time he was tested for heartworm? Chances are it's nothing, but I am one of those worry-warts, especially with a new behavior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighsayer Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Has it just been since the weather got cold? I have mild asthma and do that cough thing after exercise in the cold. Check out some videos of reverse sneezing. If that isn't it, and this is new behavior, you might want to check with your vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiRayMom Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Desi does this occasionally.....here's my take on it; he gets excited, forgets to swallow his spit, then takes a big inhale, & sucks some slobber down the wrong pipe, then has to hack it out. Works for us. Quote Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LazyBlaze Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I think if this has only just started to happen I would ask the vet to check/sound out his chest, just to be on the ultra-safe side. My old dog (non grey) had an excitement-related cough that did turn out to be a tumour on the lung, so it wouldn't hurt to check. It does sound from what everyone else is saying though that this is quite common in greys, and is most likely nothing to worry about. Padfoot is a great name by the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padfootx13 Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share Posted December 12, 2013 Like Kudzu, the fact that it happens after exercise/excitement would make me nervous. Dudley has gagged after running around before, but I have never heard even the kennel hounds doing what other people have experienced. When was the last time he was tested for heartworm? Chances are it's nothing, but I am one of those worry-warts, especially with a new behavior His heartworm test was negative when the adoption group took him in August and we have been giving him his heartworm medicine since we got him in October. I agree about the worry-wart mindset--I tend to worry about anything that might be different in his behavior, especially since he's our first dog. And reverse sneezing--ha! I had never heard of that before but looking at the YT videos it looks and sounds pretty similar to what he's doing. I think we will keep an eye on it for now and if it continues or anything changes will take a trip to the vet (thanks for all the great advice!). It is something that started up more when the weather turned cold so it could be related to that...or the dryness since it seems to be a bit better when the humidifier is on... Padfoot is a great name by the way! Thanks! Quote Padfoot the greyhound fr. Coach Venom, Joined his forever family: 10-1-13 Lupin the galgo, Joined his forever family: 7-18-14And the reptiles: Bernie the Bearded Dragon and Tonks the Russian Tortoise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Some heart problem was the first thing that went through my mind when you mention cough after exercise. Am not saying that's what it is but that is why I suggested a vet visit wouldn't be out of line if this is a new issue.Every dog I've had with kennel cough does something like reverse sneezing ending with loud throat clearing. If that is what your dog is doing then it might be kennel cough. If I have an otherwise healthy dog who gets kennel cough I normally do not seek vet treatment as long as it doesn't get worse & improves in a few days. My parent's dog does a lot of reverse sneezing related to allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cometdust1 Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Desi does this occasionally.....here's my take on it; he gets excited, forgets to swallow his spit, then takes a big inhale, & sucks some slobber down the wrong pipe, then has to hack it out. Works for us. Sounds reasonable to me . That's what I figured my dogs do. Heck, I do it myself sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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