Choking, Hacking? Urgent Urgent

[HugoDoogoEbblePebble]

Hello all!

I'm just writing on here to ask for some advice. My 2 year old toy poodle Ebony started making this unusual 'hacking' (not really a cough) a few hours ago. It does not happen ALL the time but I've noticed if she sits on the couch a funny way or just randomly it will happen. It is not a cough, but looks like she is trying to get something out of her throat (like a cat with a hairball) and sounds a bit like a goose (literally) when she does it.

Other then that she is eating, drinking, playing and pooping/weeing properly. She seems like herself in every respect, but I'm a little concerned!!!

Just a note: I gave her half a charcoal tablet around the time it started but this is a usual occurance and it went down fine. Could it be lodged in her throat perhaps? It will dissolve but still.

Thanks guys! Please let me know if this is something a vet should be looking at.

[Andisa]

Sounds like she is reverse sneezing. Have a read through this. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/205156-reverse-sneezing-explained/

[HugoDoogoEbblePebble]

Oh wow, that sounds like a good diagnosis. She's asleep now and it's stopped, I was just worried it was something worth worrying about. Thanks for this info!

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

If she starts to have trouble breathing and starts drooling excessively - she could have something lodged in the airway.

If the cough gets worse with exercise - it could be kennel cough (even if she's vax against).

If she's having trouble breathing - I'd be taking her to emergency vet ASAP.

If it's kennel cough it could also be serious - but you could probaby wait till morning (and definitely warn the vet so your dog can be kept separate from others). But if she stops being "her normal self" - then maybe not wait.

Note - I am not a vet - and there might be other possibilities.

[HugoDoogoEbblePebble]

I will monitor her and make sure it doesn't change, but thanks for letting me know of the signs.

Eeek animals always are giving me stress!

[zeebie]

My poodle pup does this exact same thing every so often they do seem to have a cat like gag when trying to dislodge something.Possibly a small crumble fromthe charcoal tablet has lined her throat and caused this whenever I am giving a tblet of any sort to either dog I always put a small coating of honey or oil on them to make sure they stay intact until down the oesophagus so no chance of dissolving on back of tongue or in throat.

[luvsdogs]

My Japanese Spitz does this quite often. He pulls on my Border Collie's tail & neck so swallows her hair. He then does the hacking noise & will bring up hair balls.

[mumof4girls]

Rogue had a bought of reverse sneezing' scared the life out of me I rushed him to the vet.. I had never heard of this before..

[cavNrott]

One of my Cavaliers used to reverse sneeze but he seems to have grown out of the problem. I used to put my finger in his mouth and gently depress the back of his tongue, that would stop it instantly.

[Starkehre]

Sounds like she is reverse sneezing. Have a read through this. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/205156-reverse-sneezing-explained/

+1

Some dogs reverse sneeze more often in allergy times of the year, so now is the time they might start if they are that way inclined.

[piper]

Sounds like she is reverse sneezing. Have a read through this. http://www.dolforums...zing-explained/

+1

Some dogs reverse sneeze more often in allergy times of the year, so now is the time they might start if they are that way inclined.

Yep, our beagle went through months of this last spring/summer and spent most of that time on antihistamines and at times cortisone when it was really bad. As soon as Autumn started it went away.

Years ago 1 of my old border collies would do it when he had tonsilitis.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

My dog is always hacking up kibble she didn't eat properly the first time. Sometimes I rub her neck, I think this helps.

I once saved a horse who decided to inhale a piece of apple (he was very greedy). He lay down to die, I made him get up, and rubbed along the bottom of his neck (wind pipe) got the apple loose and all was good. We got the horse dentist in for him tho - cos the whole thing scared me.

The pink worming tablets - I coat in peanut paste then insert the whole gooey mess inside a piece of sardine. She doesn't bother chewing that for some reason. Just swallows it whole.

[Akay]

When my dog's have done this hacking cough like they are clearing their throat, or as you say, coughing up a furball, it is because of a fairly well progressed heart murmur. I have had two dogs with it. My current dog is a rescue and I heard him do it and I knew he had a heart murmur without even having to go to the vet. It does happen periodically and it can happen when they're on their back or somehow putting pressure on the trachea. I think I read that their heart gets bigger and puts pressure on the trachea. If this ends up being the diagnosis, I noticed that it was worse when the dog at dry food as it caused him to drink more and retain fluid, thus bloating the stomach somewhat,leaving less space for the heart and putting more pressure on the trachea. When I switched to a raw diet, much lower in salt, the dog was a hell of a lot more comfortable. I hope this isn't what is happening to your dog, but it's definitely worth investigating.

[Akay]

I just re-read your post... and if that goose sound happens a few times, then followed by the hack then it sounds exactly like what my dog's had. So it kind of goes - goose sound, goose sound, goose sound - HACK CK CK! I don't know if that makes sense, I can do it really well in person!!