Dog choked/vomited. When do aspiration pneumonia symptoms appear?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Roxie. You don't need to worry about signs of aspiration in this case. If any of the medication had gotten into her trachea, she would have immediately started coughing. Think about how you react if liquids or food go down the wrong pipe. You start coughing forcefully right away, and a dog would do the same. Since she is fine, it didn't happen. I hope this helps!

Pneumonia isn't guaranteed if milk is aspirated once, but it can happen and it would take a few days for it to develop. I would continue to monitor him, and should his breathing become raspy, his appetite decreases, or he become lethargic, I would take him into the vet right away.

This presentation associated with pneumonia is quite concerning as it could be the result of an aspiration pneumonia. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Patton vomited today. If he is making some abnormal breathing sounds, it is possible that he could have aspirated (breathed some of the fluid into his lungs). This can lead to aspiration pneumonia, which can make dogs very sick. He may have some inflammation of his esophagus or his palate that is causing him to make a snorting noise, or he could even have something that is partially obstructing his airway. I would monitor Patton closely for any changes in behavior such as excessive lethargy or anorexia, or continued vomiting or diarrhea. Also watch for changes to his breathing effort - if he appears to be using his belly to help him breathe, this could be a sign of lung disease such as pneumonia and he should be seen by a veterinarian right away. If his snorting noise does not resolve on it's own over the next 24-48 hours, or if he develops any other clinical signs, I would have him evaluated by a veterinarian. They may recommend bloodwork and/or x-rays to look for evidence of lung disease. I hope this is helpful!

He likely aspirated some food. If it's just one day of hacking, then it's OK to wait and see if it clears in the next day or two. However, we always worry about aspiration pneumonia, which can be more serious. If the hacking persists for more than two days and is not getting better, then it's best to take him to the vet. If your dog has always done this, then I would not be too worried about a condition causing him to gag when eating. However, if this gagging is recent (within the last year), then I would get him checked-out by a vet. I'm particularly concerned about laryngeal paralysis, which can happen in older dogs and cause them to aspirate their food and water. I hope that helps and Anubis gets better soon.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This could be secondary to an allergy, a reverse sneeze or coughing. I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. A thorough examination will help rule out multiple causes and even considering having x-rays performed would help rule out multiple causes. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor baby! Thank goodness she is alright. My biggest concern is that she may have aspirated some of the crumbs and could be developing aspiration pneumonia. Yes, she has been through some trauma, but I would expect her to perk back up pretty quickly. If she isn't starting to feel better within 24 hours of the event, I would strongly recommend have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to determine if she has any other issues and get her started on the proper meds before she gets worse. I hope this helps!