My dog ate wood chips and is coughing. Should I go to the vet?

Hacking cough can be related to upper airways infection (kennel cough-type infections) or inflammation of the throat from a wound or foreign body. It is possible that Baylle has throat infection and because of that she is coughing a lot. However, she may have a wound from chewing wood, or a piece of grass at the back of her throat which irritates the throat and makes her cough. I would recommend you to take Baylle to your local vet for an appointment. Your vet may suggest to examine her throat under sedation to make sure thare is no foreign material or a wound from chewing wood there.

Sounds like your dog did one of the following: inhaled something into his lungs, got something stuck in his esophagus, or ingested something that scraped up the esophagus on the way down causing irritation and pain. In order to differentiate between the three of these possibility, a physical exam and x-rays would be needed. If you feel Meeko is stable (based on his continued appetite and thirst I would say he most probably is), it wouldn't hurt to see if this is something that will resolve on its own in the next 24 hours. If something just scratch the lining of the esophagus it is going to be a little painful and inflamed for the next day or two. If you do decide to take him into the vet, he would likely benefit from a anti-inflammatory and/or pain medication to alleviate any discomfort he may be feeling. Hope this makes sense.

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.

It's pretty rare that dogs actually get something stuck in the back of the throat. More likely her throat is irritated, or she has an infection like kennel cough. If the cough continues I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian: while it's difficult to see the very back of a dog's throat without sedation, your vet can help determine what is causing the cough.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If he inhaled grass blades in his nose, this could contribute to the signs you are seeing. He may also have some grass or another foreign object lodged in his esophagus. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Chuck so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I wouldn't wait too long because if there is something stuck and it goes unaddressed, it could potentially become a serious problem. 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.

I am so sorry about Zelda’s cough. It is possible a piece of bark has become lodged in her throat, or that the chewing merely inflamed her throat causing a cough. I would monitor her closely for the next few hours, offer her only water and keep her calm. If the cough worsens, she seems in pain or distressed I would take her to the vet immediately. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm sorry your dog is having this issue. Kennel cough is typically a dry, almost "honking" cough that can produce a white foamy/mucus substance- they can cough so hard it causes a gag reflex. It usually starts at one time of day and then gets worse and more frequent. Do you have other dogs in your home or neighbor dogs that play with your dog? If so, are they gagging or coughing? Kennel cough is very contagious thus can spread to other dogs in close contact. If you are noticing this, I would contact your vet so they can determine if your dog needs an antibiotic. Some other possibilities for what you are noticing are other respiratory infections, allergies and/or a reverse sneeze or there may be something stuck in your dogs throat (like a grass seed or part of a rawhide chew). Also, some dogs can simply drink too fast especially when it's very hot- this can cause some water to go down "the wrong pipe" and then a gag response. If your dog continues to gag or, especially if the gag becomes more frequent or severe, I would take him back to your vet. Your vet can listen to your dog's lungs for sounds of infection and may want to take a chest X-ray as a next step in working this up. I hope your dog feels better soon!