My dog choked on a treat. Was it too big or did she eat too fast?

Not sure why he is choking, but a physical examination and oral exam by your vet may reveal some abnormalities and answers as to why this is happening. However if he is not choking while eating his dry kibble food, then I wouldn't be too concerned about an abnormality being present. I would just recommend that you refrain from continuing to give him the treats that he chokes on. Some pets are just too aggressive with some treats, such as raw hide bones, and instead of chewing them thoroughly, they swallow them whole resulting in choking behavior. The solution to this problem is to not give them certain types of treats that give them problems.

If Stella is eating her treats too fast, that could be causing the choking. Try giving her treats in smaller pieces, not giving her another piece until she ate the previous piece. Keep an eye on her for now with this behavior, and offer her some water. Her throat may be irritated from choking. If this behavior continues or she starts having trouble breathing, have her seen by a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Many dogs don’t chew treats or kibble. As long as she’s not having a problem then it’s nothing to be overly concerned about. I would try a variety of tiny treats, soft and hard to see if one works better so she doesn’t do this. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Stella.

Dogs don't have a preference, but you should! By that I mean you should give Chloe treats she needs to chew in several bites. If she swallows one whole that's smaller, it could cause some problems. Better for her to chew them up.

If Bruno is swallowing his treats rather than chewing them, you may want to consider offering something a little smaller and more easily digestible. I advise this in an attempt to make Bruno avoid swallowing something that is too large to pass through the GI tract. When this happens and something is unable to pass through the stomach, objects sometimes require surgical removal. Even worse is when an object can pass through the stomach but gets caught within the intestines. There is nothing wrong with offering treats to Bruno. But as I said, reduce the size and toughness for the time being until he gets a little bit older.

I think it is unlikely that he has treat stuck in his throat. This happens very, very rarely and honestly, in 25 years I have never seen this happen. It would only really happen if there was a motility disorder with his esophagus. The esophagus could be irritated if the treat went down "sideways", sure, but based on his age and your description of the clinical signs, my best guess is that he has kennel cough. It is probably just coincidence that the coughing episodes started with the treat ingestion. I suggest you get him to your vet for an exam. If he has kennel cough he is contagious to other dogs. ( https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/kennel-cough/ )

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No it isn't bad. too many treats can cause obesity so using smaller pieces helps prevent too many calories as treats. I would just have them eat them slower bu holding the piece in between your fingers for him to nibble and lick then release it. Hopefully slowing it down will prevent gagging from swallowing the treats too quickly. I hope this helps!