Why is my dog hacking and gagging but the vet says he's fine?

If Brody exhibits this gagging and retching behavior consistently (without stopping) then I would recommend taking him in to be examined by your veterinarian. If there is something stuck in the throat or the back of the mouth the behavior will be continuous until whatever is stuck is removed. If this behavior is only intermittent and/or only occurred the one time then I would not be too concerned. Brody could have swallowed something wrong or could be suffering from allergies or the beginning of a respiratory infection. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Chronic heaving / gagging can be caused by problems with larynx or trachea, like laryngeal paralysis, chronic infection / inflammation, laryngeal mass, mass on the neck and more. A visit at your local vets is recommended to establish diagnosis and implement treatment as required. Your vet may want to examine the throat under sedation and/or take radiographs of the neck and chest.

I think it may be time to consider a specialist. I'm not sure if the vet has done a recent x-ray of Mumchie's chest, but I would be concerned his symptoms could be due to heart disease. That can be common in older dogs. Seeing a specialist may give you some answers. Best of luck.

Poor Max! I agree that this sounds as if he has something either lodged in his mouth (typically the roof of the mouth) or further down his respiratory tract. Open his mouth carefully and look to see if you can visualize anything there first. If you don't see anything and he continues this behavior for more than an hour or so, then it's time to get him examined by your local vet. If he continues to comit uncontrollably (once or more an hour), then he needs to go to the ER vet right away! At that point, radiographs taken of his upper airway would be the ideal diagnostic test to finding out what is truly going on there, and what specific treatment or intervention is needed to help poor Max out and get him some relief right away.

That is somewhat unusual to see persistent gagging. You may check with your veterinarian to ask if they have checked his soft palate. Elongation in the soft palate can cause gagging. Allergies causing irritation to the throat can also cause gagging. Esophageal abnormalities are very uncommon but they can also present as gagging. I recommend to call your veterinarian and ask what diagnostics have been done and what else may be indicated. Best of luck.

It sounds like Maximus may have a respiratory infection such as kennel cough, which often causes coughing and gagging without anything coming up. Or, he could be feeling nauseous and trying to vomit - if his stomach is empty, sometimes this gagging can be non-productive. If he is acting normal otherwise and this problem just started today, you can try withholding food for the rest of the day and offering a small amount of plain boiled chicken and rice this evening to help settle his stomach. If this doesn't help, or if he continues to have repeated episodes of coughing or gagging throughout the day, then I would recommend having him examined by a vet - he/she can determine whether Maximus has a respiratory infection or a stomach problem and get him started on appropriate medication to treat it.