My dog is licking lips, drooling, and coughing at night. What's wrong?

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.

The obsessive licking sounds like an anxiety issue that is likely related to the coughing. Coughing in dogs can have a variety of possible causes, including kennel cough, heart disease, lung disease, infection, etc. I would recommend that you have Bodhi examined by the vet to see what could be the cause.

It sounds like your dog was nauseous, and dogs can lick things when they are nauseous. I can give you a home remedy for the vomiting to see if that helps. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, he vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Naisha. If she continues to make the noises you described, I recommend that she sees her veterinarian today. She could be experiencing nausea that is making her retch, gag and lick her lips. Other times these noises can actually be related to an upper respiratory tract infection. The puppy will cough and gag. This can occasionally bring up a white foamy fluid. Either way she should be seen as she is such a young puppy. I hope this information helps!

Rolley's cough could be due to heart disease, infectious diseases (heartworm disease, pneumonia, etc.), chronic bronchitis, collapsing trachea, among other conditions. A cough that is significant enough to wake him up and affect his quality of life must be assessed by a vet. Rolley should have a physical exam, chest x-rays, and heartworm test as a starting point to determine the cause of his cough so that it can be treated appropriately.

I am sorry to hear about your dog. This lesion could be an insect bite, an area of bacterial or fungal infection, or growth. Without seeing it in person it is difficult to distinguish between these. The coughing is much more concerning and I would recommend having her examined as soon as possible if she is having ongoing coughing and difficulty breathing. Some conditions, such as heart disease, can cause coughing that is worse at night when the pet is laying down, so I would want to examine her, listen to her heart and lungs, and take an x-ray of her chest to determine just why she is coughing. Heart disease is not common in a 9 month old dog, but we would also want to check for things like congenital diaphragmatic hernias which could cause problems when she is laying down, or infections of the respiratory tract.

It certainly is possible that the macadamia nut shell could have caused Coco's vomiting. Licking the lips is a sign of nausea in dogs, and I can give you a home remedy to see if that helps her. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. Hopefully, this helps her feel better :-)