My dog spit out liquid from syringe. Should I worry about aspiration?

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!

It is possible she may have aspirated a small amount into her lungs. Monitor for continued coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge or lethargy. If enough was aspirated, the potential for pneumonia exists. A small syringe should be used instead of a spoon. You can slowly squirt the syrup in the side of her mouth and allow time for swallowing to prevent aspiration.

It sounds like you will have to try and hide it in something that is strong smelling such as tuna juice. If that still doesn't work, then ask your vet to prescribe this in pill form. It may need to be sent to a compounding pharmacy in order to get the pill version. And typically if a pet spits out the medication there is no harm for aspiration. ONly when the pet chokes on it, which usually happens when we try to force the medication down. Also when a pet vomits it back up, there is small risk of aspiration. Just continue to monitor for any coughing, fever, or decreased appetite if you have concerns about this. I hope that you are able to get Chutki's medication down her soon. Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for more information about Moon. If he has been coughing and you are concerned that the medication has gone down his lungs, yes, I would take him into a vet. It could cause aspiration pneumonia if it did go down his lungs. If Moon is eating, drinking, and is otherwise normal, you can wait until the morning to have him seen by a vet. If he isn't eating or drinking, and/or is very lethargic, have him seen by an ER vet now. Best of luck.

I would take Jebediah into a vet now. If he aspirated cough syrup, this could potentially lead to aspiration pneumonia. It is concerning his breathing sounds wet, and that is something that needs to be checked out by a vet. Best of luck.

What you're doing is correct. You can also try placing the dosing syringe inside Russo's cheek and squirting it in. As long as he is not spitting a lot of the liquid back out you should be fine. Good luck and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It should be just fine as long as there is no underlying condition to cause the aspiration. The most common being megaesophagus which will be a battle it’s whole life and require special needs for eating. If it was just a fluke on aspirating milk for one reason or another And has bounced back then it would be just fine