Why is my dog making swallowing sounds and spitting up frequently?

The most common reason that dogs will have exaggerated swallowing without any obvious reason is if they have irritation in their esophagus. This can occur from a number of reasons. Sometimes these dogs have had an episode of vomiting that has irritated the esophagus or sometimes they have some acid reflux from their stomach into the esophagus which is irritating the esophagus. Since it has been going on for 3 months, it is worth having your vet evaluate it. I would recommend taking a video of an episode for your vet to see during the appointment time. Your vet may recommend an acid reducer like Pepcid or Prilosec or may recommend a prescription medication to coat the esophagus like Sucralfate. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Patton vomited today. If he is making some abnormal breathing sounds, it is possible that he could have aspirated (breathed some of the fluid into his lungs). This can lead to aspiration pneumonia, which can make dogs very sick. He may have some inflammation of his esophagus or his palate that is causing him to make a snorting noise, or he could even have something that is partially obstructing his airway. I would monitor Patton closely for any changes in behavior such as excessive lethargy or anorexia, or continued vomiting or diarrhea. Also watch for changes to his breathing effort - if he appears to be using his belly to help him breathe, this could be a sign of lung disease such as pneumonia and he should be seen by a veterinarian right away. If his snorting noise does not resolve on it's own over the next 24-48 hours, or if he develops any other clinical signs, I would have him evaluated by a veterinarian. They may recommend bloodwork and/or x-rays to look for evidence of lung disease. I hope this is helpful!

I would need to actually see it to understand what you mean as this could be an attempt to throw up or coughing, both can look and sound very similar. if it carries on and doesn't stop you will need to take him to your vet to get it checked.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This could be secondary to an allergy, a reverse sneeze or coughing. I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. A thorough examination will help rule out multiple causes and even considering having x-rays performed would help rule out multiple causes. 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.

It sounds like he could be having some nausea. It could be related to the change in food but if it continues than he should be examined by your vet to determine the cause and then prescribe medications to treat. He may need an antacid or an anti-nausea medication. You could also add a probiotic, like Proviable or Fortiflora to his diet and see if that helps.

If it is an occasional occurrence then it may be nothing abnormal but if he is doing it frequently then he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have a respiratory infection and/or inflammation and need an antibiotic and and anti-inflammatory to treat.

Puppies are notorious for swallowing anything that crosses their path. They don't have hands, so they explore everything with their mouths. He may have swallowed something that is stuck, there may even be a piece of string looped around the base of his tongue. Hopefully your vet did a thorough oral examination, including lifting the tongue in order to see underneath. This area is very hard to see and string can hide there very easily. It could be a long human hair that is bothering him. If you find string, thread or hair in his mouth that goes down his throat, DO NOT PULL IT. Same goes for any you may see as he tries to defecate. NEVER pull on any linear foreign body. It could be looped around some soft tissue out of sight and you will cause more damage. Any stringlike material caught around the tongue should be cut with a pair of safety scissors and allowed to go on down. If this happens, let your vet know what is going on and if he develops any other symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite, get him back in to see your vet right away.