My older dog chokes on food and coughs. When should I see a vet?

Aww Marty is so handsome!! So part of this equation is how often is this happening? Is it just once or twice a week? In that case, I’m in the camp of “continue to watch and wait”. If this is daily or multiple times a day some further investigation is needed. You need to discuss the following with your vet but some possible next steps include: Recheck X-rays if it has been 3 months or more since his last set. If not done before, also include views of the neck as sometimes a mass in the throat or neck can cause this. Testing for locally occurring fungal diseases if applicable and/or trial treatment with an antifungal medication. Trial treatment with a short course of steroids. CT scan if available in your area. Sedated/anesthetized laryngeal exam. Best wishes to you and Marty!

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.

She may indeed have a wood chip lodged in her mouth or throat somewhere but since she is drinking and eating without problem I think there may be another cause for the gagging and coughing, Your dog may be suffering from kennel cough or another upper respiratory condition which also causes this kind of coughing and gagging. or she may have an infection in her throat. If the coughing/gagging does not subside by tomorrow take Leica to your vet for an exam.

Oli may be eating to fast. You can try purchasing a puzzle feeder dish (they are available on Amazon.com) with ridges in it that slow down eating and drinking if used as food and water bowls. If this doesn’t resolve the coughing/gagging, and he coughs/gags with canned puppy food as well, it is possible that he may have a condition called megaesophagus where the food doesn’t move down his esophagus normally. Your vet can take X-rays of his neck/chest to diagnose this if slowing down his eating/feeding him small amounts at a time or trying canned food as well does not help. Good luck! He must be adorable!!!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sampson. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. There is the potential that he is choking on a portion of the plastic bag. He could also be experiencing an upper respiratory tract infection that is characterized by a hacking gagging cough. Some dogs will hack up a white foamy material. His veterinarian should be able to differentiate between these scenarios given his exam findings. I hope this information helps!

Coughing can be a respiratory issue, heart disease, foreign body in his throat, laryngeal paralysis etc. I would recommend Jack Beck see a vet especially if it seems to be tiring him out. He needs an exam and possibly X-rays

Thank you for your questions about Bindi. Some older dogs can develop a gagging/coughing after eating or drinking possibly due to fibrosing of the soft tissue but I'm not sure that an exact cause is identified. Since there can be many causes of coughing and gagging in general, having Bindi examined by her veterinarian will just make sure that everything sounds and feels normal. I do not suspect the gulping of the food causes the coughing. The weight can contribute to breathing difficulty (as well as other health issues) but I wouldn't pin all the signs on just her excess weight. Certainly getting her weight to a healthy level is better for her in general. There are special bowls you can find that have large, tower like objects build into the bowl that force the pet to eat around them and slows things down. Dog food that has a doughnut shaped kibble can also slow down eating. Try a special bowl in combo with the special shaped kibble. I hope this helps to lead you in the right direction. Please post with any additional questions!