My 8-week-old puppy chokes eating dry food. Is this normal?

Some puppies can make noises while they eat, which can be normal, and if Bojangles is eating too quickly he could be choking a little which is causing the gag. Trying to get him to slow down in his eating and drinking with a slow-down bowl (or placing a few tennis balls in the bowl) or feeding smaller meals more frequently may help. If he is choking a lot, acting like he can't breathe or is painful, is vomiting or can't keep anything down, or seems in distress from it, a vet visit to rule out anything is always best.

It isn’t normal for a puppy to dry heave. However it is a good sign that he is still active and eating well. He may be eating too fast and it’s getting stuck in his upper GI tract ( esophagus,stomach). He also may have a motility issue (unable to move his food along at a proper pace). You can try purchasing a maze bowl from your local pet store or online store. Also you can try feeding him canned food instead for a week or two to see if this makes a difference. Feeding him smaller portions more frequently throughout the day may also help. If he is still dry heaving after a week or two of trying these suggestions, then it’s best to have him seen by your vet for a thorough physical exam. The vet may suggest trying him on acid reducer medication and/or promotility medication. I hope this helps and best wishes with your puppy Jasper. Take care.

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!

It's ok for Luna to have sporadic eating as long as she maintains a good body condition score and normal growth. Not every dog is a good eater. There can be many reasons for finicky eating: https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater/ My advice is to pick a high quality food and stick with it. The two brands that seem to be most palatable are Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan. Also, as long as Luna is healthy, its ok if she skips a couple meals. Dogs are smart and they often train humans to give them something else. Have her examined if illness or a medical cause is suspected. Many dogs will choke a little bit if they drink a lot of water quickly. Esophageal partial blockages or pouching could also look like this but it could be hard to diagnose without either x-rays or an endoscopic exam. I recommend to discuss your concerns with your veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

Since he is so young and this isn't the first time he has regurgitated I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Oliver. There are congenital issues that can actually cause an animal to regurgitate. Your veterinarian may want to do some chest X-rays to rule in or out these abnormalities. I would just make sure that he is actually regurgitating not vomiting since the list of differentials would be different for both. In the mean time you can try watering down Oliver's food so he has to chew it more and potentially sit him up after he eats. You can also add some wet food to the dry food to see if that helps. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, at 5 months of age the most common reason for coughing/choking is kennel cough. I suggest you get him to a vet for an exam and medications. This can progress to a pneumonia quickly and in a small 2# dog this can be extremely serious. I am very worried about this as you stated he was weak and lost his appetite. I don't suggest that you continue to perform any "first aid" for choking on a dog this small as you can easily injury him. I assure you that it is very unlikely he has something stuck in his throat. Hope this helps. Best wishes.