My puppy fell, hit throat, dry heaving, struggling to swallow. Is it serious?

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.

He could indeed have something stuck in his throat I strongly recommend getting him in to see your vet immediately. It sounds like he's trying to move whatever is stuck and not having much success. He needs to be seen before he hurts himself.

My concern would be that if he is having a hard time swallowing then it could progress to having a hard time breathing. Should this happen while you are sleeping it could be catastrophic. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I would be concerned that something is blocking Duke's airway making it difficult for him to breathe in. He could have sniffed in something toxic or abrasive that is now causing inflammation in the airways. I would recommend taking Duke in to be checked out by your vet first thing this morning. Your vet may recommend X-rays to assess the airways and/or sedation to be able to look thoroughly in to the mouth.

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.

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.

It sounds like whatever Chewy had stuck in his throat has passed. Since he is acting normally, keep an eye on him for now. Should that behavior start again or he stops eating, take him into a vet immediately. Best of luck.