Why is my puppy gagging, licking lips, and making strange mouth noises?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lilo. Some dogs with an upper respiratory tract infection can cough and gag which can look like they are trying to vomit. They can even bring up a white foamy material. Some will have eye and nose discharge as well. On the other hand, if she is retching and having abdominal contractions, but not vomiting this is worrisome, especially if her abdomen appears bloated. In this case, she would need to see her veterinarian right away. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Roxxi. I do recommend that she sees a veterinarian if her symptoms do not resolve soon. What you described can be consistent with an upper respiratory tract infection. The dog will commonly cough, gag and may bring up a white foamy material. If she is not getting better, the veterinarian may need to prescribe an antibiotic. If she is not eating/drinking or acting sick, then I recommend that she be seen today. In the meantime, keep her at home as she may be contagious to other dogs. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chance. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian. If he is having abdominal contractions, this usually indicates vomiting. Regurgitation can also happen where the food passively slips up. In this case, there are not abdominal contractions and the puppy seems surprised when it happens. Finally, if a puppy has a respiratory tract infection, coughing can bring up a white foamy material or sometimes food if he gags. The veterinarian will examine him and determine which of these scenarios are occurring and how best to treat him. I hope this information helps!

Sometimes a loud productive cough like kennel cough can look really similar to vomiting in dogs do that’s one possibility. Tessie also may have retched once due to nausea if she ate something that she shouldn’t. If it doesn’t happen again I wouldn’t worry about it. If she continues or if she begins to vomit or cough I’d recommend seeing your vet.

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.

Hi there. What you're describing sounds like it might be hiccups, which are common and normal in puppies. But I can't say for sure without seeing him. I would recommend getting some video of him doing it, and showing it to your regular veterinarian at his next visit - he/she should be able to tell you if it's normal, or something to be concerned about.

It's pretty rare that dogs actually get something stuck in the back of the throat. More likely her throat is irritated, or she has an infection like kennel cough. If the cough continues I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian: while it's difficult to see the very back of a dog's throat without sedation, your vet can help determine what is causing the cough.