Choking and gagging

[JoJo]

I'm new to Cairn terriers - just got my first one about 4 months ago.  She seems to sort of choke and gag a lot - like she has something stuck in her throat and can't get it up or down.  Of course, she doesn't do it at the vet's....has anyone had a similar experience and can offer any advice?  I'm just worried about the girl and would like to eliminate whatever is causing her to do this.

[Corn Niblet]

I also have a 4 month old puppy, and an older 1 and 1/2 year old.  The only time I have ever heard the chocking and gagging is when they drink a lot of water way too fast.  I hope it will resolve on it's own for her.

[Sam I Am]

Does she eat grass? Rosie chokes and gags when she has eaten quack grass. I suspect that it irritates her throat.

[sanford]

The vet should have been able to look down her throat. Was that done? If it continues I would ask about doing some sort of scan/xray. It's probably benign... an irritation that will clear up on its own, but if it continues to cause discomfort, that alone would be a reason to investigate further and rule out something more problematic.

After an incident with Ruffy caused his collar to be violently jerked by his leash, he gagged and coughed for a few days. I was about to call the vet on the second day, but thankfully the problem cleared up on its own.

[JoJo]

Thanks for the advice.  I have been wondering about her training collar.  The vet did check her throats but didn't see anything.  She's always putting something in her mouth, grass, bugs, Little Rock's, so I'm sure its not helping.  I hope she outgrows this behavior!  I was wondering if it might be a characteristic of the shorter snout - never had a dog with one.

[Hillscreek]

Pulling on the leash attached to collar can cause this. What kind of collar are you using?

And who knows what goes down their throats which irritates. Grass eating can make them gag and even throw up.

[JoJo]

When she is outside she has a slip collar hooked with a fitted prong collar (for training).  I'm thinking about switching to a harness for when I'm not seriously working with her.  Her prong collar is not too tight and since the slip collar is hooked to it, it also isn't tight (it's just for back-up).  LOL I'm scared she's going to escape so I'm havin trouble just trusting a buckle collar.

[JoJo]

She does it quite a bit when she first gets up in the morning, and, of course, she has no collar at all during the night in her crate.  I thought it might be allergies cause she was also sneezing a lot.  But it also happens a lot when she's outside sniffing around.

[Hillscreek]

Sounds like a good arrangement for training. I did like you when training Angus when he was a youngster. So perhaps it is allergies to something inside and/or outside. What a mystery. Hope this get sorted soon- maybe as the seasons change she will change - so hard to know.

[Malcolm's Dad]

It is rare when Malcolm will eat grass in the back yard. When he does soon after I will hear a coughing or gagging sound. Then the grass comes right back up. I understand eating grass is a dog's way of soothing a sore tummy. Don't know is this is happening with your dog. Good luck and hope it resolves itself.

[bradl]

Just tossing out reverse sneezing as possibility, if not now at some point in the inevitable future … It can sound pretty alarming and depending on the dog and circumstances a bit like gagging.

More info on reverse sneezing.

This is not veterinary advice; consult your veterinarian  … Stella recently went through a bout of gagging (quite a bit louder and more 'focused' sounding than this dog) and given she had been eating grass all day we thought maybe something was stuck. By the time we got her to the vet the next day of course she was fine and nothing was found down her throat; the vet suggested that allergies were both common at the moment and treatable (he recommended 5 mg-half dose) — of "plain" Claritin (NOT Claritin-D).  We did that for two days and haven't heard a hack, gack, or wheeze from her since, so we stopped. This is not veterinary advice; consult your veterinarian.

[JoJo]

Thank you, that is a good idea.  I'll ask my vet about it.  

[Dempsy's Mom]

Elsie gags too when she drinks to fast and also has that reverse sneezing once in a while.  I do nothing for it - it doesn't happen that often. 

[Sam I Am]

Jock had reverse sneezing all his life. The first time it was a rush to emerg because I didn't have a clue and thought he was chocking to death. After a few episodes it was old hat.  I never gave him anything for it because he would be fine after the reverse sneezing stopped.I am glad your vet is in the picture because it's always good to make sure it's not something more serious.

[Idaho Cairns]

Our Sammi has done this for 13 years, after she drinks, while out on the lawn, inspecting every blade of grass (still have no idea what she is after, if anything, and irregularly during the day.  We are used to it now--fortunately, when it proceeds a vomit episode (rare--a couple of times a year), she heads for the door so we can let her outside to do her thing.
It's just part of her persona we have decided.

[JoJo]

That sounds just like Pepper!  Maybe a normal result of jamming your nose in everything.   She's only vomited once, just after we brought her home and we know she tried to eat a piece of mulch.  The vet gave her some liquid to coat her throats and relieve the irritation.

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

My Pepper does reverse sneezing every so often, especially is she is excited...you can blow in their noses or rub under their chins to help stop it.  Sounds horrible and freaks people out it they have never witnessed reverse sneezing before.

[JoJo]

That's so funny - your pup is the third cairn named "Pepper" I know.  Pretty apt name for them!

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

We should have named our lab "Salty" and would have been good match for Pepper!

 

[JoJo]

Haha - I've also heard I should get another dog and name it "Salt".  

[LindaMC]

My Maisie used to choke a lot when she was younger but as soon as we began using a harness to hook her leash up to, rather than her collar, the choking stopped.  She also reverse sneezes but not as much lately as she use to, guess it's a matter of what season it is or if she's been eating grass or planting her face in it.

How about some photos of your little girl, we all love photos here on the forum..

Edited June 7, 2017 by LindaMC

[JoJo]

She's a cutie....so sweet when she's asleep LOL

[Idaho Cairns]

You are right about that!!!!