My 15 lb jack Russell mix rescue dog is 12 years old, and very healthy. Out of the blue he is gagging/coughing/snorting randomly. Lasts 30-60 seconds, then he stops. But he keeps on having these episodes. It is NOT a seizure, just heavy succession of sneezes, or coughing and gagging. Several different types of stuff.
Just started this afternoon, and I will get him to the vet tomorrow. But any thoughts on what I can try to do tonight to help him? I am just assuming he has something stuck in his throat.
If he has been around other dogs at all, it could be kennel cough. Often when it first presents, owners think the dog is acting like something is caught in its throat.
You could try steam, just like you would with a baby with croup. Take him into the bathroom and run a hot shower.
You can give cough medicine, but I would not do that without a vet taking a look.
He is very rarely around other dogs, but does like to say “hello” when neighbors walk dogs. So he would do some sniffing, but no playing or rough housing, no exchange of saliva.
Thanks for alerting me to this possibility of kennel cough. We will definitely get him to the vet tomorrow.
Usually with kennel cough the dog will be lethargic, too.
We just went through this after our dog had a weekend kennel stay and came down with it a week later. The coughing only lasted a few days and she just seemed tired. My mom’s dog picked it up at the same kennel and was sicker, really exhausted and had a fever.
You could also try some giving him a little bread. If something really is caught in the throat, that might help.
My dog is not lethargic…jack russells seem to keep their feisty spirit. He was begging for me to stop and play with him as I tried to get this thread started.
I had a similar thing happen with my cat. He started coughing/gagging frequently and for no apparent reason, including once hard enough he developed a hemorrhage in the iris of one eye. He otherwise seemed fine and he was still eating & drinking normally. At the vet, a physical inspection/exam and an x-ray reveal no foreign objects in his throat. The vet suggested he might have swallowed something that had scratched/irritated the inside of his throat–possibly a bone fragment or feather—and he now had esophagitis. She prescribed steroids and antibiotics. I’m happy to sat he started showing improvement within a couple of days.
Could be something he got into that is an irritant. Could be he swallowed an insect like a bee. Could be allergies, though dogs seldom cough and sneeze with allergies…they itch. Kennel Cough can be as harmless as a cold, or can worsen into fatal pneumonia. Kennel Cough is airborne…no need to exchange saliva. Breathing the same air will do. Dogs can get throat infections, they can inhale bits of plants, tons of different possibilities. See the vet. Good luck!
My dog (3 years old) did this recently - reverse sneezing – kind of like wheezing. I think it was a virus she caught at the dog park because another dog who she plays with had it too, according to the owner. It was bad the first day and she seemed tired, but much better within two more days. She has had the kennel cough vaccine so I don’t think that was it.
Absolutely it’s kennel cough. Tell the vest what you suspect and they will usher him into a room right away. It’s highly contagious and they won’t want the other patients to catch it in the waiting room. Easy to treat.
I thought kennel cough was one of the typical vaccines all dogs must have before being allowed to board at kennels. Surprised to hear someone say their dog got it from a kennel. I can’t board my dog anywhere without it, and even the groomers around here require it.
@Nrdsb4 . @LBowie. Kennel cough can be caused by something like 15 different viruses, according to our vet and what I read on the internet about it when our dog got it.
Bordetella is the most serious and there is a vaccine for that but not for all the other things that can cause it.
Like @VeryHappy said, we had to keep apart from other dogs at the vet and they made us come in a side door.
Our dog had to be quarantined for three weeks after the last day of symptoms. The service puppy we are raising miraculously did not become sick, but she also had to be quarantined for the same amount of time. Quarantine is just staying away from other dogs.
About the airborne aspect: Some members of our service puppy group attended a parade last year. Not too long after the parade we got an email, that every dog in our group that even attended the parade had to be quarantined for three weeks because someone saw a dog coughing. That dog was someone’s pet and no one even knows if it had any contact with any puppies in the group, but it shows how contagious it can be and serious they take it.
I was surprised when my seemingly healthy 11-year-old dog was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. Some of the symptoms are coughing and wheezing. Given that the Jack Russell Terrier is 12, it could be a heart problem. Fortunately, it can be treated with medication. My dog was given three months. That was 18 months ago, and he looks better than ever.
Hoping the vet visit went well. My dog had kind of a random gagging cough for about six months. First the vet thought it was GI related, but it ended up he had some sort of mass in his lungs. They were 99% sure it was cancer, but ends up it wasn’t. They are still not sure what it was, maybe he inhaled a tiny piece of grass that the body attacked, or maybe a foxtail burrowed into his lungs. Luckily after the removal he feels great.
I hope things went well for you at the vet. I took my 8 year old in last year for the same type of symptoms. The vet did a checkup on my dog and then pulled up a you tube video of “dog reverse sneezing” Try a couple different videos because different like humans, all sneezes are unique.
Dog settled down during the night and today was not very raspy at all. Still took him in to see the vet. Vet thought it was not kennel cough, no fever, no real interaction with other dogs, no lethargy. But did give antibiotics just in case, and also prescribed Benadryl in case it was an allergy issue.
If the symptoms continue, he needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible. He could very well have something stuck in his throat or trying to vomit something up and can’t, and will need medical intervention and after a cycle of antibiotics and/steroids like http://www.athletespharmacy.to/