In fact, many individuals are apprehensive about taking the dog to the park because they are afraid the dog will contract respiratory illnesses.
One of the greatest paranoia that passes through the mind of dog owners is, “why is my dog coughing like something is stuck in his throat?” In most cases, it might be nothing serious, and your pooch is just going through a coughing session.
However, there might also be chances of them contracting contagious diseases or a virus. Continue reading to find out all the reasons.
Some Common Reasons and Their Treatment
There are a couple of issues you can expect if you see your dog gag or choke. Here are some of the most probable causes that might be causing the coughs.
Lodged Object in Throat
One of the most common scenarios can be your dog eating something that’s causing it to cough badly. Older dogs rarely tend to differentiate food from foreign objects. Therefore, if you see them pawing at their mouth, there’s a high chance that something is stuck in their throat.
In such cases, taking immediate actions is a must, and you have to take your dog to a veterinarian immediately. Although it is one of the common causes of coughing in dogs, it can be extremely dangerous. Something stuck in his throat can cause him to experience tracheal collapse if it isn’t extracted soon. We strongly recommend not trying to do anything to alleviate your pooch’s pain in this case. One wrong move and you might end up causing your dog irreversible harm.
Respiratory Diseases
Another reason you might find your dog coughing can be an infection or disease that is afflicting his respiratory system. Parainfluenza and adenovirus are diseases with cough as an initial symptom. Another reason behind why a dog’s throat might be giving it grief is pneumonia.
In case of any of these diseases, there’s a high chance it might be harming your dog’s throat. Hacking cough can really make them suffer, and they might end up sounding like a goose.
It’s vital to help your dog immediately in this situation and provide it with the necessary antibiotic and other treatment options through a doctor’s supervision to provide relief.
Reverse Sneezing
This scenario is probably the most harmless one where an occasional cough might come up in a dog’s throat. Although it’s a very common type of cough among smaller dogs, it isn’t highly contagious. In this case, it might seem like the pooch has a case of dry cough, but it’s not anything harmful.
You won’t have to worry about a bacterial infection developing in this case, although choking sounds and gagging cough usually are symptoms of a few of them. Reverse sneezing usually occurs when your dog inhales sharply and takes in too much air.
Possible Treatment
At the very first, you need to administer the Heimlich maneuver on your dog. If the cough isn’t relieved by then or doesn’t throw out any objects from its mouth, it’s a cause for concern.
In case the dog starts to drool excessively, there’s a chance that something is still stuck between its throat, and you need to repeat the process again. However, if it’s a small dog, then it’s best to take it to a vet to be on the safe side. After all, it’s difficult to control one’s strength and you might end up crushing them and increasing their pain in the process.
Tonsils and sore throats are another major reason why your dog is coughing. If the mucus is coming out when it’s coughing, then you can try to feed it cough suppressants to reduce the fits.
However, if the pooch is suffering from a honking cough or is showing other serious symptoms, then you need to have a vet look at it immediately.
Reasons to Worry: Kennel Cough
Kennel cough is a major reason which causes gagging and coughing in dogs. This type of cough isn’t something you’d want to take lightly. However, if you are aware of a few factors of this disease, then your pooch won’t fall into worse conditions, and they can heal from kennel cough without any serious treatment.
This disease is very common, just like the average common cold. It can easily occur to your dog, and the cough can sound quite painful. However, there’s no reason to panic if your dog does end up getting kennel cough.
You need to prepare a checklist and follow it carefully in case your dog somehow ends up contracting this disease. First, you will have to understand the cause of the cough.
Then, you need thorough information on the symptoms of kennel cough and its indicators of severity. Lastly, you need to be thoroughly informed on all possible treatment methods to ensure the puppy heals as quickly as possible.
The next section of this article thoroughly discusses kennel cough and all of the sections relevant to it. Continue reading to inform yourself of all there is to know about this disease.
Kennel Cough Symptoms
Often called Bordetella, the main symptom behind this disease are viruses. The carrier and agent of this disease are what make it unique. Kennel cough can be caused when the dogs contract this virus through inhalation.
Once it plants itself onto their respiratory tracts, it causes kennel cough in them. Dogs normally have mucus in their lungs which causes this disease to inflict them more intensely.
Kennel cough can become more painful for dogs when some factors are present.
For starters, the cases of kennel cough can become more severe if they are kept in crowded conditions with very little ventilation.
Therefore, it’s always crucial that they get enough fresh air. Moreover, cold conditions, dust, and cigarettes can also harm them a lot.
The first symptom you have to be wary of when dealing with this disease is a cough that sounds like geese quacking.
Other symptoms of Bordetella include sneezing and mucus dripping from the eyes. If you see one or more of the previously mentioned symptoms, then you must start taking precautions to safeguard your dog immediately.
Effective Treatment Measures
Kennel cough in dogs is easily curable if you know the proper treatment process. However, it is significantly infectious, and therefore, the first thing you must do is separate the infected dog.
Although it might be difficult to hear your dog suffering and trying to clear his throat while its voice sounds like a goose honk, do not be rash. Immediately take your dog to the vet while keeping him away from other dogs.
An important thing to keep in mind is that Bordetella is an equal threat for both little dogs as well as senior dogs. Even though this disease usually can get well without treatment, using medicines and antibiotics can certainly speed up the process.
It can also eliminate the notion that the dog is suffering from something stuck in its throat. If your pooch can’t swallow the medicine, then you can always mix it with food to get your dog to have it.
Another thing that you can do to improve your dog’s conditions is by keeping them in an area that is well-humidified. This can minimize the distress from situations like your dog having something in his neck. Collars can be replaced by harnesses at this time which can be one of the reasons why your dog is feeling pain.
Dogs with kennel cough can suffer a lot due to all the coughing and gagging. However, you can easily avoid this situation from ever occurring by providing a kennel cough vaccine to your dog.
There are three forms of vaccines that can be provided in multiple ways. Administer one to your dog with the supervision of a vet to avoid this disease fully.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve discovered all of the potential reasons for a dog to cough, you have a better understanding of why he’s doing it. Therefore, now you know how to keep your dog safe from all possible harm.
There’s no reason for you to panic and wonder, “Why is my dog coughing like something is stuck in his throat?” Our article has thoroughly informed you of all possibilities.
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