Hello,

My name is XX. XX and I will do my best to help you with your question about Buster. I'm so sorry he has you worried.

I would like to reassure you that even though he is doing this, it is highly unlikely there is something stuck in his throat. If that were the case, he would not be able to eat and drink normally.

So that's good news.

I'm also reassured that he will still play and act like he's fine at times. That makes it a lot less likely this is something serious.

Unfortunately, it is impossible for anyone to diagnose a problem without seeing a pet, but I will tell you what this sounds like.

Buster is acting like he has a mild case of INFECTIOUS TRACHEOBRONCHITIS. People commonly call this kennel cough.

Kennel cough is usually a minor, irritating infection of the airways. It causes a dog to have spasms of coughing during which he will act like something is stuck in his throat. He'll cough and gag and often bring up some mucus. And at other times he'll be fine. Kennel cough is spread through the air and is very contagious to other dogs. It's easy for a dog to pick up.

Most cases of kennel cough are very mild and go away without treatment. Even a mild case, however, will show coughing (sometimes A LOT of coughing) for about 10-14 days before it goes away.

Mild cases do NOT go away any quicker when the dog is put on antibiotics. That is a decision best made by a vet who has examined Buster, however.

If you have any other dogs, it is best to keep him isolated.

If he continues to eat and drink and be playful, it should be okay to wait it out and avoid a trip to the vet.

Of course, it's always better to be safe than sorry and have him checked out, but if that's not in your budget, I hope to offer you some reassurance by saying if he were my dog I would wait it out.

He can go outside and exercise as much as he can handle. You just want to avoid the opportunity for nose-to-nose contact with other dogs. We don't want him coughing in other dogs' faces.

If , at any point, he seems to become depressed, lethargic, refuses to eat or has trouble breathing, please do seek veterinary attention right away.

Placing him in a warm and steamy bathroom may help to provide temporary relief when he is having a serious episode of gagging.

You may also use a human cough syrup containing ONLY the ingredient guiafenisin to take the edge off his cough. That usually comes as a syrup and is dosed at 1cc per ten pounds of body weight every eight hours.

You're very welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?

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You're very welcome.

You can actually squirt it directly in his mouth with a medication syringe.

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