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My dog Pepper is hacking and gagging every few minutes until a white mucus substance comes up. It has the consistancy of phlemn. She was fine yesterday, had a good appetite. This morning she won't go near her bowl. I palpated he stomach. There wasn't any lumps or bumps, all she did was wag he tail like it was playtime.
Good Morning!
Hacking and Gagging can be a sign of an irritated upper airway ( the windpipe or trachea) or swelling and irritation of the tonsillar tissue in the throat.
I need you to think if Pepper did anything yesterday that may have caused her to aggravate her throat area. Did you go on a long walk with her with a collar on that she may have pulled on during the walk?? Did she play rough with you or a playmate?? Has she been chewing on an abrasive treat like a rawhide or bone in the past 24 hours? Has she been barking excessively in the past day for any reason??
The trachea or windpipe can become inflamed either due to mechanical trauma ( excessive barking, collar irritation, or blunt trauma), but it can also become irritated if invaded by the organism that causes kennel cough. If Pepper gets her Bordatella/Kennel cough vaccines every 6 months, than the likelihood of Kennel Cough is much less! Please know that Bordatella is an upper respiratory infection spread in the air from contagious animals. Your pet does not have to be around many animals to get it, but if she is in situations where lots of pets are nearby or have been(parks,grooming shop, vet's office,etc) than her exposure to the organism is much higher!
I suspect Pepper may not want to eat this AM because her throat is sore. The white frothy stuff that she is bringing up sounds like phlegm or fluid from the respiratory tract, and I would expect that.
Now if it isn't a respiratory issue, than that leaves us with possible stomach/GI irritation. Of course, decreased appetite would occur with this situation also, but I would expect Pepper to actually be vomiting ( vs. gagging) and I would expect stomach fluid and yellow tinged bile to be present in anything she brought up. Add to that her tummy doesn't hurt and she is feeling playful otherwise and I still think her throat is more likely the problem!
For today, I would recommend that you allow her to rest!! No activity that will get her breathing hard or cause alot of air movement in her throat!! ( running, tug of war, etc.)
You may use the children's dosing of Robitussin-DM to help with the gagging and hacking until you can get into see your vet for an exam and medications in the morning. I would use the DM every 4-6 hours through the day, and anticipate that it may cause her to want to sleep!! If she is wearing her collar today, go ahead and take it off so that it can't irritate her windpipe if that is the problem.
If the problem persists for > 24 hours and if she develops other symptoms, such as depression, vomiting, runny eyes & nose, or prolonged anorexia, than she will definitely need to be checked out by your vet!!
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Best wishes to your and your pet, Dr. Smith