Question

Hi, Lucy, my 4 year old golden retriever has recently been pulling the fur out her tail. I checked to see if there were burrs, leaves, sticks, etc. sticking to her that she was trying to dislodge, however, that was not the case. I do brush her fur every day. Lucy and I run approximately 4 miles a day and over the past 2 days after we get home, she has been "coughing" and vomiting a liquid type substance. The vomit is sometimes pale yellow or clear. She will have what I refer to as dry heaves where sometimes nothing comes up or she actually vomits. I have been looking for her fur in the vomit thinking she has given herself a hairball from all the fur pulling she has done from her tail, but haven't seen any. The "coughing" and vomiting only occurs after we get home from our run and continues for approximately 30-45 minutes. Is it possible for dogs to have hairballs like cats? What causes a dog to suddenly begin pulling the fur off their tail? Is this a symptom of something else going on with Lucy. I look forward to your reply.