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My 13-year-old sheltie has been gagging and choking for about 2 weeks. At first it was an occasional occurrence - but in the past few days has been getting more frequent. It's like a cat coughing up a hairball. I'm planning to take him to our vet, but would like to have some idea what the prognosis may be - because of his age I'm very concerned.
Optional Information: Type of Animal: sheltieGender: maleAge: 13 Already Tried: Just keeping him quiet - rubbing throat when choking starts. My 13-year-old sheltie has been gagging and choking for about 2 weeks. At first it was an occasional occurrence - but in the past few days has been getting more frequent. It's like a cat coughing up a hairball. I'm planning to take him to our vet, but would like to have some idea what the prognosis may be - because of his age I'm very concerned.
Hi there and thanks for allowing me to try to help!
can you tell me if he has been at a kennel or groomer recently?
Are there other symptoms?
Thanks!!
No, he hasn't been anywhere where there are other dogs. I have another sheltie (7 years old) and she is fine.
There are no other symptoms but the gagging and then unproductive choking.
Thanls for the info.This cough could be due to the beginning of congestive heart failure. This is a typical cough for this condition and, if this is the case, is easily manageable with medication. he may also be developing allergies that are causing this cough. This is also easily treated.The other thing I worry about in older dogs is the condition called Tracheobronchitis or Kenne Cough. This cough your guy has is very typical because they feel like they have something caught in their throat causing this gagging. This disease is airborne and the older dogs are more susceptable than younger dogs. Your vet will be able to determine which of these conditions is causing your guy so much doscomfort and they will treat him so he feels better.Good Luck!!
Experience: 25 years experience in large and small animal medicine.