Coughing, boaking and wretching

Hey guys,

For the past two or three days Alfie has been doing a bit of the above - he does it on average about half a dozen times throughout the day. I can't think of what it could be. Apart from that he seems fine. His behaviour is exactly the same and he's still as excited as ever when he's getting his breakfast and dinner.

I've tried to have a look inside his mouth and at his throat but there's nothing obviously there.  He likes to eat wee blades of grass when he's out on his walks and I'd wondered if maybe a wee bit of grass had became stuck in his throat but I'd have thought he'd have been coughing or wretching more often if that was the case.

Anybody any experience of this kind of things?

Cheers.

Edit: Also, I should add, he doesn't bring anything up.

It could be due to the grass, as well as the hot weather. In hot weather, the throat tends to stick together when a dog gets thirsty. This could have triggered coughing, which might be prolonged by irritation as a result.

Does the coughing subside after he drinks or eats? If so, it's probably an irritation of the throat.

Thanks Eleanor.

Because it has been so sporadic, I'm not entirely sure if it subsides after eating or drinking or not.

It certainly doesn't get any worse after it however.

Hope you don't mind me asking questions - coughing can be a symptom of quite a few things, so it's best to try to narrow it down as much as possible.

Does he have a history of heart problems?
Does he wear tight collars?
Does he pull a lot on walks?
What type of cough is it? If it's quite hacking and dry, particularly after exercise, it could be something like kennel cough. If it's a wet cough, it could be something to do with the lungs. If it's more or a gagging type cough, it's usually throat or tonsil irritation.
Is there any mucous or discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth?

Because it's been there for three days, you might want to consider getting a cough medicine from the vets. While you're there, you could explain the symptoms and see what they'd suggest.

No problem Eleanor, I appreciate your time here

He has no history of heart problems.
His collar isn't tight. It's on the last hole but I can easily fit my fingers through it.
He does pull a lot while out on walks but 99.9% of the time he's on a harness - not entirely sure if that makes a difference?
It seems to be more of a gagging type, more a slight cough then it sounds like he's going to be sick but he isn't.
I haven't noticed any discharge at all.

Probably would be wise to ask the vet, I am not shy in phoning them to ask things about him so I thought, on this occasion, I'd come here first ;)lol

From your answers, it sounds like it could be an effect of the hot weather, but I think it's probably a good idea to consult a vet, just in case.

I'm glad you asked about it! A lot of people just shrug it off. Nice to see somebody paying attention to their dog's behaviour.

Yes, I'll ask phone them tomorrow and see what they say.

Thanks again!  

Hope it all works out okay! Let us know how it goes!

No problem!

Could be kennel cough it's doing the rounds at the moment!

Sounds a lot like kennel cough from my experience, hope Alfie's better soon! Keep us posted

Hope Alfie is well again soon, keep us updated please

Hey guys, thanks for the replies!

Spoke to the vet who said that she didn't think it sounded severe enough for kennel cough and it was likely to be an upper respiratory infection (i.e a dog cold) and just to let him rest and keep an eye on him!

Fingers crossed it clears up soon.

Poor Alfie - hope he feels better soon!

Aww get well soon Alfie

Hope Alfie is soon feeling better  , I guess the weather doesn't help much, has it been hot there too ??

Yeah it has been warm here.

It's a lot cooler today but it has been in the mid to high 20s for most of the week.

Yesterday was quite a struggle. It was about 27/28, warm in the shade and even the breeze was warm.

Hope Alfie gets better soon!  

Hope you feel better soon Alfie  

Hope Alfie is feeling better!

How is Alfie feeling today?

Hi Guys, just a wee note to say that Alf's cough has gone.

Must have been a little bug right enough.

Thanks again for all your replies

Great news. Thanks for keeping us informed

Glad he's feeling better!

That's great news

Glad to hear he is feeling better