4 month old pup w/ periodic bouts of deep gagging/ coughing accompanied by vomit.

I recently rescued a shepherd mix pup. she was doing fine for the first 2 days but over the last 24 hours has been having periodic (every 2 to 3 hours) bouts of what sounds like choking/ coughing which doesn't subside unless she vomits.

We explained the symptoms to a clinic hotline and they are diagnosing it as kennel cough...which doesn't usually involve coughing/gagging/choking to the point of vomiting. She sounds terrible, but doesn't seem to be in a whole lot of pain.

Please Help! I don't want to be dramatic, but won't sleep either until i know she is alright.






Hi
From what you describe I would also put my first guess at Kennel Cough. It's a viral illness that can vary hugely in terms of severity and symptoms, and coughing until gagging (or even vomiting) is by no means unheard of.

As it's a virus, there's really not a lot you can do to help, and it's generally a self-limiting condition. However, there is a risk of secondary bacterial infections, usually in the chest, and if she's gagging and vomiting it's quite possible that she will inhale some fluid and that can lead to these type of infections.

I'd recommend having your vet actually examine her 'hands on' so that he/she can make sure that she doesn't have any complications or infection. If she does then those can be treated. Otherwise it's just a case of trying to make sure she gets lots of fluids, plenty of rest and some TLC until she's feeling better.

Of course, there's always the possibility that this is something other than Kennel Cough, and that's why it's doubly important that your vet take a look at your pup.

Hope this helps, best of luck - he should be doing much better soon.