Why is my dog coughing and gagging like something is in his throat?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | unneutered | 120 lbs
My black lab is cough and gagging like he's trying to get something out of this throat when he moves fast, gets excited and or tries to bark he's eating normally and drinking about the same amount of water it started yesterday. When he starts coughing he has to sit down like it's knocking the wind out of him.He's kinda been mopey but he's walking around the house. If he hops down from the bed he starts coughing in concerned I don't know what to do. Please help. ):
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 7th, 2017
Coughing can be a respiratory issue, heart disease, foreign body in his throat, laryngeal paralysis etc. I would recommend Jack Beck see a vet especially if it seems to be tiring him out. He needs an exam and possibly X-rays
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on February 6th, 2019
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. He may have an upper respiratory tract infection. In the meantime, encourage him to eat and drink as normal. Keep him home to allow his body to rest and away from other dogs as he may be contagious (no walks, dog parks, etc). I hope this information helps!
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My dog is a Pomeranian shes aint ate nothing to choke on anything when i leave they all three bark and bsrk til i get bark and this never happened she keeps coughing / gagging like she needs to get something up but i dont think theirs anything and sh
In small dogs, collapsing trachea is a possibility for the type of cough you are noticing. If it was noticed suddenly though, then I would be much less suspicious of it. Another possible cause is an upper respiratory infection. These can happen quite suddenly and will have a cough and gag at the end of the cough similar to what you're describing. These infections are often treated successfully with antibiotics. Having something lodged in the throat is a possibility too; even if you don't know of anything that she could have eaten to cause this. It's worth taking her to the vet for an exam. They can help determine the cause and treat the problem before it gets worse. Usually, we can find the cause rather quickly. I hope that helps and your pup gets better soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog just coughed as if he was going to throw up, he's done it before a few times but I just thought he got something stuck but now I'm a little worried as he's just done it while he was laying down with nothing in his mouth, he goes and has a drin
Hi there and thank you for your post! Intermittent / infrequent coughing can be due to a number of possibilities. Kennel cough, allergies, irritations, foreign material lodged in airway, collapsing trachea are just several possibilities that could be causing the cough. If the coughing has not gone away completely, I would consider getting him seen by a vet to have his lungs and upper airway examined and consider having chest / tracheal x-rays performed. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text consultation.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Every few hours or so today my dog has been coughing and gagging but nothing comes out. He’s still got high energy, will take treats, but he may be eating and drinking slightly less than usual. He had a raw chicken wing yesterday, could it have gotte
Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign is more likely to be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a tracheitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective) rather than anything stuck in the throat. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog acts like something is stuck in his throat, and tries to cough it up. What's wrong?
There could be several reasons why your dog is [coughing](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/coughing-1/). He could very well have something stuck in his throat or is trying to vomit something up and can't and will need medical intervention. If the symptoms continue, he needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible. If you know your dog has ingested something and is indeed [choking](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-do-if-you-think-your-dog-is-choking), you can perform the Heimlich maneuver if you feel comfortable doing so. A dog who is choking should also be taken to a veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately. A dog may also be coughing as a result of a viral respiratory infection, like canine parainfluenza, canine adenovirus, or [kennel cough](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/kennel-cough). The most common symptoms of viral infections in dogs can include lethargy, decreased appetite, coughing, exercise intolerance and an increased breathing rate. If you bel
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My Labrador dog is coughing really bad and it looks like he has something to throw out, because of that she suffering from her breathing. what medicine should i gave to her? Because last time the veterinarian told us that Broncure can cure her but it
I hate to hear your pet is coughing so much. Unfortunately, it's impossible to know the underlying cause of the coughing without a physical exam and possible radiographs. Pets can cough due to allergies, parasites, collapsing trachea, heart disease, lung disease, cancer, infections or something stuck in the throat. Treatment is different for each of these conditions. I recommend to have your pet examined by again the veterinarian. if a treatment doesn't work, it usually means the true cause of the coughing has not been discovered. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has been intermittently gagging since Sunday. Initially, it was happening after every drink of water but now it doesn't seem to be triggered by anything and it is only in the mornings. I thought he had something stuck in his throat, so we took
I'm sorry your dog is having this issue. Kennel cough is typically a dry, almost "honking" cough that can produce a white foamy/mucus substance- they can cough so hard it causes a gag reflex. It usually starts at one time of day and then gets worse and more frequent. Do you have other dogs in your home or neighbor dogs that play with your dog? If so, are they gagging or coughing? Kennel cough is very contagious thus can spread to other dogs in close contact. If you are noticing this, I would contact your vet so they can determine if your dog needs an antibiotic.
Some other possibilities for what you are noticing are other respiratory infections, allergies and/or a reverse sneeze or there may be something stuck in your dogs throat (like a grass seed or part of a rawhide chew). Also, some dogs can simply drink too fast especially when it's very hot- this can cause some water to go down "the wrong pipe" and then a gag response.
If your dog continues to gag or, especially if the gag be
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has been heaving and trying to clear her throat all day but nothing comes out. It happens every few hours: she will start huffing/coughing, dry heaving then gag a few times and then stop. Her energy levels eating and drinking are all normal. W
This is suspicious of kennel cough, which is an infection of the upper respiratory system. The gagging when coughing is normally seen when dogs have a bad cough like this. Kennel cough is most suspicious if Lola has been in contact with other dogs in the past month or so. If Lola has not had contact with other dogs, then the cough is likely due to something else. They can develop a cough with conditions like pneumonia, heart worm, lung worm and heart disease. For this reason, it's best to have Lola checked out by a veterinarian. They will be able to determine the cause of the cough and prescribe the appropriate treatment. I hope that helps and Lola gets better soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has been coughing and licking her lips for the past few hours now. I'd say she's coughing ever 15 mins or so, as if she is gagging or wants to cough up a hair ball or something. I've caught her licking the carpet, so I think that she has some
It's pretty rare that dogs actually get something stuck in the back of the throat. More likely her throat is irritated, or she has an infection like kennel cough. If the cough continues I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian: while it's difficult to see the very back of a dog's throat without sedation, your vet can help determine what is causing the cough.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my dog acts like he has a human cough. almost like he’s trying to cough something up and then he gags but nothing comes up. he’s acting normal. gums are still pink. he’s eating.
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. He may have an upper respiratory tract infection. In the meantime, encourage him to eat and drink as normal. Keep him home to allow his body to rest and away from other dogs as he may be contagious (no walks, dog parks, etc). I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hey! Just had a question about my dog. Randomly starting yesterday evening and now into the morning my dog’s had a loud cough and gag after but is still being his normal hyper self. It seems to be happening after he gets excited though. Once he sett
Hello! This can be a sign of a problem such as a tracheal collapse, but that typically occurs in small breed dogs. I see that Joker is 45 pounds, which makes a tracheal collapse unlikely, but it doesn't sound normal that this is happening. Given that this is a new thing that hasn't happened before, I do think it's best to get him checked out by a vet to be safe. Give his vet a call today to make him an appointment. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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