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Dog clearing throat & not herself after dental surgery. Normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Good morning our little girl maltida had eight teeth pulled 2 days ago and she is drinking water and eating a little bit,but sometimes she sounds like she is clearing her throat or when a cat has a hair ball she is trying to clear,is that normal,and the wife said the vet had to put a tube in her nose to knock her out instead of her throat,right now she is not herself will she get better as time goes by,will she be able to be a normal dog and bark again? In the back of my mind did we do the right

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on August 17th, 2017

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Matilda! I am not familiar with using a tube in the nose to deliver oxygen and anesthetic gas for dentals or surgery. We use endotracheal tubes down their throats for this. It sounds like Matilda has irritation from the tube most likely or she has an infection. Just make sure she is breathing normally to be sure her heart and lungs are ok. If she has a history of a heart murmur a recheck with your Vet may be the best thing. Irritation from the tracheal tube should resolve on it's own in a week, getting better each day. If she has kennel cough she may need an antibiotic or something to help with the cough. I recommend calling your Vet today to discuss her symptoms and see if they can prescribe something to give her some relief that you can pick it up. They may want to see her first though. I hope this helps! Good luck!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 17th, 2017

    It sounds like Matilda may just have some tracheal irritation from the placement of the endotracheal tube during her dental procedure. If that is the case, she should get better within about a week. She should be back to her normal self, barking, etc. The coughing should not be related to the actual pulling of the teeth. You certainly did the right thing having the dental procedure done. If she needed those teeth extracted you definitely did her a favor :) Dental pain is horrible. Dogs are just more stoic than we are when it comes to that so they don't often show us how painful their mouth really is. I think the vet exam is a good idea just to put your mind at ease. I hope this helps! If you have any more questions feel free to ask. Best wishes! Dr. Amber

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