Why does my dog gag and cough up phlegm or kibble after running?

Question

My 2 year old sighthound always gags up phlegm, piece of kibble, or nothing every single time he does a hard sprint. Within a minute of running around he will have to stop, put his head down and gag once. He continues playing at a slightly slower pace afterwards. This started after he got neutered. He is on Pepcid but it doesn't seem to help. One vet thinks it might be a hiatal hernia. A second vet has no idea and thought it could be esophagitis. I have a video of him doing this. Thoughts? Pet's info: Dog | Silken Windhound | Male | neutered | 2 years and 3 months old | 40 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

He's a very handsome boy! I think that both of the vets you saw previously had reasonable ideas as to the cause of Cheddar's problems. However, if you really want to get to the bottom of this issue, I would recommend having some diagnostic testing performed in order to assess the oral cavity, the upper, and lower respiratory tract. This might include endoscopy, sedated orolaryngeal examination, advanced imaging modalities, and airway sampling. If nothing is found, medical therapy for treatment of various inflammatory conditions may be implemented. Hope this makes sense.

Why does my dog gag and cough up phlegm or kibble after running?

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