What to do if you think your dog has something stuck in his throat?

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When My Dog Acts Like Something Is Stick in His Throat, Is He Choking?
What To Do If Your Dog Has Something Lodged In His Throat
Other Reasons Why Your Dog Might Be Clearing His Throat
When Should You Go to Your Vet?
Stories from pet owners
Story #1 – Puppy coughing
Story #2 – Dog that eats fast
Story #3 – doesn’t seem in distress

Do you have a small dog that likes to wolf down treats or rawhides really quickly? If so, this blog is a must read!

Your dog’s throatThe esophagus is a thin sheet of muscle located within the thorax that connects the mouth with the stomach and aids in pushing food and water down into the stomach. Once in a while, if a dog (or rarely, a cat) swallows something too large – or too sharp – for it to pass out of the esophagus, it can become an esophageal foreign body. Esophageal foreign bodies typically get stuck in two locations in the esophagus: near the base of the heart or in the back (i.e., caudal) part near the diaphragm.

What might cause an esophageal foreign body in my dogs throat?

Common causes for esophageal foreign bodies include the following treats or objects:

Rawhides
Bones or bone fragments
Fishing hooks
Needles (especially stuck on a string)

Symptoms of an esophageal foreign body
Esophageal foreign bodies are a life-threatening type of obstruction and immediate veterinary attention is necessary. It’s important that you know what symptoms to look for in your pet when he is affected by an esophageal foreign body. The symptoms can be initially very exaggerated but then “go away” as your pet gets used to the feeling of something stuck in his throat. However, even though the clinical signs seem to resolve, the esophageal foreign body is actually causing severe silent injury to the tissues.

Symptoms of an esophageal foreign body include the following:

Exaggerated swallowing motions
Drooling
Pawing at the mouth
Pawing at the neck
Inappetance/anorexia
Acute frantic agitation
Gagging
Coughing

Problems caused by an esophageal foreign body
The longer the foreign body stays in the esophagus, the more pressure necrosis (i.e., cell death) it causes to the thin muscular wall of the esophagus. Untreated – or detected too late – an esophageal foreign body can result in severe complications, including inflammation of the esophagus (i.e., esophagitis), severe strictures (i.e., scarring of the esophagus), abnormal air entering the chest cavity (i.e., pneumothorax), or worse – perforation. When perforation occurs the esophagus ruptures resulting in bacteria entering the sterile chest cavity. Often times, this leads to sepsis (i.e., bacteria entering the blood stream) and death.

Studies have shown that these types of foreign bodies are more commonly seen in small breed dogs. Personally, I’ve seen this most commonly in West Highland white terriers and Yorkshire terriers. Dogs that are more “greedy” (e.g., who wolf down their treats or rawhide immediately) are potentially at greater risk of developing an esophageal foreign body. Studies have also shown that the longer the foreign body stays in the stomach and the longer the anesthesia times (meaning the longer esophageal foreign body is wedged into the esophagus), the worse the damage to the esophagus and the longer the hospital stay.

Diagnosing and treating an esophageal foreign antibody
The diagnosis of an esophageal foreign body is typically made on chest x-rays or even a barium swallow (which is when a large amount of dye is given through the mouth to highlight the esophagus). Thankfully, with rapid diagnosis the prognosis is excellent with treatment. Treatment includes anesthesia and endoscopy -- a small camera inserted into the mouth and esophagus. With endoscopy, the foreign body is often pulled out of the mouth or pushed directly into the stomach (where it can slowly digest or be removed with surgery). Surgery of the esophagus is not typically done due to poor healing of the esophagus and due to the invasiveness of the surgery (it requires the chest cavity to be opened up). Once the foreign body is removed, at home treatment includes antacids, stomach protectants, and canned food. In some circumstances, esophageal strictures can develop, requiring future endoscopy to balloon dilate the stricture.

Esophageal foreign bodies are an emergency that must be rapidly diagnosed and treated. Don’t miss the subtle nature of this life-threatening problem!

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian -- they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

“My dog acts like something is stuck in his throat.” Don’t worry, a lot of pet owners worry about this too. Is it from the food that you fed him? Or, could it just be hairball? You might also be thinking that he ate something he shouldn’t have and that foreign object is stuck in his throat. What should you do next?

When My Dog Acts Like Something Is Stick in His Throat, Is He Choking?

It’s possible that your dog could be choking from something that he ate. You will know because he will be showing signs like excessive drooling, pawing at the mouth, making choking sounds, and he may have his face on the ground.

As you know, choking is very serious. If the object is blocking his airways, he could get blue and may collapse at any minute. Bring him to the animal hospital or clinic nearest you as soon as you can.

What To Do If Your Dog Has Something Lodged In His Throat

With large to medium dogs, yes, you can try the Heimlich Maneuver. However, with smaller ones, it might be more beneficial to go straight to the vet as you may not be able to control your strength.

The way to do it is to make a fist with your hand and place it just behind the rib cage. With the right amount of force, push firmly up and forward. You may go to the doctor afterward just to get him checked out.

In most cases, if you know that your pooch is already choking, you might feel too frazzled to try out the Heimlich maneuver. As early as now, it is advised that you should have your vet teach you how to do this move properly.

Other Reasons Why Your Dog Might Be Clearing His Throat

If he is not choking, he might be clearing his throat because of an underlying disease. It’s possible that he as a viral respiratory infection like canine parainfluenza, canine adenovirus or kennel cough. Watch out for other signs like a loss of appetite, intolerance for exercise (weakness), increased breathing rate and coughing. You should go to the vet as soon as possible in this case.

There are cases where a dog might act like he wants to cough out something because he feels that something is stuck in his throat when really it is tonsilitis or a sore throat. Other respiratory conditions like pneumonia (especially in older dogs) can also make your dog experience hacking cough.

Lastly, have you ever heard of a reverse sneeze? It’s common in dogs of smaller breeds. This condition produces a cough-like sound that might seem like your dog is trying to clear his throat. Don’t worry, though, because it is not a cause for concern. All that happens is that your dog inhales forcefully through the nose and mouth, with his head pulled back.

When Should You Go to Your Vet?

You should, first, observe how many times or how long your dog has been acting like something is stuck in his throat. If it was just one time, then your dog could have already gotten the object out.

On the other hand, if the coughing has lasted for more than a day, then it’s probably something else. In cases of respiratory infection, you should bring him to the vet so he can get diagnosed and treated with the right antibiotics. It is your call when to go to the vet, exactly, but just make sure that you know what distressing signs to watch out for.

Stories from pet owners

Here are some relatable experiences that fellow dog owners have shared about their dogs suffering from similar throat issues.

Story #1 – Puppy coughing

I am worried about my 10 week old corgi puppy which we brought home last week. He is super cute but quite naughty as well. He tries to eat anything he can get his paws on. Today, my puppy started to cough like something got into his throat. Every once in a while, he will cough like he is going to throw up but nothing ever comes out. Everything seems normal as far as his bowel movements. Does this warrant an emergency vet visit? Or would it be okay to wait it out a few days before taking him to the regular vet?

Story #2 – Dog that eats fast

My 10 months old mix breed has started to regurgitate after every four or five meals. I thought this was due to stress the first time it happened because we did have some loud thunderstorms recently. Now, it’s happening too regularly for us to suspect it was caused by a stressful event. My dog is fed three times a day. The regurgitation could happen in any of those meals, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. She doesn’t have any signs of labored breathing. She drinks water and poops like normal. Is there something stuck in the dog’s throat? He does eat quite fast to be fair.

Story #3 – doesn’t seem in distress

I have a one year old puppy that started to cough a lot last night. The cough sounds like the type when they are trying to puke something out from their throat. He was fine again the morning but the coughing started again a few hours ago. I checked all his toys and other objects around the house to make sure he didn’t chew and swallow something that he shouldn’t have. As far as I can tell, any nibbling behavior he does have is limited to the blanket and there are no signs of tears on the blanket. My dog is still eating and drinking like normal so I have no idea what’s causing him to cough. It’s quite worrying.

Disclaimer: The content on MyPetChild.com is for informational purpose only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinarian advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian when in doubt.