Dog randomly gagging on nothing?

[Frivian]

This started a few weeks ago… it actually coincided with the time that we realized our dog had some GI issues which turned out to be hookworms. We have treated her for the hookworms (and given secondary dose 3 weeks later).

It’s the grossest thing… she will randomly act like she’s going to throw up and do that gross dog-gagging thing… except nothing comes out. She will do it one time, then continue on with whatever she was doing before. Sometimes she’ll follow it up with a cough. This usually happens when she’s just laying down/hanging out. It happens multiple times a day.

At first I thought she was eating the grass in the yard then trying to cough it up, but I’ve been watching her like a hawk outside to make sure she isn’t eating anything. I have no idea… any ideas?

[GraceLikeRain]

Given there was an actual medical issue recently I think it warrants further investigation. However, my schnauzer is the king of random single gag/hacks and then going back to whatever he did before.

[neversaynever]

Is it a small dog? If so, tracheal collapse is a possibility - I would ask the vet.

[onelanerode]

FWIW, I’ve had a terrier/lab mix whose kennel cough presented that way. He’d been vaccinated, but IIRC the vaccine doesn’t cover all strains.

[Frivian]

Hmmm… I hadn’t thought about kennel cough.

It’s a lab, so not a small dog.

[SquishTheBunny]

My lab x does this too, but she is 14 and has always done it (so no concerns here).

She does have mild megaesophagus and does sometimes regurgitate. I think this could cause a mild esophagitis, which will often result in symptoms like you are describing.

I would keep an eye on it, if it is more frequent that a few times a day, or gets more frequent - a trip to the vet for a barium esophogram or upper GI scope is probably warranted to rule out structural or mechanical causes. Otherwise, it could very well be leftover inflammation/ulceration from the issues that have recently resolved.

And like others have mentioned, kennel cough, especially in a more mild form can cause esophagitis so you will often see “gagging” as part of the symptoms.

Of course, it could be something worse (there;s always 10001 reasons!) but I wouldn’t necessarily panic yet. I would however, get your dog to the vet ASAP if the symptoms do not improve or get worse. Take your dog in right away he is currently not eating or drinking (or vomiting) - if this is the case its often indicative of an esophageal foreign body…however, less common in big dogs than little.

[MistyBlue]

A lab?
Possibly a foreign object stuck in the back of the mouth? They’re kind of known for trying to eat anything inedible. Might be something far enough back to not be visible.
Is there any breath smell?
Just an idea, might be off the wall but I’ve known more than one dog to have a similar reaction to something caught up in the palate, lodged between teeth or wedged way back in the throat.

Fingers crossed it’s something simple!

[twelvebelles]

My mom’s lab had the exact same symptoms, and the initial diagnosis without much testing was laryngeal paralysis (trachea collapse is really unlikely in a lab). The final diagnosis actually was lung cancer that was mistaken for laryngeal paralysis. Not that I think your dog has lung cancer, but I would still take the dog to the vet and ask for a chest x-ray.

[Calamber]

Have you had tests for other parasites? Also, has this dog been checked for heartworm? All of that taken into account, my Jack Russell has been doing this of late since the spring started and since he is not loosing any condition, eats well and has no shortness of breath, I have to think it is allergies.

[BuddyRoo]

How old is your lab? ME or LP are not terribly uncommon in older labs.

[Martina]

Heartworm symptoms start as a mild cough. Was he/she tested for that when you found out about the hookworms?

[Frivian]

She was tested for heartworm in February, and was negative. She was a rescue. Are false negatives common with heartworm tests? She has been on Heartgard since then.

She is very young, under 2.

[SquishTheBunny]

At that age, the chances of laryngeal paralysis are very slim - and IMHO, the symptoms don’t fit.

I would guess esophagitis (irritation of the esophagus). It could be from anything, regurgitation, vomiting, eating something he shouldn’t, etc.

When you mention it to your vet, it may be worth doing a trial of famotidine and sulcrate.

I would gt your dog into see the vet sooner rather than later if the symptoms do not subside, just to rule out something serious like an esophageal stricture, foreign body etc.

False negatives aren’t super common, but its easy enough to run another heartworm test. However, I also don’t think gagging is the most common symptom of heartworm, usually its coughing. Gagging is more related to regurgitating than coughing, which is a function of the esophagus not trachea. A video of an episode may be helpful to your vet!