My dog is puking, coughing, gagging, hacking, sneezing...and its not kennel cough!

L

Lacey UD RE

New member
This could be from allergies, a nasal foreign body, a polyp, or a fungal/bacterial infection. First this is most likely nothing contagious since the problem is long term. Using bleach and lysol on everything most likely is making this worse because of its caustic nature on living tissues. Sounds like this dog would be a good candidate to be sedated and scoped by a vet. If you don't want to do this well sadly back to the shelter he goes (your words not mine).
 
Please help!? In November 2010, we adopted a Husky from a rescue. He starting coughing, puking...a lot(started white, moved to brown, then to green), gagging like something was stuck in his throat, and had frequent breathing attacks (straightens out his body, it kind of sounds like a motorcycle idling). When he sneezes he smacks his nose into the ground and snot goes flying everywhere. So we figured kennel cough. We brought him into the vet 4 days after rescuing him, and they stated that they didn't think it was kennel cough, but they put him on antibiotics anyway. It helped for a little bit, but the symptoms always came back. After some more rigamarole with the vet, they biopsied his snot and found that he had a secondary infection(which happens if untreated for kennel cough). He was prescribed steroids (Prednisone?) and some more Doxycycline.. 7 months later and a bag full of empty antibiotic bottles and he is still in the same condition. I have tried every home remedy to help him.. Honey, Colloidal Silver, Echinacea, Yogurt, chicken broth. I have bleached anything that could tolerate bleach. I frequently wash the bedding and carry Lysol everywhere I go in the house. Nothing has helped. I let my husband know that one more trip to the vet for this dog, and I give up. He will need to go back to the shelter. It is not an allergic reaction to anything as we have changed food, treats, toys.. Now that it is warmer out, the symptoms are not kicking in as fast as it did when it was cold out. Right now his snot is brown, he's coughing a lot, and it keeps him and us up all night. He frequently pukes the white foam(does have the brown snot in it) His appetite is normal, and he is drinking normal. He seems to be fine when he sleeps, and the symptoms kick in real bad once he wakes up and when he's doing a lot of activity. Please help! I want more then anything to keep this dog, as he is sweet, caring, cuddly, and playful, but I am at my wits end.
I have no doubts that the dog is more sick of if then I am. I feel for this dog as it must be painful for him, as its heartbreaking for me to watch him go through this. I have been to 4 different vets. They all did the same treatments, and gave me to same information, which leads me to doubt anything they have to say.

Allergies.. don't the signs usually go away during the winter months, which is when all of this has started?

His airways and his lungs are clear. There isn't anywhere he can stay, without risking an infection to other dogs. I have another 2 year old husky that has been around and caught the kennel cough, and a couple of anitbotics and she is now fine. She is not showing any signs of infection that my other dog is.
 
Parvo! If u care about the dog take it to the vet every hour counts look it up if u need further proof but I say while you're looking it up u should be on your way to the vet! Now!
 
You are describing chronic Bronchitis in a dog that is probably immuno-suppressed by virtue of persistent infections. It may well have all started from Bordatella, as was the case with a dog just up the road from me that took ages to get better. They did all kinds of stuff like looking to see if he inhaled foreign objects, X-Rays, MRI and I think it the end it was a combination of the dog losing a lot of weight and I think they said giving Vancomycin that fixed the problem.
Actually, keeping a correct or lesser weight is as important as eliminating known irritants like tobacco smoke. Now I'm wondering if your dog also has some Pyema (pus in a lobe of the lung that never clears away). Did anyone recommend you do 'Coupage' which is lightly tapping his chest to help free mucus and finally get it clear enough to heal. That Pred. too, whilst excellent for most inflammations, may in a immune-challeged dog have actually made it more difficult for him to fight the disease meaning that some of it always lurked around and then just came back.
I don't envy you our your vet with this one.
I wonder, would it be possible for the dog to get a 2-3 weeks break from where he's living right now, just to remove him from easy sources of reinfection which are already resistant to the antibiotics? I know its an old fashioned thing like they used to do with people with TB, but don't you think it might be worth giving it a chance?
 
You are describing chronic Bronchitis in a dog that is probably immuno-suppressed by virtue of persistent infections. It may well have all started from Bordatella, as was the case with a dog just up the road from me that took ages to get better. They did all kinds of stuff like looking to see if he inhaled foreign objects, X-Rays, MRI and I think it the end it was a combination of the dog losing a lot of weight and I think they said giving Vancomycin that fixed the problem.
Actually, keeping a correct or lesser weight is as important as eliminating known irritants like tobacco smoke. Now I'm wondering if your dog also has some Pyema (pus in a lobe of the lung that never clears away). Did anyone recommend you do 'Coupage' which is lightly tapping his chest to help free mucus and finally get it clear enough to heal. That Pred. too, whilst excellent for most inflammations, may in a immune-challeged dog have actually made it more difficult for him to fight the disease meaning that some of it always lurked around and then just came back.
I don't envy you our your vet with this one.
I wonder, would it be possible for the dog to get a 2-3 weeks break from where he's living right now, just to remove him from easy sources of reinfection which are already resistant to the antibiotics? I know its an old fashioned thing like they used to do with people with TB, but don't you think it might be worth giving it a chance?
 
Take him to the vets. If vet is no good then take him to another vets. Although this is funny but true, one of my friends, her old dog actually suffered from hayfever would you believe, and the vet put her dog on hayfever tablets, he kept sneezing all the time and coughing. its probably very rare for a dog to have this, but just another option.
 
it could be a number of things and one thing to check is his nasal canal. I had a young dog that had a small twig caught way down inside his nose, almost to his throat. The first vet I visited didn't see it but the second one found the twig. It was covered in mucous and the dog was hacking up the mucous and vomiting. Have the vet do a scope. My dog had very similar symptoms to your dog. I hope it is something less serious than disease. Puppies get into everything.
 
Not every health issue with humans and or animals is cut and dry in finding a cause and cure.

Your vet needs to rule out (as he has been) what may be the culprit of what is affecting your dog. This is not always an easy task and the owner needs have trust that their vet is doing the best they can do to continue to look for the cause and to try and find a remedy.

At this point it would be best to have the vet look to see if your dog may have an obstruction in his airway, throat or lungs by way of scans, xrays and scoped. He should also be checked for parasites including lung worms.

Sad to think that just because he is puking, coughing, gagging, hacking, and sneezing that you would consider surrendering him back to the shelter you got him from after having him for 6 months.

You are tired of dealing with it, how do you think he feels ?
 
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