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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,036,872 times
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Well, no, not like a reformed smoker because it's not continuous -- it only happens a few times per day, and only in the last two days -- and it sounds more like what I imagine a cat sounds like when coughing up a hairball or what I know sounds like an old Jewish man who has just tasted a bad piece of whitefish.
ACK! ACK! ACK! Just a few times, like he's trying to dislodge something and then he stops.
Any idea what could be going on?
On what I think is an unrelated note, he's had some loose poops the last few days too, with his worst yet half an hour ago. It started out solid and then quickly turned to mush which quickly turned to almost liquid. I think I've been giving him too many treats, but if you think it could be related to his HACKING and ACKING, then I'm all ears.
Could be two unrelated issues... or not. Hacking could be kennel cough. Hacking and loose stools could mean allergies. I would pull food from him for 24 hours to allow his system time to recoup and then make certain he is drinking water.
Poor little guy, give him a gentle hug, after all we don't want anything to get squeezed out
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,036,872 times
Reputation: 28903
Kennel cough was my first thought, too, seeing as he now loves interacting with all the dogs in the neighborhood. But, from everything that I've read about it, it keeps being referred to as a PERSISTENT cough. Artie will do the HACK-ACK only a few times per day.
We don't yet have a vet here (although I know who *will* be his vet), so I'm going to see how he's doing the rest of the day.
Cleosmom -- I had given him a chicken treat before posting this. He's lying on the couch and his treat is still lying next to his face. He's withholding food from himself.
Hopes -- He sheds. I shed. I wonder if you're right about a hair. I'd like to go with that diagnosis for a bit...
Hopes -- He sheds. I shed. I wonder if you're right about a hair. I'd like to go with that diagnosis for a bit...
When my dogs did it, it was only on and off, not constant coughing. A few times a day. Ultimately it would get bad enough they'd want to go outside and eat crabgrass. You can imagine how difficult it is to find crabgrass in two feet of snow. I'll just tell you now that it can be found along fences where neighbors didn't cut the grass back short before winter. How do we know this? Yes, we walked around the neighborhood looking for crabgrass because there was none left in our yard. Licking is another sign something is irritating them like that. They'd lick the floor or furniture sometimes, not every time they had this problem but when it was really bothering them.
One of my dogs did that and it turned out to be tonsillitis! The vet took them out, solved the problem. I mention this as Artie is not eating and obviously is feeling bad. Poor baby.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,036,872 times
Reputation: 28903
I won't withhold food because Artie has never eaten if he doesn't feel like it -- whether he's not hungry, is feeling unwell, etc... I just fed him an early dinner. He didn't go to it right away. When he did, he ate the stuff that he likes the best (the hamburger and chicken breast) and left over most of the kibble. That's fine. We're going for a walk (in the rain -- BLECH!) and we'll see how that goes. Just one little ACK-HACK earlier this afternoon.
ETA: Went for a walk. Slower than usual but as soon as we saw one of his doggy friends, he hurried so that we could meet up. No poop -- soft or otherwise -- but I'm guessing we'll have one during our last walk tonight.
I won't withhold food because Artie has never eaten if he doesn't feel like it -- whether he's not hungry, is feeling unwell, etc... I just fed him an early dinner.
They're digestive system needs a break when they have diarrhea. If mine have diarrhea, I withhold food until the next morning when I start to feed ground beef and rice for a few days. After that, I slowly start adding dog food with the ground beef and rice mixture, adding more and more dog food and decreasing the ground beef and rice until eventually they're back to regular dog food. I wouldn't do it for mildly loose stools unless it persisted for a few days.
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