11 Month old Yorkie gagging and retching...

[BigKing]

Hi there. Some may remember when we had issues with King! Well we got him a couple of companions to help with his seperation anxiety and all has been great. We took our time to introduce him and our little family is doing well. Now on to the problem:

The baby of our family: Oreo

Oreo is an 11 month old Biewer Yorkie. We got her for free from a woman who breeds yorkies and felt she was a "throw away" as she said because her legs were too long and she was the runt. She was 3 pounds when we got her and her hip bones were showing and her spine was clearly visible. It was so sad but the little girl was just full of life. She had not given her any shots as she said because she didn't think she would make it. When I went to the vet to get her shots we were unable to do them yet as she had some GI trouble and the vet wanted to wait until it cleared up. She has had a rough life where she came from. In the 10 months she was with her original owners she had the same leg broken twice. It was set wrong and now my little girl is pigeon toed. Yesterday she started this slight gagging but nothing came out. I thought she may have eaten something outside that was tickling her throat so we were waiting to see if it cleared up. We don't use leashes with collars, only harnesses. Now she keeps having these episodes where she trembles, gags, and dry heaves. Then she is okay and acts completely normal like nothing has happened. Then awhile later goes through the same thing again. I am wondering if she could have a cold and has anyone gone through this before. Only once has her gagging produced anything and it was mucousy. Since being with us we have gotten her to about 5 pounds and 4 ounces and she seems to be doing better other than this gagging thing.. If you have any ideas, please let me know. It is a very scary sound and she is still a baby! Thanks, Cindy

[ladyjane]

Good morning, Cindy. The first thing I would like to ask is that you update King's recent thread:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...y-answers.html

As for Oreo, honestly I don't know what to say other than that if you have not yet been to a vet, it is time to go. Dogs don't get such symptoms from a "cold" as you asked.

[yorkietalkjilly]

From the AVMA:

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

From Find A Vet:

These 13 Dog Symptoms Need Immediate Attention From Your Vet | Find A Vet

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) warns that pet parents should immediately take their dogs to a veterinarian or emergency animal hospital if their pets are displaying any of the following symptoms:

1. Severe bleeding or bleeding that lasts longer than 5 minutes
2. Choking or difficulty breathing, or continuous coughing and gagging
3. Bleeding from your dog’s nose, mouth or rectum; coughing up blood; or blood in his urine
4. Inability to urinate or defecate, or obvious pain when doing so
5. Eye injuries
6. Your dog ate something poisonous, such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.
7. Seizures and/or staggering
8. Fractured bones, severe limping or your dog cannot move his leg(s)
9. Obvious signs of pain or anxiety
10. Heat stress or heatstroke
11. Severe vomiting or diarrhea (more than twice in a 24-hour period, or if it is combined with illness or any of these other conditions)
12. Refusal to drink water for more than 24 hours
13. Unconsciousness
“The bottom line is that any concern about your pet’s health warrants, at minimum, a call to your veterinarian,” the AVMA notes.

For more information about these and other dog health conditions, visit HOW TO Topics: A to Z or submit a question to i Love Dogs’ Ask a Vet.

[Maximo]

Take Oreo to the vet as soon as possible -- call a vet now. Max had similar symptoms and we took him to the ER because I thought he was choking. It's important that you have a doctor determine if anything is stuck in the throat. Max did not have anything stuck, but his throat was very red and irritated -- exact cause not determined. He was given an antibiotic and recovered quickly.

[Patti]

I agree Oreo should be seen by her vet. The one quick thing to check is if she has any hair from the corners of her mouth stuck down her throat. That happens to mine sometimes after they eat. So I check after each meal. Please keep us posted.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Please be sure you know about this information linked to below and know the signs of dehydration:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...-drinking.html

[BigKing]

So, I called the vet today. Unfortunately they closed at noon and were unable to get her in. The office girl told me to keep an eye on her and if she seemed like she couldn't breath then I could take her to the er for animals across town. I have kept an eye on her all day and held her for much of it. I am wondering if she could have some sort of pneumonia or something because she is so tiny, she is fine for about 30 minutes or sometimes a little longer, then she coughs up mucous. This last time it looked like snot, and alot of it. It is midnight here now but in the morning as soon as they open I am going to take her to the ER. I wish I would have done it today now I was nervous because I didn't have the $200 they wanted to check her out. Now I am just going to go in and see if they will really turn me away. I need her to be checked on. Thank you all for your help. This forum is a godsend for me and my family. I will post some pictures of King, Oreo, and our other little Yorkie, Mia. They are the sweetest, most kind natured little babies. Every day they show me such an amazing capacity to love and teach me more about love and life. I just ask that you all keep Oreo in your prayers. She is my daughters baby and at 12 I don't want her to have to face something like that yet. Thanks all, I will keep you updated!

[kjc]

Yes these babies do get pneumonia, and the mucous can throw them off eating. She'll need antibiotics, xrays to check her lungs, and maybe nebulized with more antibiotics. Then xrays again in 2-4 weeks to make sure it is cleared... that's if it's pneumonia. The sooner she's treated the better. If she's up and about and eating and drinking, that's good. If she becmes lethargic, get her right in. They can run high fevers and have seizures from it. Can you check her temp?

Are there any regular vets that have Sunday hours?

[MandiesMom]

If she is still doing this, I know it is costly but I would find a way to get her into the ER vet. Most importantly make sure she is getting air. If she is trembling, she is scared, cold or in pain...probably scared and in pain. Praying for your little Oreo!

[yorkietalkjilly]

My Tibbe had pneumonia just about this time last year. Thankfully I got him into the vet within 2 hours of seeing his hacking started and we caught it very early. They said the earlier you start treatment for something like pneumonia, usually the better it is for the dog so Tibbe's case was still very mild but very, very scary. Vets thought it was from his partially aspirating something he spit up/vomited. I'm hoping in the future you can make arrangements so your babies can get into the vet when they are sick without waiting and suffering and make whatever arrangements you have to to ensure this. That is absolutely critical to do this as they do get ill and that eventuality just has to be faced by all dogowners. Hoping to hear an update that your little one has been treated and on the mend and I will be praying for your little dog.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by BigKing

So, I called the vet today. Unfortunately they closed at noon and were unable to get her in. The office girl told me to keep an eye on her and if she seemed like she couldn't breath then I could take her to the er for animals across town. I have kept an eye on her all day and held her for much of it. I am wondering if she could have some sort of pneumonia or something because she is so tiny, she is fine for about 30 minutes or sometimes a little longer, then she coughs up mucous. This last time it looked like snot, and alot of it. It is midnight here now but in the morning as soon as they open I am going to take her to the ER. I wish I would have done it today now I was nervous because I didn't have the $200 they wanted to check her out. Now I am just going to go in and see if they will really turn me away. I need her to be checked on. Thank you all for your help. This forum is a godsend for me and my family. I will post some pictures of King, Oreo, and our other little Yorkie, Mia. They are the sweetest, most kind natured little babies. Every day they show me such an amazing capacity to love and teach me more about love and life. I just ask that you all keep Oreo in your prayers. She is my daughters baby and at 12 I don't want her to have to face something like that yet. Thanks all, I will keep you updated!

Yes, I believe they will turn you away. These places cannot afford to treat people's pets for nothing. Or, they may suggest that you turn the dog over to them...some will do that, treat the dog and then either adopt it out themselves or call a rescue.

You might want to look into Care Credit...you have had two very sick dogs recently and you cannot just watch them and not take them to a vet. They are small and are going to die if you don't do something!! Care Credit is at Healthcare and Medical Financing for Consumers | CareCredit™

Please don't let this dog be sick. If you cannot afford a $200 vet bill, it is scary. That is a cheap bill in terms of treating a dog. I have seen bills in the thousands. Please look into Care Credit or find some other way to have a littlle money to care for the pups in your care.

Prayers for your babies....

[SusieQ36305]

I certainly understand about the not be able to afford the vet bills, too. If you need to do something at home, you can always give her a little Pepto-Bismol in a medicine dropper, the kind you get for children. I have done that for mine. They can also take Children's Tylenol and Children's Benadryl for allergies as well. You can buy the store brand. It doesn't have to be the name brand. I would just give them just enough in the tip of the dropper, kind of gauge it according to weight. They can also take baby aspirin. Good luck and God Bless you all! Please keep us posed. It sounds like she has a cold or something to me. I might even try just a little bit of liquid antibiotic if you have any for your children. Just a little, not much. Also, if your puppy gets low blood sugar and acts funny, cannot stand, weak, etc., give them some Karo syrup. If it doesn't help them, it's not gonna hurt them. Again, Good Luck and please keep us posted. You are in my prayers.

[SusieQ36305]

Also, if she starts to get dehydrated after being sick and not eating, just fill the medicine dropper with water and put in the side of her mouth. I would do this for precautionary measures, I think and also the Karo syrup. Like I said, it's not gonna hurt them even if it doesn't help.

[ladyjane]

OP: If your puppy is as sick as you make it sound, please take her to the vet. I would not try any home remedies...please try to find the money for appropriate veterinary care. It is not normal for a dog to have tremors, gagging and dry heaves.

Further, if she shows signs of dehydration, I don't care WHAT you do in terms of giving droppers of water, it will NOT BE ENOUGH. Dehydration in these small pups is deadly!

[BigKing]

Hi everyone. I think that in some way I may have misrepresented myself. I love this forum. I love that there is a place for people that truly love their Yorkies to come together to share ideas and information.

Since right before Christmas we were dealing with King's illness issues. We spent about $800 at Banfield and then found a FANTASTIC vet named Saundra Taylor closer to our home and then spent about $1400 on xrays, ultrasounds, liver biopsies, etc. No expense is too great when you love your family, I get it. He recovered and is now doing great although he has a serious seperation anxiety issue with my mother, his mother. I now have two little girl Yorkies. Mia is a 14 month old Black and Tan female and Oreo is an 11 month old Biewer Yorkie. We got them at the end of December. Mia was in great shape but the women that were responsible for Oreo felt like she was a 'runt' and wouldn't make it. They didn't vaccinate her at all. She has already had two broken legs before we got her and they set them themselves and did it crooked. She is the cutest baby in the world to me. In the start of January I underwent abdominal surgery. Then at the start of February, Oreo seemed out of sorts so I took her to the vet. After $230, x-rays and office visit with medicine, we found out we cant have her vaccinated while she is sick. Then my dad went into the hospital with total kidney failure among other things. When I said earlier that I was unable to pay the $200 dollars to get her in, it isn't because I am unwilling and I don't want to spend any time watching her suffer, I am trying to take care of her to the best of my ability. I spoke to a friends sister that is a vet and she said that i could give her a small amount of children's Benadryl to relieve her symptoms. That has worked and she isn't choking, spitting phlegm, or struggling. She is back to normal. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow to check up on her, we just want to make sure it is nothing more. I wanted to clarify that I am not trying to minimize the situation or be complacent about this issue. I appreciate all of your help and encouragement and feel thankful that there is such a thing as 'Yorkie Talk' right now!
Thanks,
Cindy