Gagging/throwing up? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

bellasmomok · 09-19-2008, 08:11 PM

For probably as long as we've had her (since she was almost 9 wks. old--she's 5 mo. old now),I hear Bella make this little gagging type noise every once in awhile (maybe twice a week or so). It sounds like she's about to vomit, but she doesn't....and sometimes she kind of smacks her lips after making the "noise". Yesterday, I was unlucky enough to have her little face right next to mine when the same thing happened, and shooooooo-eey!! I caught a whiff of...well, an acidy vomit smell. Blech!! She didn't actually throw up, but she did smack her little lips afterward again. I've been wondering (until yesterday) exactly what that little noise she was making was for sure, but now I'm pretty sure she has....acid reflux?? I don't notice it connected to any activity (having just eaten/drank and then playing too hard, or anything like that). It just happens whenever. So what I'm wondering is, is this normal? Should I be concerned?? I don't want to ignore something that is a problem or a sign of a problem, but I don't want to be an over-worried mom either!!

HillbillyBelle · 09-19-2008, 10:36 PM

I would advise at least a vet consult. They can be treated with some of the same meds humans use for acid reflux. This can develop into a serious matter if she does indeed have reflux...the acid from her tummy is not supposed to touch the lining of her esophagus as the esophageal mucosa does not have the ability to protect itself from that acid and burns can occur. Burns cause the opening between the stomach and esophagus to swell and then it does not close properly. That allows even more acid to wash up and burn. Bottom line is, that erosion, ulcers and even more serious conditions can result. The treatment is relatively easy and effective especially when started at an early age.
OMG, I have written a whole chapter but reflux is a condition that I know a bit about. Good luck and keep her healthy. She probably is fine but might need an occasional dose of tummy meds. Let us know what your vet sez.

bellasmomok · 09-20-2008, 07:03 AM

Good to know. I have acid reflux and have been on meds for years for it, so when I figured out what that noise was, it made me wonder if it would be a concern in dogs just as it is in humans. It makes sense that it obviously would....I'll get her in to see the vet as soon as I can. (I'd rather take her to my old vet in OKC--he's seen her once--than the vet I see her in town. The one here is good for vaccines and is more reasonable than my old vet, but I like my old one soooo much more. He's just so good with animals and me...very thorough. On a side note, I'll talk to him some more about booster vaccines--Bella had a tiny little reaction to her last puppy shot, so I want to know if her boosters should be done differently, or maybe not give some of the ones he recommended before.) Thanks for responding...we both appreciate it!

Wylie's Mom · 09-20-2008, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellasmomok

Good to know. I have acid reflux and have been on meds for years for it, so when I figured out what that noise was, it made me wonder if it would be a concern in dogs just as it is in humans. It makes sense that it obviously would....I'll get her in to see the vet as soon as I can. (I'd rather take her to my old vet in OKC--he's seen her once--than the vet I see her in town. The one here is good for vaccines and is more reasonable than my old vet, but I like my old one soooo much more. He's just so good with animals and me...very thorough. On a side note, I'll talk to him some more about booster vaccines--Bella had a tiny little reaction to her last puppy shot, so I want to know if her boosters should be done differently, or maybe not give some of the ones he recommended before.) Thanks for responding...we both appreciate it!

I would be very careful with vaccines! Reactions one time can be more severe next time. For my dogs, I get ONLY the core vaccines and follow the AAHA's recommendations, despite what any stubborn (money driven) vet may say. I do not get Bordatella, Lepto, Corona, Lyme, or Giardia. Those are non-core vaccines. ALWAYS get the rabies vaccine alone - don't allow your vet to give any other vaccines on that day.

As for the gagging, very tough to say since she's done it ever since you've had her. Have you ever tried switching foods? What are you feeding her? And it's "gagging" - not reverse sneezing?

bellasmomok · 09-20-2008, 03:59 PM

At first I was worried that it was reverse sneezing too, but from what I understand, reverse sneezing sounds more like honking, they stand with legs apart and almost seem to be choking, and it lasts for several seconds or so?? Her "noise" is more like what my cat sounds like just before she throws up and only lasts a second. In fact, Bella has thrown up twice since I've had her (once because of playing super hard right after eating, and the other time after she ate something off the carpet--I saw what she ate), and the pre-throwing up noise is basically the same noise she makes when she doesn't actually throw up. And, like I said, I actually smelled her breath as she was doing it once and it smelled like she had thrown up in her mouth.

As for switching foods, she was eating PurinaOne and then I switched her to Wellness, but she's done it on both foods.

Question about vaccines: can I do a yearly combo booster DA2PP and then the rabies on a different day? Some people suggest giving them all as singles, but number one I don't think I can afford that, and two that's a lot of sticks!! I haven't given her the bordatella because I don't board her....out of curiosity were you talking about the nose drops or the shot or either one? My groomer suggests the nose drops, but since I haven't left her there yet (I stay with her, and I probably will always do that) I haven't done it. Are the drops ok, though, if I ever were to leave her? I know I'll have to leave her at the vet (I think overnight, but possibly not) in a month or two for surgery, so I was thinking she'd need it then. Are the drops worse than contracting kennel cough?

HillbillyBelle · 09-20-2008, 04:09 PM

What a wonderful Yorkie mom you are. As for the vaccines, when you take her for them, always plan to stay at the vets for an hour or so. If she had lepto (can't remember if you said) that is a big cause of reactions and my vet does not recommend it. Doesn't matter cause I would refuse it..
If you stay at the vet, they can give your baby an antihistamine or steroid if a reaction starts and take care of the baby. Reactions scare me..
My feeling is never give a rabies or other vaccine on the same day as puppy shot. And, ask your vet if you should give bordetella drops or injection--my vet does both a month apart...I haven't given mine the B. cause they don't go to board or groom and rarely anyplace else....

bellasmomok · 09-20-2008, 08:27 PM

3 of her 4 puppy shots had Lepto and they all had Corona....I had read about not doing them for reaction reasons, but also read what they were/how they were contracted/etc... and my both my old vet and new vet advised giving them, so I decided to go ahead, worriedly. I trust my old vet pretty explicitly, he is always very good about giving me all the pros and cons and his tendency is to sort of "under-treat" rather than over-treat (that isn't to say he is dismissive...he just would prefer to make sure a treatment is necessary before going that route). But, he knows that I will research on my own and have questions for him and my own opinions too and is just fine with that! All of my family members live on farms or in the country (whereas I live in the city), which is why I ultimately decided to go the route I did. I don't let her run free by any means, but I imagine one day she will run around (most likely leashed) on those properties some, in which case she may very well come into contact with contaminated material (any number of wild animals roam around as well as "domesticated" dogs that come up and look as if they may not actually belong to anyone in particular, and any one of them could be contaminated). If she were a city only dog, I would think the likelihood of her contracting Lepto or Corona would be nil, but since she is sometimes a country dog....that's what I worry about. I'm going to have to think about what I'll do for her 1 yr. shots.....it's all so confusing. I just want to do what's right for her....

09-19-2008, 08:11 PM	#1
bellasmomok YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: OK Posts: 387	Gagging/throwing up? For probably as long as we've had her (since she was almost 9 wks. old--she's 5 mo. old now),I hear Bella make this little gagging type noise every once in awhile (maybe twice a week or so). It sounds like she's about to vomit, but she doesn't....and sometimes she kind of smacks her lips after making the "noise". Yesterday, I was unlucky enough to have her little face right next to mine when the same thing happened, and shooooooo-eey!! I caught a whiff of...well, an acidy vomit smell. Blech!! She didn't actually throw up, but she did smack her little lips afterward again. I've been wondering (until yesterday) exactly what that little noise she was making was for sure, but now I'm pretty sure she has....acid reflux?? I don't notice it connected to any activity (having just eaten/drank and then playing too hard, or anything like that). It just happens whenever. So what I'm wondering is, is this normal? Should I be concerned?? I don't want to ignore something that is a problem or a sign of a problem, but I don't want to be an over-worried mom either!!

09-19-2008, 10:36 PM	#2
HillbillyBelle Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: MD Posts: 110	I would advise at least a vet consult. They can be treated with some of the same meds humans use for acid reflux. This can develop into a serious matter if she does indeed have reflux...the acid from her tummy is not supposed to touch the lining of her esophagus as the esophageal mucosa does not have the ability to protect itself from that acid and burns can occur. Burns cause the opening between the stomach and esophagus to swell and then it does not close properly. That allows even more acid to wash up and burn. Bottom line is, that erosion, ulcers and even more serious conditions can result. The treatment is relatively easy and effective especially when started at an early age. OMG, I have written a whole chapter but reflux is a condition that I know a bit about. Good luck and keep her healthy. She probably is fine but might need an occasional dose of tummy meds. Let us know what your vet sez.

09-20-2008, 07:03 AM	#3
bellasmomok YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: OK Posts: 387	Good to know. I have acid reflux and have been on meds for years for it, so when I figured out what that noise was, it made me wonder if it would be a concern in dogs just as it is in humans. It makes sense that it obviously would....I'll get her in to see the vet as soon as I can. (I'd rather take her to my old vet in OKC--he's seen her once--than the vet I see her in town. The one here is good for vaccines and is more reasonable than my old vet, but I like my old one soooo much more. He's just so good with animals and me...very thorough. On a side note, I'll talk to him some more about booster vaccines--Bella had a tiny little reaction to her last puppy shot, so I want to know if her boosters should be done differently, or maybe not give some of the ones he recommended before.) Thanks for responding...we both appreciate it!

09-20-2008, 03:59 PM	#5
bellasmomok YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: OK Posts: 387	At first I was worried that it was reverse sneezing too, but from what I understand, reverse sneezing sounds more like honking, they stand with legs apart and almost seem to be choking, and it lasts for several seconds or so?? Her "noise" is more like what my cat sounds like just before she throws up and only lasts a second. In fact, Bella has thrown up twice since I've had her (once because of playing super hard right after eating, and the other time after she ate something off the carpet--I saw what she ate), and the pre-throwing up noise is basically the same noise she makes when she doesn't actually throw up. And, like I said, I actually smelled her breath as she was doing it once and it smelled like she had thrown up in her mouth. As for switching foods, she was eating PurinaOne and then I switched her to Wellness, but she's done it on both foods. Question about vaccines: can I do a yearly combo booster DA2PP and then the rabies on a different day? Some people suggest giving them all as singles, but number one I don't think I can afford that, and two that's a lot of sticks!! I haven't given her the bordatella because I don't board her....out of curiosity were you talking about the nose drops or the shot or either one? My groomer suggests the nose drops, but since I haven't left her there yet (I stay with her, and I probably will always do that) I haven't done it. Are the drops ok, though, if I ever were to leave her? I know I'll have to leave her at the vet (I think overnight, but possibly not) in a month or two for surgery, so I was thinking she'd need it then. Are the drops worse than contracting kennel cough?

09-20-2008, 04:09 PM	#6
HillbillyBelle Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: MD Posts: 110	What a wonderful Yorkie mom you are. As for the vaccines, when you take her for them, always plan to stay at the vets for an hour or so. If she had lepto (can't remember if you said) that is a big cause of reactions and my vet does not recommend it. Doesn't matter cause I would refuse it.. If you stay at the vet, they can give your baby an antihistamine or steroid if a reaction starts and take care of the baby. Reactions scare me.. My feeling is never give a rabies or other vaccine on the same day as puppy shot. And, ask your vet if you should give bordetella drops or injection--my vet does both a month apart...I haven't given mine the B. cause they don't go to board or groom and rarely anyplace else....

09-20-2008, 08:27 PM	#7
bellasmomok YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: OK Posts: 387	3 of her 4 puppy shots had Lepto and they all had Corona....I had read about not doing them for reaction reasons, but also read what they were/how they were contracted/etc... and my both my old vet and new vet advised giving them, so I decided to go ahead, worriedly. I trust my old vet pretty explicitly, he is always very good about giving me all the pros and cons and his tendency is to sort of "under-treat" rather than over-treat (that isn't to say he is dismissive...he just would prefer to make sure a treatment is necessary before going that route). But, he knows that I will research on my own and have questions for him and my own opinions too and is just fine with that! All of my family members live on farms or in the country (whereas I live in the city), which is why I ultimately decided to go the route I did. I don't let her run free by any means, but I imagine one day she will run around (most likely leashed) on those properties some, in which case she may very well come into contact with contaminated material (any number of wild animals roam around as well as "domesticated" dogs that come up and look as if they may not actually belong to anyone in particular, and any one of them could be contaminated). If she were a city only dog, I would think the likelihood of her contracting Lepto or Corona would be nil, but since she is sometimes a country dog....that's what I worry about. I'm going to have to think about what I'll do for her 1 yr. shots.....it's all so confusing. I just want to do what's right for her....