# Dog going through motions of being sick but isn't being sick



## pandawolf (Mar 22, 2010)

The past couple of days my dog has been behaving as if she is going to be sick but after heaving she doesn't actually bring anything up, not even flem.

Does anyone know what this might mean, I don't know if I should take her to the vets as she is quite elderly.


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## jackiep (Nov 18, 2011)

Sorry i don't know why she would be retching 

I would definatley take her to the vet especially with being elderly & it going on for a couple of days.

Hope she feels better soon


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## TheFredChallenge (Feb 17, 2011)

Yes I would go to the vets personally as it's been a couple of days. Hard to know the cause :confused5:

Kennel cough is around and I have heard a few varying symptoms of that....and how it shows itself. May _not_ be that though and as I say can't really guess. Hope you get it figured out soon


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

pandawolf said:


> The past couple of days my dog has been behaving as if she is going to be sick but after heaving she doesn't actually bring anything up, not even flem.
> 
> Does anyone know what this might mean, I don't know if I should take her to the vets as she is quite elderly.


Retching can be a symptom of

Kennel Cough
Laryngeal Paralysis
GDV
Something stuck in throat etc

amongst others, as she is elderly this must be very exhausting for her, why not take her to the vet?


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## Helbo (Sep 15, 2010)

Another vote for the Vet here


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

pandawolf said:


> The past couple of days my dog has been behaving as if she is going to be sick but after heaving she doesn't actually bring anything up, not even flem.
> 
> Does anyone know what this might mean, I don't know if I should take her to the vets as she is quite elderly.


Could be kennel cough there is a lot about this year and it seems to have gone on longer because of the warmer weather. Would you say there was any coughing as well? or just silent or more or less silent heaving?
Non productive vomiting can also be a sigh of some sort of blockage too.
I know when they are old you ont like to keep dragging them to the vets but might be an idea in this case. Kennel cough is often left to take its course, but in an old girl she may be prone to secondary infection so he may feel it safer to ccover her with ABs, and of course in case its a blockage it needs to be checked out.

Ring first as kennel cough should it be that is contagious, so they may make it a last appointment or tell you not to wait in the surgery first.


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## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

I was going to say KC. It does sound more like retching sometimes.


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## soulful dog (Nov 6, 2011)

Definitely give your vet a phone. My dog had those same symptoms last year (although he did tend to bring up phlegm some of the time) and the vet said it was kennel cough. Told us to bring him down late in the day and wait outside the surgery, as Sled dog hotel said, it's very contagious.

Incidentally, it took weeks and weeks to clear up, with the vet eventually giving him two lots of antibiotics before he got rid of it. It wasn't too bad as it was just this retching, and it didn't really seem to cause him much distress, although he is just a youngster. 

Another dog I know had totally different symptoms, it really did sound like a cough and she was pretty bad with it, coughing all day long. Though it cleared up pretty quickly.


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## NicoleW (Aug 28, 2010)

Bailey has had this for a few days too.

It started off with him being physically sick from eating poop.

That's stopped but he keeps, well it's like burping but a wet burp then all you hear his him swallowing and eating whatever has come up in his mouth


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

NicoleW said:


> Bailey has had this for a few days too.
> 
> It started off with him being physically sick from eating poop.
> 
> That's stopped but he keeps, well it's like burping but a wet burp then all you hear his him swallowing and eating whatever has come up in his mouth


Sounds like he could have some kind of reflux, they can get acid reflux too just like we can.


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## NicoleW (Aug 28, 2010)

That's the word! I kept thinking indegestion but knew it wasn't.

Switched him from having two meals a day to having four, that seems to have done the trick. :


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## pandawolf (Mar 22, 2010)

She had kennel cough about a year ago and had a slight horse cough ever since then, more like she was occasionally sneezing.
This is like she is just about to be sick when you can hear her going through the motions of being sick, gulping, stomach going in and out then she will open her mouth as if she is being sick but there is nothing.
She didn't do it yesterday but was very restless in the evening so I am going to ring the vets just incase.

Thanks for advice
:thumbup1:


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

pandawolf said:


> She had kennel cough about a year ago and had a slight horse cough ever since then, more like she was occasionally sneezing.
> This is like she is just about to be sick when you can hear her going through the motions of being sick, gulping, stomach going in and out then she will open her mouth as if she is being sick but there is nothing.
> She didn't do it yesterday but was very restless in the evening so I am going to ring the vets just incase.
> 
> ...


That does sound more like unproductive vomiting, if she is really heaving from deep in the gut. The kennel cough or some thing stuck in the throat is just that all from the throat and highe up and more like what I would call retching. Deffinately needs to be checked out, espcially if its gone on a few days. If he behaviour isnt right and she is still restless even though the trying to vomit may have ceased, there may well be discomfort or pain still.


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