Worried about Zachary again.....what do you think? Advice

[lostshowfan86]

Okay I know if its not one thing its another. Zachary coughs/chokes a lot. And the vet has been treating him for allergies but I don't know the meds never seem to help.

Now when he is on leash he gets excited and starts pulling and I wonder if he is hurting himself and his throat.

He seems to every few hours act like he is going to throw up and starts having a deep raspy cough. He seems to wake up in the middle of the night and do this a lot too.

Could it just be his allergies or could something else be going on?

Could it be that he is hurting himself when we have him leashed up?

Also we tried to get him a harness but he is too big for the small size and too small for the medium size (he slips out)

I'm just a little concerned....we will take him to the vet if we have too but this has been going on for the last 8 months or so....and we've been to the vet several times.


I know my parents poodle suffers from what seems to be a collapsing treachea.....hopefully its not that....Though their dog is 6 and has never been treated for it.

Anyways could it just be his allergies (they diagnosed him with respiratory allergies) or is he hurting himself or could it really be something else

[Fran101]

Poodles and bichons, malteses and some others, especially short nosed breeds, have what is called a reverse sneezing, it really does sound weird but its pretty common
YouTube - Dagny Reverse Sneezing

What breed is zachary? that might be it

[lostshowfan86]

Originally Posted by Fransheska101

Poodles and bichons, malteses and some others, especially short nosed breeds, have what is called a reverse sneezing, it really does sound weird but its pretty common
YouTube - Dagny Reverse Sneezing

What breed is zachary? that might be it

Zachary is a Minature Poodle but they don't have those squished faces....I had a shih tzu that had reverse sneezing....totally different thing than this.

It sounds like he is choking and sometimes he does throw up.....

Totally different thing.

I will add it sounds like when he is pulling too hard on his leash but this happens pretty much anytime....on leash or off

[Fran101]

Originally Posted by lostshowfan86

Zachary is a Minature Poodle but they don't have those squished faces....I had a shih tzu that had reverse sneezing....totally different thing than this.

It sounds like he is choking and sometimes he does throw up.....

Totally different thing.

I will add it sounds like when he is pulling too hard on his leash but this happens pretty much anytime....on leash or off

Its also VERY common in toy poodles, my miniature poodle does it. On leash or off, or even sometimes if he gets too excited and yes it does look likes hes choking and occasionally if he ate something will throw up, we took him to the vet and he said it was reverse sneezing after observing him ect..
my advice to you would be to get a vets opinion about it if your worried


Collapsed Trachea vs. Reverse Sneezing

[lostshowfan86]

keep in mind I might be freaking out about nothing but with all we've been through with him healthwise I'm going to worry about everything....he was so sick for so long


We are constantly at the vet with him and they said they still think its allergies but none of the medicine they gave him helped.


At first I thought it was related to his tummy issues

[lostshowfan86]

Originally Posted by Fransheska101

Its also VERY common in toy poodles, my miniature poodle does it. On leash or off, or even sometimes if he gets too excited and yes it does look likes hes choking and occasionally if he ate something will throw up, we took him to the vet and he said it was reverse sneezing after observing him ect..
my advice to you would be to get a vets opinion about it if your worried


Collapsed Trachea vs. Reverse Sneezing

Shoot.....I read that thing...it does sound like the trachea.

How do they check that and what happens after that if that is it?

I'd have zachary checked by a vet, to ease your concerns. If the vet suspects a trachea problem, they can do an x-ray to take a look.

As far as walking him, try an adjustable harness. They are completely adjustable and will fit properly when adjusted accordingly. He may be pulling too hard and choking himself with the collar, which can also lead to trachea problems later down the road.

[lostshowfan86]

Originally Posted by FluffyZooCrew

I'd have zachary checked by a vet, to ease your concerns. If the vet suspects a trachea problem, they can do an x-ray to take a look.

As far as walking him, try an adjustable harness. They are completely adjustable and will fit properly when adjusted accordingly. He may be pulling too hard and choking himself with the collar, which can also lead to trachea problems later down the road.

That is the type of harness we tried......the adjustable.....the people at the petstore were running around like crazy trying to find one that would fit but he is built wierd you know....not like most poodles and his legs are crazy long.....but we tried 3 different brands of harnesses and all adjustable and then the store said he would not fit in any


Again I've had him checked out by the vet about this several times and they say it must just be another allergy attack but the meds just don't help at all.

I'm starting to worry because he finally was starting to do better but now it seems every few hours he starts choking.

After eating, after drinking, after running and playing, going out to go potty (he is leashed for that), he wakes up coughing....

The vet says allergies....but wouldn't the meds help

How long his legs are have nothing to do with fitting the harness. One side goes around his chest and back, the other side goes around his neck...

I have 15 dogs in the house, all have adjustable harness. Everything from a 4 pound dachshund puppy to a 100 lb pit bull and everything in between. I think the store just didn't know how to adjust it properly.

[MericoX]

Why should they have to adjust an adjustable harness?