little dog

Question
cough and haking vomaning something white

Answer
Hi John!As for the vcoughing and haking,here's what you can do:
Like people,pets will occasionally cough in response to pollen,dust or even fumes from household cleaners.Try keeping your pet in another room when you're vaccuming or dusting.Open windows if your using heavy-duty cleaners.And in the warm months,keeping him indoors in the early morning and late afternoon will help reduce his exposure to pollen.

You already know that smoking isn't good for you.It can be even worse for your pet,since the heavier elements in smoke can drift down to his level.One dog I saw developed very servere emphysema from the owners' smoking.

When air is dry,mucus in the throat and airways gets thick and sticky,signaling the body to cough.It does help to humidify the air.Take the pet in the cath when you shower and let him breathe the moist air.Using a humidifier or vaporizer can also help reduce the dryness of the air.

While pets that are leash-trained can manage a traditional choke collar,more eager pet will often lunge against the lead,putting irritation pressure on the larynx (voicebox) or windpipe.Vets recommend walking them ina harness instead of a collar.

If your pet is coughing more than once an hour,he can probably benefit from a cough suppressant.Vets recommend using a product containing the active ingredient dextromethorphan,such as Robitussin Maximum Strenght Cough Syrup.Ask your vet which dose is right for your pet.Be sure,however, to pick a product that contains only the active ingredient you want.Some cough medications also contain drugs like aspirin or acetaminophen,which can be dangerous for pets.

If the cough supressant comes in liquid form,tip the animal's head up,pull the loose skin up from around the mouth and make a funnel.Then spoon in the appropriate amount.

When coughing is caused by hay fever,giving an over-the-counter antihistamine like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can help reduce irritation.Dosing amounts vary,but plan on giving about one to three milligrams of medication for every pound of pet of pet.Ask your vet for exact amounts.

Weight is often a significant factor in older dogs that have chronic coughs.If you can get a few pounds off him,a lot of the coughing will diappear.

Stressful situations can trigger cough attacks.So when your dog's symtoms flare,give him extra love until things calm down.

          WHEN TO SEE THE VET
When pets start coughing,it's sometimes a warnimg sign of something serious-like pneumonia,asthma,bronchitis,a collapsed windpipe or even a heart attack-is going on.How can you tell when to be concerned>In a dog,if he's been coughing nore than 24 hours,something is wrong and the animal should be checked out.Coughing is the mosr frequent sign of heart disease.If your dog is coughing and is breathing rapidly or seems short of breath,or if he has a swollen abdomen,get to the vet immediately.

As for the vomiting,do not let him eat for 24 hours.Make sure he has lots of water.If water makes him quezy let him lick ice cubes.To make sure the water stays down don't give him more than 1 ice cube every 15 minutes.To prevent your pet from drinking to much,keep the toilet lid down.Otherwise your animal could have a double treat-an unlimited supply of water he shouldn't have and water thats chokeful of bacteria that arn't going to help his situation.

After fasting for 24 hours,your pet may be ravenous for food.Start with a bland diet to gently work his system back into digesting,or else you cold end up back at square one. Vets recommend mixing 2 parts cooked white rice with 1 part cottage cheese or boiled skinless white chicken.At first ,feed him small amounts about every 4 hours.After a day,if he's still holding the bland food down, you can begin feeding him his ususal amount.

After 2 days on the bland diet,you can start reintroducing his ususal fare. Vets recommend replacing about one-fourth of the bland food with his regular food every day for 4 days until he's back to normal.

Even after the vomiting stops,your pet may not be feeling up to par.Kaopectate will help soothe his stomach.It's chalky and not exactly delicious,but it works.Give one teaspoon of Kaopectate for each ten pounds of weight weight.Sinse dosages are vary widely from pet to pet,however,be sure to ask your vet for advice

               FOR DOGS ONLY
Givign your pet Pepto-Bimol will help soothe his tummy just as it does yours.Vets recommend giving about one teaspoon for for every 20 pounds of dogs every 4-6 hours for up to 2 days.Dog's don't like it much,so don't be surprised if more ends up on you than in your dog.A neater solution is to use an oral syringe,which is available at pharmacies.Never give Pepto-Bismol to cats without a veterinarian' supervision.It contains ingredients cats don't metabolize well so it can make them sicker.

Before using any of this information,be sure to contact your vet to see if it is OK.You can print this out or send to his office.I hope this helps!Nicole.D.