Choking Rottweiler

Question
Hi. My mom recently fed our dog a chicken wing when we were away on vacation. When we got back 2 days later, our dog sounded like he was hacking or trying to get something out of his throat. He does this a couple times every hour. My mom said he did it right after she gave him the wing. We took him to our vet and he did some sort of scope into his throat and stomach and also x-rays. He said everything seemed fine except some inflammation in his tonsils. The x-ray looks as if there is a chicken bone lodged in his throat, but the vet says that it's normal. He's been  taking antibiotics for 2 days now, but does not seem to be getting any better. Is it possible that he inhaled the chicken wing and it is now stuck in his trachea? Would the vet see the wing in his trachea when he did the scope? Should we take the x-rays elsewhere for a second opinion? We've already spent $400, and quite frankly don't have much more, but we also do not want our dog to suffer. Please help!! Kitty

Answer
You might be seeing something else in his throat. Is the vet giving him anything for the inflammation? That is what will make him gag and choke more than anything else.

He would not be able to breathe if he had it stuck in his trachea. If the vet scoped the throat then he would have seen something in his tonsils, however, it is always possible to miss a piece that has embedded itself into the tonsils themselves.

I would give it a few more days and if there is no change then call and ask why he isn't on an anti-inflammatory and that you want a second opinion if he doesn't clear up.

But remember, as I said, the inflammation will make him gag like that- so if the object is gone then the key is to get the inflammation down.