Dog coughing and attempting to vomit

Question
Hi, and thanks for helping! I have a couple dogs, cats, chickens, etc.  Right now my problem is with my male 4 year old Border Collie/Lab mix.  He has lots of energy, loves to run around, play with the other dog, be with us people, and have fun.  Late this afternoon, after a bit of stick chasing out back, he began coughing.  He's coughed before, but this kept going, and was a deeper cough.  At this point, 2 am, he starts up with a coughing 'fit' about once an hour.  The cough is deep, almost like croup, hoarse, and loud.  He is uncomfortable, not his usual happy self.  As he coughs, he attempts to vomit.  He will cough a few times, then appear as though he is going to vomit, but then kind of catches it, and swallows.  There will be a small pause, then he starts again.  Every few coughing fits seem to end with a vomit.  He is vomiting mostly mucus, but also some of his kibble dinner.  I have seen him throw up when he has eaten something dumb, or too much at one time, and this is definately different.  When he is all done with the 'fit', I have given him some water, just to make sure he stays hydrated, and to keep his throat moist.  The coughs are so harsh and deep, he really forces out a lot of air when he does this.  As I said, he is usually a really active guy, very VERY happy, but he is obviously not feeling very happy right now.  The dogs get a kibble dinner every afternoon/evening around 5 pm.  Water is always available.  As I said, he did do a bit of running around and got pretty excited this afternoon and I almost wondered if he had gotten a piece of wood or bark stuck in his throat.  For now I am keeping him confined to the bathroom with a towel to lay on, and water.  When he starts up, I go in and hang with him and try to calm him down and get him to rest when he is done.  I figure any more agitation or activity can't help but get him coughing again.  He can be a sneak and eat stuff he should not, now and then.  But again, this is different from when he just vomits a pile of...well, we just won't go there!  He is up to date on vaccinations, he is not around other unfamiliar dogs, and his food has not been changed in a couple weeks.  I appreciate your help.  

Answer
Hey Ann. You should bring him to the vet ASAP. It sounds like he has gotten something lodged in his throat. This can ending up causing some serious damage if the foreign object isn't removed very soon. Don't attempt to look or remove anything yourself, as this may cause further damage. An even worse scenario is that something might be stuck in his trachea(wind pipe). This could be causing breathing complications. Please bring him to the vet as soon as you can! This might turn out to be a serious situation. Thanks!
-Heather