# Coughing Dog- from cooked chicken bone or water from swimming, De,or something else??



## lab mom (May 6, 2012)

Last night Sully stole a barbequed chicken back/thigh from the back of the stove. The girls tried to get it away. Which probably only made him swallow it before chewing it more. Not long after he started coughing. Then he was ok. Then later that night he went swimming. coughed a few more times. went for a walk coughed again. This morning coughing spasms. Worse when he pulls on his leash/collar. (I lost my last male lab to Blastomycosis. I thought he was choking on a bone at first, but he was coughing, too. That vet misdiagnosed it as kennel cough, gave him antibiotics and a steriod. The steroid broke down what little immune system he had and the blasto went wild. By the time the vet figured it out, it was to late.) 
The kids were freaking out about seeing another sick dog. I am wondering why it could be from the cooked chicken bones if he has been eating no vomiting, drinking and pooped this morning. So off to the Vet we went today. Chest xray was clear. no s/s of blasto. no congestion in lungs. heart good. no bone obstructions seen. Vet states it sounds like a tracheal cough, could be a risk of infection after the chicken if it scratched his trachea. Gives us doxycycline incase of infection from the chicken bones scratching his trachea. Said it should get better in the next few days. Otherwise call if things do not seem to be getting better. 
The part that scares me, is that the cough is so much worse today. Then son and husband say they watched 1001 ways to die and someone died from a dry drowning- a lady fell asleep in a bubble bath and awoke chocking on the soapy water and died the next day. So now I am freaking. I forgot to tell the vet he was swimming and had coughed then too. But he had coughed before swimming. Not sure what to think. My dogs eat raw chicken backs and necks and never had anything like this happen. No new foods that it could have been allergy. I give diatomaceous earth with their food-none of the other dogs have been coughing. 
Has any one had anything like this happen to then? Ideas? Suggestions?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

I've never had anything like this happen, but, i know from personal experience that an irritated throat, even slightly irritated (like from a scratch, or wound in the throat from swallowing sharp things) can result in lots of coughing and hacking, it's good that you visited the vet, i'd have done the same thing, however, i'd wait it out and see, time will tell, if the coughing keeps up you'll noticed, and you'll eventually just forget about the whole thing if in 2 days he's not coughing anymore at all  I hope for the best, keep us posted


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## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

You can try feeding him some raw honey to coat his throat - if it is a scratch, it should give him some relief. =)


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

My young female lab does not chew anything, scares the heck out of me. One time she ate some rabbit and the bones are fine, she scratched her throat well I was worried for several days, she puked the meal up coughing and coughed for several days. I think I gave her small meals and smashed the bones for a couple of days in her meals. Well she still doesn't chew but she is still fine.

Don't know if that helps any but labs are funny dogs. They are always one step ahead, so I have to think on my feet lol. Good luck:redface:


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## lab mom (May 6, 2012)

Well, I awakened this morning to my male lab Sully Coughing. It reminded me of a when my kids were babes and had that croupy cough- like a seal bark. the antibiotics just finished on Friday. The last week of the antibiotics the cough had gone. Now it is back. Hate the sound of dogs coughing it is as pitiful as a baby coughing! Now I am wondering if we caught something at the dog park we frequent or if it is all the wild flowers in bloom at the park. Then my regular vet is off this week. eek! Does anyone else's dogs react to pollen like this?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Wow. I'm so sorry. Is it possible there is a little sliver of bone lodged in his throat somewhere and the x-ray missed it?


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## Gally (Jan 28, 2012)

One of my friends dogs swallowed a cook chicken bone and it became lodged in it's throat. It was removed surgically but the throat was damaged. The dog lived a long relatively healthy life after but always had a cough and when she barked she sounded like a chipmunk because her vocal cords were damaged.


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