My ten year old lab, Maggie, just started occasionally gagging for no apparent reason. She has been doing this for several days now . I checked her mouth, and there does not appear to be anything stuck, so I am at a loss as to what could be making her do this.....any thoughts, ideas????:confused:

No thoughts or ideas, but just wanted to let you know you aren't alone. Blaze, our 13 year old, has been doing that for quite some time now. Every time he does it, we offer him a drink. Sometimes he takes some water and sometimes he doesn't.

Hope your girl is OK.

No thoughts or ideas, but just wanted to let you know you aren't alone. Blaze, our 13 year old, has been doing that for quite some time now. Every time he does it, we offer him a drink. Sometimes he takes some water and sometimes he doesn't.

Hope your girl is OK.

Thanks, it is just so puzzling and worrisome to me. I sure do not like watching her grow old ....a few weeks ago, I noticed yet another lipoma (she has 2 other rather large ones that the vet is watching), and her gait has sure slowed down over the last few months.:(

I know exactly how you feel. Blaze has so many lipomas we call him lumpy. He is also diabetic and has lost at least 85% of his vision from cataracts. But he still has the happiest tail and face I have ever seen. Watching them grow old really sux. :(

Just wanted to chime in with my senior experiences. My oldest girl, Mickey, is so full of lumps we call her lumpy too. Anyway, she is 12 and has been doing to occasional gag thing for about 2 years. The vet has listened to her breathing and such and doesn't hear anything that alarmed him. Like Multi Dog Zoo Mom said, she appears happy and wags her tail a lot so I think she feels ok. Watching them grow old does suck. It seems like it yesterday that I was driving a little squeaking fur ball home.

Well, it is nice to know we are not alone in what we are going through. Even if we can't offer any advice, we can at least comiserate (sp?) with each other.

:hug: to the seniors.

I remember my scotty whom I had years ago.She use to gag and cough and it was congestive heart failure. I know how hard it is when they get older I hope everything will be ok for all you senior dogs out there. I send you good thoughts and prayers .

When does Maggie seem to gag, after exercise, while resting, when?

Take your hands along her neck and throat area, do you feel any lumps, and if applying a little pressure, can you re-enact the gagging?

When is her next vet app't?

Being that she is a senior, I would take her to your Vet for an evaluation...especially if she continues to gag...
Is she on heartworm preventative? Has she been in contact with other dogs lately where she could have picked up something like Kennel Cough?

When does Maggie seem to gag, after exercise, while resting, when?

Take your hands along her neck and throat area, do you feel any lumps, and if applying a little pressure, can you re-enact the gagging?

When is her next vet app't?


Maggie just seems to gag for no reason......I guess if I had to pinpoint it though, it is usually after she has gotten up from a nap and/or when resting. I just took her to the vet a few months ago for a full checkup, vaccinations, and a senior panel for the blood work. Her thyroid was low, but the vet said not enough to warrent further testing. I also have not noticed any lumps around her throat area, or could re-enact the gagging.

I remember my scotty whom I had years ago.She use to gag and cough and it was congestive heart failure. I know how hard it is when they get older I hope everything will be ok for all you senior dogs out there. I send you good thoughts and prayers .


hhmmm......CHF and kennel cough did cross my mind.

Being that she is a senior, I would take her to your Vet for an evaluation...especially if she continues to gag...
Is she on heartworm preventative? Has she been in contact with other dogs lately where she could have picked up something like Kennel Cough?

I will be taking her to the vet soon, as she has also developed another lump on her chest, and this latest gagging stuff probably does warrent a vet visit.

Oh, and Maggie is on heartworm preventative......and not really exposed to other dogs except my pup Lacie, and kisses through the fence with the neighbor's male yorkie.:angel:

I would take her in sooner rather than later. Sounds like it could be Laryngeal Paralysis.

Well, it could be a number of things from Allergies, Kennel Cough, Laryngeal Paralysis, Heart Problems. All that said my 11 year old does the same thing, he has mild LP. Usually about 3am to wake you from a dead sleep! I give him Benadryl that will sometimes help.
Best wishes.

Any updates on your senior?

Any updates on your senior?

Thanks for asking....I took Maggie to the vet. The vet was not overly concerned with the gagging....and it seemed to resolve itself in a few days.

The vet was more concerned with her numerous lipomas.....she has quite a large one on the side of her chest and another big one on her ankle. We have been watching them for about a year now, and this is the first time the vet has told me to consider getting them removed. I certainly was not prepared to leave Maggie for surgery...so I opted on the conservative route and forgoing the surgery for now.

which leads me to another issue that has popped over the past week. Maggie has been having increasing difficulty getting up and laying down. She also seems to walk with a limp at tiimes. I do not know if this has anything to do with the lipoma issues...or her joints are hurting her. A friend of mine told me to try giving Maggie some glucosamine to see if that helps her out any. Any thoughts?????

Thanks for the update on your Labby. Glsd to hear that the "gagging' was nothing to worry about.

My senior Sheltie who just turned 14, also has many "fatty tumors". My Vet has aspirated them just to make sure that they are benign and then said to just leave them alone. I would hate to put him through surgery at the age of 14...:(

I also have been giving him Glucosamine for quite some time now and it has done wonders for my senior...keeps him more mobile and helps with pain...I use Cosequin DS chewables.

I also started giving it to my Lab, Toby, who just turned 4 years old, as a preventative measure...
I think it is a very good idea to give your Lab glucosamine, there is a good chance that it will help her and keep her more comfortable.

I have a 16 year old yellow lab. Max started doing the gagging thing about 5 years ago. My vet calls this "The Old Man Cough". One thing that I find works well to help this is take a piece of wheat bread (regular is okay) put loads of butter on both sides and then feed it to the dog. Another thing that works well is olive oil on the paws. Hope it works.

Im glad your dog is ok... I have a 12 yr old lab with Laryangeal Paraylsis.. She will occasionally gag.. and regergitate.. her breathing at times is quite loud. Do you feed/water your dog elevated? that seems to help alot. and I have found that if I wet down her food so its soft. and split her breakfast /dinner in two.. ( smaller meals spaced about 20 min apart) she does better also. so two 1/2 cup softened kibble meals works for her.. am and Pm

I am holding off on the surgery ... if she has the surgery she will never be able to swim again.. a HUGE tragedy..... read about LP.. its very common in older labs..

that is what first came to my mind when I first read your post...

I have a 16 year old yellow lab. Max started doing the gagging thing about 5 years ago. My vet calls this "The Old Man Cough".


One thing that I find works well to help this is take a piece of wheat bread (regular is okay) put loads of butter on both sides and then feed it to the dog. Another thing that works well is olive oil on the paws. Hope it works.


How does this help? the loads of butter on bread.. doesnt sound very healthy.. now olive oil on the paw.. sounds better but how does it help with the gagging or coughing? I am curious. thanks

the gagging has seemed to resolve itself....hopefully it was just an isolated incident.

With Maggie's recent surgery, she had quite a bit of pre-op lab/x-ray workup...and the only other thing they found besides the mast cell on her leg was low thyroid. She is now recovering quite well from the surgery:) , and is on thyroid medication...with her levels to be checked in about 2 weeks to see if her dosage may need to be tweeked.

I am soooooo glad I took Maggie in to a new vet for a 2nd opinion. The new vet is so much more thorough, and all of the office staff are so nice to Maggie . They are a little more expensive than the other vet, but soooooo worth it!:)

the gagging has seemed to resolve itself....hopefully it was just an isolated incident.

With Maggie's recent surgery, she had quite a bit of pre-op lab/x-ray workup...and the only other thing they found besides the mast cell on her leg was low thyroid. She is now recovering quite well from the surgery:) , and is on thyroid medication...with her levels to be checked in about 2 weeks to see if her dosage may need to be tweeked.

I am soooooo glad I took Maggie in to a new vet for a 2nd opinion. The new vet is so much more thorough, and all of the office staff are so nice to Maggie . They are a little more expensive than the other vet, but soooooo worth it!:)

Good news that Maggie's gagging is no more.

Sure sounds like you've got a "keeper'' vet now :). Good for you and Maggie!

Feel better soon, Maggie :hug:.

Please keep us posted on her recovery.

I'm new to this board and saw all the information on gagging. I'm happy to hear that Maggie is doing well now.

My 12 1/2 year old lab starting gagging on and off last September. At first I didn't think too much of it but then it became more frequent in just one week. One day he starting gagging almost non-stop then spitting up foam. All of a sudden he stopped. The next day it started again and I took him to the vet. The first thing he did was check his heart and it was beating 240 beats/minute rather then the normal 108. He recommended a cardiologist immediate so we saw one that day. His heart was severely enlarged and it was too late for any kind of real treatment. We tried meds to slow the heart rate down but his lived only about 30 more days. His coat was bright and shiny, he was happy and you would never know he had such a serious heart condition other then he tended to get tired and cough when he got out of breath. He never had accidents in the house, wanted to play with the other dogs. Even the night before he died he was up running around. He had grit and lots of fight in him.

Always check with a vet because gagging can mean many things but when I took him to the vet the first thing he suspected was a heart condition.

He looked amazing for 12 1/2. I have a 14 1/2 year old who has also been gagging but it is not his heart.