I have a 5 month old Maltese and i think that she might have allergies,cold, asthma

[Marie]

or kennel cough? Okay, she does this thing where she sounds as if she is coughing up a hair ball. Other times she looks as if she is gagging, but as soon as i look at her she stops. She has a beautiful coat and her nose is cold and wet alot of the times.But when she starts wheezing or coughing she scares me. This is my first puppy so i really don't know the difference between a cough or something more life threathnening. Can someone please help me understand when i should be really concerned, and also do dogs even suffer from food allergies or even asthma. By the way i feed her All Natural Eukanoba. Thank you in advance for any help!

[Tara B]

When we got our dog (lab) she would do the same thing. It sounded like she was going to throw up but never really did (like a dry heave). Then, one day, like 30 minutes after I had given her a rawhide chewy, SHE COUGHED THE WHOLE THING UP!! I thought she just ate them quick but she had been swallowing them whole and was trying to hack them up. Ever since I stopped giving them to her, no problems Do you give your dog rawhide chews???

[Dog Chick]

My Vet called it reverse breathing and Maltese did it too.
Kennel couch is unmistakeable and it sounds like a harsh cough/bark. Mention it to the Vet on her next scheduled visit, but it sounds like she is fine.
You should think about upgrading her food to a better brand that is more nutritious. She is so small that it won't cost you a fortune.
Good luck

[lrabadie]

I have a bichon and she has done this same thing on two different occassions..both times the vet said she had tonsillitis..i know that sounds funny for a dog, but they gave me medicine to give her for seven days and it cleared up....you may wanna get her checked out.