"I have a small poodle mix who is normally very healthy. Yesterday he began gagging quite vigourosuly. He is not coughing. He does not have kennel cough. It's not a cough, its a gag. He's also shaking his head because his ears bother him. I put in some steroid ear drops for dogs and that helps but the gagging is quite distressing. I will take him in tomorrow if he's not better. I think he may have something caught in his throat. I've tried palpating his throat and I do not detect a mechanical obstruction. He can eat and drink fine. I tried a piece of bread and he swallowed it. Someone suggested it could be a bad allergy. He is albino and subject to all sorts of allergies."

It definitely could be allergies, but in cases like this it's always best to rule out anything medical.Since we can't examine him, it's best to get him to a professional. If there is something lodged in his throat it can become quite serious very fast. I would be very worried about damage to the esophagus.

Once he has been looked over by the vet, we can give you some great tips on food and product to use on your pup.

My 10 year old dog's coughing and gagging turned out to be very serious. She has congestive heart failure and all the fluid on her heart was causing the constant gagging and coughing. She is on some meds now and will have to stay on them indefinitely. But within four days of the meds she had almost completely quit coughing and gagging. Thank God. Get your dog to the vet right away, I waited for months and feel awful.