# can dogs get hairballs?



## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

hi everyone,

i was just wondering if dogs can get hairballs. iorek has been acting strange for about 2-3 hours now. he is almost coughing, like there is something in his throat. nothing blocking his airways (if there was i would have high-tailed it to the vet and not taken the time to post!) just like there is something there. he will hack and then gag a little. this is not constant. it reminds me of when a cat has a hairball. i have tonic lax because of the cats and hairballs and it says that you can give it to a dog too so i gave him some a little while ago. he has only coughed once since and it a lot less with no gagging. 

what do you think? i am not quite as worried as i was (i seem to worry about EVERYTHING when it comes to him and all my pets!) but i wanted to get another opinion. my friend suggested that it may be kennel cough (he has had the vaccine) or it could be something in his throat. she said that her dog does this sometimes too.

thanks for reading my post


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## lulusmom (Nov 12, 2008)

I have a Maltese that does the same thing. It is very infrequent but if it were a constant thing, I would have my vet check it out. Coughing and gagging can be from respiratory, heart or gastrointestinal problems. You can always rule out gastrointestinal by giving your dog Tagamet or Pepcid AC which is a lubricant of sorts. I've never heard of Tonic Lax but perhaps it acts much the same as Tagamet or Pepcid.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

tonic lax is a hairball remover/laxative from the vet. 

after i gave him the tonic lax he coughed 1-2 more times and have been fine since. 

this is probably for the second time he has done thing in the 5 months that we have had him. he is also long haired so i don't know if it could have been his fur or fur from the cats or ferrets or whatever... 

he is doing fine now, playing with my husband and the puppy from downstairs right now.

thank you!


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## lulusmom (Nov 12, 2008)

I'm glad to hear that your boy is doing better. I saw your thread on the Nutrition Forum and see that you are getting ready to switch to raw food. My five dogs are toys and they've been on raw food (Primal) for almost a year now. Two of my five had allergies, one of which had severe gastrointestinal issues. All have disappeared since going raw and all are at a much healther weight now. They are 5, 6, 7, 10 and 12 years old and all are acting like pups again.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

thanks!! 

i hope that when we switch it will be like that too. iorek has eye problems (infections) and tear stains so i am hoping that will go away too. 

i can't wait to see the change in him.


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## lulusmom (Nov 12, 2008)

I have two Maltese boys and their entire muzzle was stained an orange brown color and their feet looked like they were wearing brown boots. After a few months on the raw diet, the staining was noticably better and today they have no staining whatsoever. I never thought I'd ever see a white face and feet again.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

yay! i really look forward to seeing iorek without the tear stains. they are not really horrible, but i would rather not see him with them.

and, after another bummy bath today, i really look forward to firmer stools...


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