Choking/difficulty Swallowing

[cowanbree]

I am having issues with a couple of my oldies that I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced before. For the past 12mths my gorgeous oldie Kayla has been having issues at meal times. She needs minimal food or she gets very fat and has difficulty walking. As a result food is extremely important to her and if I put the plate down in front of her she would consume it in seconds. This hasn’t really changed from years gone past but what has changed is her ability to swallow. I have to hand feed her over about 10 minutes or she chokes and even then at least once a fortnight I end up having to plunge my fingers down her throat and pull out food that has clogged in her throat, very scary.

Obviously she has been to the vet but he said there is nothing he can do, just old age. I have previously accepted that as she is in last stages lung cancer anyhow so I am really just trying to keep her comfortable but this last fortnight I have been having exactly the same issue with my other oldie Millie.

Millie is a fit and healthy 13 year old and not as easy to handle as Kayla – she bites. For the second time in 4 days tonight Millies has choked to the point she was losing consciousness. This is not normal and I don’t believe it is part of aging, I have had a number of oldies over the years and never had this before. Anyone had this? What did you do to overcome it?

[puggy_puggy]

What are you feeding? If it's dry food it might help to soften it in water before hand.

Could they both have tumours in their mouths or throats that are stopping them being able to swallow?

I don't know about sticking your hands down their throats. Vets usually say that this isn't a very susseful way of clearing throats. Maybe try the heimlich maneuver instead.

[cowanbree]

The food is lodged solid down their throat, if I can manage to hook and pull out the first bit they normally manage to cough up the rest but you have to scoup it out before they swallow it again . Not an easy task with Millie as my very sore fingers prove. I am going to take Millie into the vet on Monday but there must be a reason they are doing this

[Muttaburra]

What foods do their meals consist of? Are they bolting their food? The one because it is overly hungry and the other in order to finish before the the other one?

You could try feeding them in separate rooms. Perhaps some baked/steamed pumpkin to bulk up the one on the diets meal, so it thinks it is getting more and feeling fuller.

How are their teeth? if the teeth are no longer functional then the consistency of the diet might need to change.

Dogs can build up stress over things like meals, especially if one is wolfing food down and there have been "incidences", then they can develop neuroses over food too.

[brigie bear]

could you half or third their meal portions and feed them 2 or 3 times per day so food isnt such a large issue for them? if they ate the same amount as they usually do, but half for lunch and half for dinner maybe they could have less of a chance of choking and also meal time maybe wouldnt be so important?

what are you feeding them? This could have something to do with it?

[~Anne~]

I have experienced a similar problem recently with a neurotic Pug rescue that was on a restricted diet as he was overweight.

I solved it by buying a stand for his bowls that makes it harder for him to keep hoovering the food down while there was still food there to swallow completely. The bowls sit at about chest height for him now instead of on the ground.

The other great advice I was given was to feed him on his own so there wasn't any worry for him of other dogs taking his food.

Edited May 4, 2008 by PugRescueSydney

[Winterpaws]

I saw a special bowl once that had things sticking up in it to slow them down when eating - I'll try find it again, pretty sure it was a US thing but looked really good

eta - found it quicker than I thought!!

http://www.brake-fast.net/

Edited May 4, 2008 by Winterpaws

[Rysup]

If they are having dry food, can you give it to them in a buster cube or something like that, that they can only get a few pieces from at a time?

I wonder if there is some other reason for the food not going down properly - did the vet look down their throats?

[cowanbree]

Yes they are fed dry mainly. I might try adding water and raising their food bowls and see if that helps. The vet has check Kayla out but not Millie yet, am taking her on Monday

[Muttaburra]

The fact that they have a dry crunchy diet could indicate the need for a close inspection of their teeth, it might mean that they are no longer able to chew the food up into smaller pieces.

Chi's often have bad teeth along with some other small dog breeds. You can check yourself to see if they have decay, tartar build-up or teeth are loose in the mouth. Also get the vet to double check the teeth of both dogs.

[Poodle wrangler]

For our bigger dog- who likes to wold down food- I put his kibble all over the kitchen floor. Can't guzzle it that way.

I was thinking perhaps a minor stroke in an oldie, affecting swallowing? (hope not).

Glad to hear you're off to the vet to have her checked and hope she's OK.

[woody2shoes]

I am having issues with a couple of my oldies that I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced before. For the past 12mths my gorgeous oldie Kayla has been having issues at meal times. She needs minimal food or she gets very fat and has difficulty walking. As a result food is extremely important to her and if I put the plate down in front of her she would consume it in seconds. This hasn’t really changed from years gone past but what has changed is her ability to swallow. I have to hand feed her over about 10 minutes or she chokes and even then at least once a fortnight I end up having to plunge my fingers down her throat and pull out food that has clogged in her throat, very scary.

Obviously she has been to the vet but he said there is nothing he can do, just old age. I have previously accepted that as she is in last stages lung cancer anyhow so I am really just trying to keep her comfortable but this last fortnight I have been having exactly the same issue with my other oldie Millie.

Millie is a fit and healthy 13 year old and not as easy to handle as Kayla – she bites. For the second time in 4 days tonight Millies has choked to the point she was losing consciousness. This is not normal and I don’t believe it is part of aging, I have had a number of oldies over the years and never had this before. Anyone had this? What did you do to overcome it?

Has your vet explored the possibility of laryngeal paralysis which is an 'old dog' condition?

In any event, perhaps you could try placing large smooth river stones amongst the food in your dogs' bowls. This is a good way to slow down fast eaters (I have labs - I know all about fast eaters!!! )

Good luck.