Doggy Furballs?

Toyotafanboi

Hi all,

We have a half terrier, half collie (apparently), he came from the pound when he was very young, so we are just going by what they told us really. but he is terrier sized but collie coloured :pac:

anyway, this guy sheds hair like it's going out of fashion. everything he touches is a carpet, which is mildly irritating, but you get used to the sweeping up etc. we keep him well brushed but it does seem like you could brush him until the cows come home, the hair just won't stop coming out.

so, to get to the point, he loves licking himself in the same way cats do, just bits and pieces of himself but very frequently. now, the last day or two he has gotten a bit wheezy and when he gets excited (while playing with him etc) he starts coughing and coughing and gagging, then when he gets whatever it is to the top, he swallows it again :mad:. he acts exactly like a cat coughing up a furball, but at the final stage he swallows instead of puking.

can dogs create furballs? and if so is there anything i can do to help him get it up?

otherwise, he is around a year old, not overweight and had all his neccessary shots and he in neutered. he is his usual self, as bright as a button, full of energy and eating and drinking as normal, just has something to cough up. any advice would be great

cocker5

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Hi all,

We have a half terrier, half collie (apparently), he came from the pound when he was very young, so we are just going by what they told us really. but he is terrier sized but collie coloured :pac:

anyway, this guy sheds hair like it's going out of fashion. everything he touches is a carpet, which is mildly irritating, but you get used to the sweeping up etc. we keep him well brushed but it does seem like you could brush him until the cows come home, the hair just won't stop coming out.

so, to get to the point, he loves licking himself in the same way cats do, just bits and pieces of himself but very frequently. now, the last day or two he has gotten a bit wheezy and when he gets excited (while playing with him etc) he starts coughing and coughing and gagging, then when he gets whatever it is to the top, he swallows it again :mad:. he acts exactly like a cat coughing up a furball, but at the final stage he swallows instead of puking.

can dogs create furballs? and if so is there anything i can do to help him get it up?

otherwise, he is around a year old, not overweight and had all his neccessary shots and he in neutered. he is his usual self, as bright as a button, full of energy and eating and drinking as normal, just has something to cough up. any advice would be great

There is a few ways you can reduce shedding in a dog, so these might help:

1. A teaspoon of salmon oil is his food each day.
2. Try and see about getting brush called the furminator
3. there is shampoo you can get to also reduce shedding

sorry cant help you on the fur ball thing... but I sue teh above methods and my cocker doesnt shed at all if im honest

Cherry Blossom

There's a product for cats called Defurr-UM that helps with furballs. Maybe just check with the manufacturer first if it's safe for use in dogs but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be.

DBB

Sounds like kennel cough perhaps. If dogs are going to yak anything up, there's no mistaking it for a good oul vomit rather than a cat-like cough

peasant

We have two extremely furry dogs (OES and Beardie) and I've never seen them cough up furballs ... I'd get this cough checked by the vets.

Toyotafanboi

Perhaps, i didn't want to be the over reactive "bring him to the vet" type owner, but it was my first incling.

He has his kennel cough shots in July which afaik last for a year?

Interesting point though as he has just started doggy day care a couple of days a week as we are both in work. I wonder has he picked something up?

tk123

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Perhaps, i didn't want to be the over reactive "bring him to the vet" type owner, but it was my first incling.

He has his kennel cough shots in July which afaik last for a year?

Interesting point though as he has just started doggy day care a couple of days a week as we are both in work. I wonder has he picked something up?

They can still get KC even with the vaccination:( You could maybe try mixing in some manuka honey (it's not too expensive from aldi) with his water for a couple of days and if it doesn't improve head to the vets. My boy has had a cough a few times after surgeries where the tube has irritated him and honey always sorted it. They love it lol :pac:

dollydishmop

A non-productive cough could be a sign of a heart issue....or it equally could be something really minor.nothing to worry about.

Either way, it ought to be checked out by your vet

One of our oldies had congestive heart failure, we sadly lost her at the end of the summer. Until she was diagnosed I had no idea that her occasional coughing was a sign of this.

3dogs

DBB wrote: »

Sounds like kennel cough perhaps. If dogs are going to yak anything up, there's no mistaking it for a good oul vomit rather than a cat-like cough

This was my first thought too. My dogs shed an unreal amount and do lick themselves but have never hacked up furballs.

The KC vaccine only protects against the one strain the scientists think will be most common in a given year, it is like giving humans a vaccine against getting a cold

If you think a vet visit is called for do let them know it may be Kennel Cough, they may want to examine your dog in your car rather than the surgery as KC is highly contagious so most prefer not to have it in the surgery.