# Gulping/grass eating? (TMI)



## Kaitadog (Jun 20, 2006)

My Roxy, who is a small GSD mix, has this thing lately where she will get up and start swallowing hard, over and over. She'll run outside and immediately start eating grass like crazy. She'll keep this up for half an hour sometimes. We can't figure it out. 

Once she came in and threw up a tube shaped chunk of grass. It was huge. I don't know how it fit in her. 

Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be?


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

normally dogs eat grass if they have an upset stomach, they do this to make themelves throw up to feel better...Or atleast that's what I've been told! Good luck, I hope things get better soon!


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## Yogi's Mom (Mar 11, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: KaitadogMy Roxy, who is a small GSD mix, has this thing lately where she will get up and start swallowing hard, over and over. She'll run outside and immediately start eating grass like crazy. She'll keep this up for half an hour sometimes. We can't figure it out.
> 
> Once she came in and threw up a tube shaped chunk of grass. It was huge. I don't know how it fit in her.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be?


When you say that she is swallowing hard, does it actually look like she is licking the air so to speak? If so, she is actually swallowing more air and making the problem worse. I would be very concerned about bloat. Does she get restless or start pacing? Show any other signs of bloating? I would discuss this with your vet and keep Mylanta or Gas X on hand.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Swalling hard can also be a sign of something stuck in the throat or tonsils. Yes dogs have tonsils. I think you need to go to a Vet and have the throat looked at.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

Too used to do this a lot. In addition to swallowing hard, she'd lick air, lick the floor like a vacuum cleaner consuming anything in her path, gulp down grass if outdoors, etc. A friend whose dog also did this suggested giving her Pepto and it worked (I used the capsule shaped tablets which were easy to stuff down her throat).


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## Kaitadog (Jun 20, 2006)

Thanks all. No air licking at all. Her mouth is closed the whole time. She looks like she's doing a chicken impersonation, if that makes sense. Head goes back and forth. We've tried giving her Mylanta, at the suggestion of a rescue friend who has seen something similar. 

Interesting update. Today she laid her head on me, and her neck went across my hand/knuckles. Immediately she picked her head up and swallowed hard a few times. Leads me to think there is something happening in her neck/throat. 

Oh, she is 2 years old, and only 30lbs. She looks like a GSD puppy, but has a long, deep chest that curves quickly upward, like an italian greyhound, almost. That makes me less inclined to think bloat. I did think that the first time it happened. I was checking her gums, listening to her stomach, and panicking. 

Well, back to the vet we go!


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Have them look at the throat. Cheyenne had to have grass and weed debris cleaned out of her tonsils once. I noticed that she was having a hard time swallowing, kinda bobbing the head when she tried to swallow. Sounds like what you describing along with a little extra drooling, like she didn't want to swallow.


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

she could have an infection in her tonsils from something stuck in there. does she cough, or weez?
i would definitely go see about it. dogs tonsils play a big part in lymphatic/immune system, and if their is an infection or something stuck it needs to be looked into.

debbie


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## Kaitadog (Jun 20, 2006)

Great. Thanks! She definitely is a little lawnmower sometimes, plus she is always licking us, the couch, her paws, etc. I'll call my vet in the morning. At least I have a direction to point her in.

Oh, and no coughing or wheezing.


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## sweetliberty (Dec 25, 2007)

Kaitadog - Just read your post. Have you had your dog looked at by the vet? We had this problem with our lab. She had gastric reflux. We have to give her a pepsid everyday. If she starts swallowing and licking, we give her saltine crackers right away. It seems to soothe her indigestion and her symptoms go away. We couldn't get her to keep any pepto down. Her licking and restlessness would last for 3 hours. Just gottta make sure we keep the crackers in the house and handy.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Wisc.TigerHave them look at the throat. Cheyenne had to have grass and weed debris cleaned out of her tonsils once. I noticed that she was having a hard time swallowing, kinda bobbing the head when she tried to swallow. Sounds like what you describing along with a little extra drooling, like she didn't want to swallow.


The other day Max just threw up what looked to be a rotten banana -- intact!! Turns out it was a glob of weeds and grass that had compacted. He was showing the symptoms just like you described. 

What a dork.


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## 2dogcrew (May 1, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: KaitadogHer mouth is closed the whole time. She looks like she's doing a chicken impersonation, if that makes sense. Head goes back and forth. We've tried giving her Mylanta, at the suggestion of a rescue friend who has seen something similar.
> 
> Interesting update. Today she laid her head on me, and her neck went across my hand/knuckles. Immediately she picked her head up and swallowed hard a few times. Leads me to think there is something happening in her neck/throat.


Kali does this exact same thing. The first incident scared me and I thought she was in early stages of bloat. I don't know what triggers it, but it seems to have a sudden onset and she starts pacing and runs outside to eat all the grass she can. I have held her and gently run my fingers down the side of the esophagus and that seems to help. She doesn't have trouble swallowing anything and I've wondered if she's having reflux or an esophageal spasm. She checked out ok at the vets.


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

Mollie did the licking/gulping thing once, it was after she ate part of a piddle pad. Eventually she puked some of it up, and the rest just had to work its way out of her system. She was OK the next morning, thank goodness!


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