# Puppy Weird Gulping Sound



## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

One of the puppies is making a weird gulping sound. It sort of sounds like water moving in the stomach. She is eating fine and doesn't seem to have any other problems, is playful, doesn't seem fearful, plays with littermates and toys.

It's been going on for a couple days and hasn't gotten worse. I am planning to take her to the vet tomorrow, but decided to post here about it first incase someone may have an answer.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

*bump*


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

Thank you for bumping for me


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

see if that noise is coming from the throat not the stomach. Massage the throat area and rub it and see if the noise happens.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Is she eating solid food yet? My first thought was PRAA or Mega-E


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

No not on solid food yet but i'm getting them there. Right now it's moist solid food rather than blended/oatmealy. I'm thinking week 7 they should be eating completely dry/solid. 

And yes I tried massaging the throat, but nothing happened.


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

Here is a random thought....can dogs get acid reflux? My DH and one of my sons have it....when it is flaring up a weird almost gurgling sound can be heard coming from their stomach area. Not sure if that's even a possiblity, but that is the first thing I thought of.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

mysweetkaos said:


> Here is a random thought....can dogs get acid reflux? .


Woolf has acid reflux, presents itself as enough drool to shower a small dog in. At least this is what the vet said after several visits and discussions about it. I've never heard the sounds from his tummy as what has been described for this puppy though.


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

mysweetkaos said:


> Here is a random thought....can dogs get acid reflux? My DH and one of my sons have it....when it is flaring up a weird almost gurgling sound can be heard coming from their stomach area. Not sure if that's even a possiblity, but that is the first thing I thought of.


Puppy Reflux | eHow.com

Yes it is possible in dogs, and most common in puppies. But the ONLY symptom she shows is vomiting which doesn't even seem to happen often. She eats very well and is just as active as the rest. If it weren't for the sound I wouldn't have noticed anything.


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

On the sound, here is a better description lol: when you've drank a lot of liquid, shake your stomache, and can hear it sort of splash around, except it seems more like a gulp and occasionally happens when she swallows. maybe i'm wrong and it is coming from the stomache, i'll try to figure that out.


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## mysweetkaos (Sep 20, 2011)

My friends Bassett has something similiar it is usually closely followed by a burp.....could it be gas?


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

jcojocaru said:


> Puppy Reflux | eHow.com
> 
> Yes it is possible in dogs, and most common in puppies. But the ONLY symptom she shows is vomiting which doesn't even seem to happen often. She eats very well and is just as active as the rest. If it weren't for the sound I wouldn't have noticed anything.


With the vomiting and the sound, I would be concerned about PRAA and Mega E.

Persistent Right Aortic Arch (Vascular Ring Anomaly) in Dogs and Cats - Vetstreet

I would take her to a vet and have her checked out.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Acid reflux, yes dogs can get it. 

Run her around and see if its coming from the throat or upper chest area. 

Is the pup regurgitating that is different than vomiting, similar but different? 

Hows the dogs weight compared to the litter mates?

I wasnt going to say the word but since a few have already jumped to it. i hope its just water noises but in case it isnt.

Your most probably going to have to get the dogs throat area and lungs xrayed. No barium just plain xrays. 

That sound can be associated with megaesopagus, google it. 
I know to much about it unfortunately and that's how we discovered it by that noise. Ignore the oncoming gloom and doom if thats what the pup has. It is managable.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

jcojocaru said:


> Puppy Reflux | eHow.com
> 
> Yes it is possible in dogs, and most common in puppies. But the ONLY symptom she shows is vomiting which doesn't even seem to happen often. She eats very well and is just as active as the rest. If it weren't for the sound I wouldn't have noticed anything.


not vomit, its regurge, start reading it will save the life of the dog. dont panic, your going to have to take some steps. Maggierose will jump in she is amazing and knows about Mega also

Megaesophagus


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

kr16 said:


> Acid reflux, yes dogs can get it.
> 
> Run her around and see if its coming from the throat or upper chest area.
> 
> ...


I've tried running her around and gently shaking her but haven't heard a thing. She is actually the smallest of the litter and always has been, but she is gaining weight for sure. Her "vomit/regurgitation" doesn't occur often, and is usually in tiny amounts, usually yellowish/whitish. Less than a spoonfull.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

jcojocaru said:


> I've tried running her around and gently shaking her but haven't heard a thing. She is actually the smallest of the litter and always has been, but she is gaining weight for sure. Her "vomit/regurgitation" doesn't occur often, and is usually in tiny amounts, usually yellowish/whitish. Less than a spoonfull.


Some days you wont hear the noise. water is the worst thing for mega dogs, in your case milk. 

Your going to have get an xray of the throat and lungs to make sure. Lungs for AP and throat for mega.


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

kr16 said:


> Some days you wont hear the noise. water is the worst thing for mega dogs, in your case milk.
> 
> Your going to have get an xray of the throat and lungs to make sure. Lungs for AP and throat for mega.


Okay, how much do x-rays usually cost?


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

jcojocaru said:


> Okay, how much do x-rays usually cost?


I believe you need 3 x-rays, so ask your vet. Find one that knows about Mega if you can. Maybe $75 per or a little more. Your probably going to need to start feeding this dog vertically ASAP.

Join this group, people are real helpful, ignore the gloom and doom posters. My dog will be one year old next week and has been doing well. Read up on the subject. I will help you with as much as I can. They can also tell you of a vet near where you live.

If you cant take care of the dog they will help. Its gonna be over whelming at first but its pretty easy when you get the routine going.

megaesophagus : Megaesophagus


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

kr16 said:


> I believe you need 3 x-rays, so ask your vet. Find one that knows about Mega if you can. Maybe $75 per or a little more. Your probably going to need to start feeding this dog vertically ASAP.
> 
> Join this group, people are real helpful, ignore the gloom and doom posters. My dog will be one year old next week and has been doing well. Read up on the subject. I will help you with as much as I can. They can also tell you of a vet near where you live.
> 
> ...


Okay thank you very much for the help I appreciate it. I'm going to do everything I can.


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

Also, after doing a bit of research on the symptoms, I really don't think this is the case:

Regurgitation of food and water 
Fever
Cough
Nasal discharge
Salivation
Sometimes difficulty swallowing
Foul odor to the breath
Weight loss
Poor body condition 
Respiratory distress with severe aspiration pneumonia

The regurgitation/vomit is in TINY amounts and rarely happens. NONE of the other symptoms appear. I think the reason to her being smallest of the litter is she gets beat to the food. So I had started feeding her alone and she's grown quickly, catching up to the rest of the littermates. She actually eats very well and doesn't seem to struggle eating/drinking AT ALL. I also looked up reasons to which a puppy might be vomitting and came up with this:

*An empty tummy!
strange as this may sound, one of the most common types of puppy vomiting happens when your little guy's tummy gets too empty (such as overnight). A classic sign that this is the problem is if your pup throws up yellow liquid (or it may be white/yellow and frothy), usually first thing in the morning.*
Like I said before, she gets beat to the food and often has an empty tummy, so I make sure to feed her alone sufficiently throughout the day. The description in the statement above explains mine perfectly.


*A worm problem
a bad case of puppy worms can cause your pup to throw up. If this is the case you will probably find worms in his vomit - maybe just one or two, maybe a whole lot (disgusting I know!). If he's recently been given deworming medicine, then he should be fine once all the worms are out of his system, but if he hasn't been dewormed you need to get him to your vet right away as there's a serious infestation going on.*
This same pup along with another had roundworms at one point. My vet told me to de-worm at 6, 7, and 8 weeks but they ended up with roundworms at 5, so I started at 5 weeks instead and will continue into 8 weeks.

Just thought I should share the rest of the info incase it may come in useful.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

I hope your right. My pup had one symptom, the noise and he has it for sure. Keep a strong eye on the pup. Regurge means the food never made it to the stomach. You gotta see which it is vomit or regurge. After he feeds rub the neck area and see if the liquid is sloshing around. I denied it for a while.


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## jcojocaru (Nov 8, 2010)

kr16 said:


> I hope your right. My pup had one symptom, the noise and he has it for sure. Keep a strong eye on the pup. Regurge means the food never made it to the stomach. You gotta see which it is vomit or regurge. After he feeds rub the neck area and see if the liquid is sloshing around. I denied it for a while.


Well i'm not necessarily denying it, just hoping it's not the case. I'm going to take it to the vet before re homing either way. Thank you for knowing though, now I have an answer and can ask the vet instead of him trying to figure it out.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

jcojocaru said:


> Well i'm not necessarily denying it, just hoping it's not the case. I'm going to take it to the vet before re homing either way. Thank you for knowing though, now I have an answer and can ask the vet instead of him trying to figure it out.


good luck, some vets are not aware of this disorder, since they may never have seen it. Let us know how it went. An Xray is the only way to be sure. You may be able to get just one. If the pup has it they have to check the lungs for AP>


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

MegaE, Parasites, and digestive issues often mimic the same symptoms in small puppies......a complete vet diagnosis is really needed.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I agree, especially since this is the smallest puppy of the litter. Quite possibly she has a congenital problem.


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## Soundarya (10 mo ago)

Hello,

I have an eight week old puppy facing the same issue, it would be really helpful if can share what happened after and some suggestions.

thanks


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

This is a 10 year old thread, the OP hasn’t been active here in a long time.


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