Day 39: When in Doubt, Take the Dog to the Emergency Vet

Ginger's trip to the emergency vet

My dog is very intuitive, and very spoiled. Tomorrow, I'm heading to the West Coast to meet up with Shawn (who left Tuesday) and we're spending a few days in Napa and Sonoma County with friends. Yesterday, I brought Ginger up to my parents' house, where she'll stay for the week while we're away. 

As soon as I let her into my parents' backyard, Ginger started having what sounded like a coughing attack. She would cough for a little bit, and then it would sound like she was having trouble breathing. This went on most of last night, but when she fell asleep she seemed okay. This morning and afternoon she coughed again periodically, but it wasn't too alarming.

She has done this before. Sometimes we think she is choking on the grass she eats up hungrily every time she's in my parents backyard. Sometimes she does it at home or in the Hamptons, and we've diagnosed it as reverse sneezing. It's scary to witness but it is ultimately not detrimental for the dog.

However, as the day progressed and her episodes got more prolonged and intense, I started to Google "dog cough." If you're a pet owner, never Google "dog cough." Turns out, a dog coughing can indicate everything from kennel cough (which she is vaccinated against, though that still might not prevent infection) to a heart condition. Sometime after dinner, Ginger started sneezing/coughing and didn't stop for what felt like hours (it was probably 10-15 minutes). She was still doing it when I called the emergency vet in Stamford that my dad had brought Ginger to the morning of my wedding (another long story). I tried to let the tech there hear her. I tried to record her doing it on my iPad. She didn't stop, even as I loaded her into her travel bag and my mom drove through pouring rain and thunder and lightning to get to the vet. Once we arrived at the vet, though, she seemed fine.

After a few minutes of waiting, a very nice vet examined Ginger. I showed her my video. She tried to induce Ginger into sneezing, coughing or something. No luck. $150 later...Ginger is fine, it was just reverse sneezing as I had suspected all along.

But, I'm leaving tomorrow. And now my parents and I have the peace of mind that, if she does this again while I'm away, it's not something fatal. Hopefully, she won't need any more vet visits before I get back next week!