My dog chokes a lot

[Cindee56]

Hi, I'm a fairly new dog owner so I'm not sure what behavior is normal.  I had two cats and they both ate grass, and now I notice that my dog is eating grass too.  Then he chokes and spits up all day.  In fact, my dog chokes A LOT.  The vet said that Chi's sometimes do this.  Connor is a mix of Chi and Jack Russell, so he gets a bit hyper sometimes.  He also drinks his water really fast, then chokes after that.  

Is there anything I can do to help him or stop this behavior?  Will he be OK?  Some days he doesn't eat much if he's doing the choking thing a lot.

Thanks in advance.

[ginger899]

It does rather sound like the narrow esophagus might be the cause of his problem.(?) It's just the way he's built, I guess. If he eats quickly, that might make things worse.
Yet what you are feeding him sounds fine. But remember, food additives can make some dogs hyperactive, and can cause certain 'nervous' symptoms in susceptible dogs.

This may be something you both will have to live with, and so long as he's generally well and fit, it may not matter too much. As long as it doesn't bother him too badly.
But it may well be that someone here will know better than I do about this, and may be able to give you some more ideas...?

Anyway, it's good that the vet didn't find anything obviously wrong with him.
Thanks for posting back and giving us an update!

[Cindee56]

Thank you for responding.  He was examined and the vet saw nothing.  He did say something about a narrow esophagus, but there's nothing they can do.  I give him small amounts of food, dry mixed with wet, twice a day and one Dingo bone (mini).  His weight is fine.

[ginger899]

I am not totally sure what is going on here. This could be a hyperactivity thing, or a nervous thing, or it could be that he has some throat problem. Have you had the vet check him out?
Eating grass could cause bits of grass to become stuck in his throat. If they set up any slight inflammation there (because grass can be rough) that could be the cause.

I find, with my dog, that if she has food or water where other dogs are (or any animal for that matter) she is inclined to 'wolf things down' at a terrible speed. That is, I presume, her own way of making sure she gets all her food quickly, and the other animal can't get it. I am always afraid of her choking when she does that, and it is so bad, I will not feed her now when other animals are around.
If you have any other animals around, it might be helpful if you feed your dog in a different place, on his own, and at a different time to the others.

Otherwise, get the vet to take a look at his throat, if you can, to make sure there is no inflammation or trouble there. Most likely the vet will not find anything wrong. But that is always the best first move before considering other things.

Food additives can also cause nervousness and hyper-activity in many dogs.