Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello - I'm afraid that there are lots of diverse disease process that could lead to signs such as you are describing and so you should absolutely take this patient to a vet very soon, to narrow down the causes. One possibility, as you say, is nausea: this could be caused by something she ate (either something potentially edible such as infected chicken, or a foreign body). However, other causes of nausea include underlying liver disease and pancreatitis, kidney failure etc or lumps or bumps in the upper half of the digestive tract. Similar signs might occur with neurological problems involving the nerves supplying the brain, stomach or throat. Non-productive gagging can be one sign of a GDV, which usually very acute (rapid onset, fast progression) and therefore an emergency if suspected. Or of a physical lump such as a salivary mucocoele, or even cancer. Nobody can realistically promise you that your pet won't catch something in the vets, but if there is a reason to worry affecting your vets at the moment, I would expect them to be open about it. What you describe is quite a severe sign of illness and unless your vet has any direct concerns, it would normally be considered more risky NOT to take them to the vets than TO take them. Perhaps your vets or their emergency people will triage the case for you over the phone?
Report
