A Rhodesian Ridgeback came in coughing and gagging. The doctor did a preliminary examination of the mouth to see if there were any visible reasons for these symptoms, however it was difficult to keep the dog's mouth open for an extended period of time and the tongue out of the way. We intebated the dog in hopes of getting a better view of entire mouth.
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Inflammation is the first thing the doctor will look for during the OP exam. If any tissue seems upset, there is a chance that something (like sticks, dirt, or foxtails) could be poking into the skin.
One of the more common places for debris to get caught in the mouth is in the tonsils. The tonsils of a dog are located in these little pockets, called tonsil cavities, on the roof of the mouth. Sometimes, irritants can get caught into those pockets and cause coughing and gagging.
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Lucky for this dog, we found some dirt inside of the tonsil cavity. We used saline solution to flush out the cavity. Although the debris found in the tonsil cavities could have been the reasons for the symptoms, we placed it safe by continuing to explore the dog's mouth. If there was somethig else that could cause irritation, it would be good to get it out now! We checked in the indentations of the hard palate, deep into the soft palate, in between the teeth, and under the tongue and in the gums but nothing else was found.
The dog was sent home with a non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug.
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