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my coonehound acts as if he has a pocket in his throat

Sent to Pet Experts January 9 2006 at 9:58 AM
   

My coonehound acts as if he has a pocket in his throat where food gets lodged. About once a week he has a 24 hour episode of eating every strange thing you can think of (paper, plastic bags, carpet, hair, blankets, etc) in an effort to induce vomiting, over and over again. He swallow very hard before, during, and about 2 days after such episodes. Help! Thanks, Wendy

Optional Information:
Age: 5; Male; Breed: red boned coonehound

Already Tried:
vitamins, feeding in increments

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $20
Answer
January 9 2006 at 10:07 AM (9 minutes and 1 second later)
         
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I think the strange food eating isn't for self induced vomiting though he may well be sick after eating such things.
Sometimes issues with the liver or with epilepsy can cause such eating binges.
I'd suggest you have your vet check him over thoroughly including bloodwork to see if the problem can be found.
Hope this helps you!

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7174 Pet Accepts
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Reply
January 10 2006 at 3:49 PM (1 day and 5 hours later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: If he were epileptic wouldn't he be having seizures? As far as the eating binges, do you mean that the liver or epilepsy problem is causing him to feel hungry and that's why he's eating these things? B/c if he was binging out of a need to feel full, I would expect him to get into something more "food like", but he intentionally eats really course, non-food things (the items I mentioned previously). And why would the episode happen every now and than but not more often? It had been 2 weeks since the last episode until a couple days ago. Also, before he starts eating household things like a goat, he paces around, swallowing very hard, drooling, and wanting to go outside. It's as if he's having discomfort in his digestive tract somewhere before the binging begins. Any futher thoughts on the matter?

Thanks, Wendy
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Answer
January 10 2006 at 3:58 PM (9 minutes and 4 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
Actually it could be what is called a focal seizure where one part of his brain is hit but not the common one having to do with muscle control.
You can read up on seizures here and it includes info on liver disease and focal seizures
www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com
Some dogs act oddly when they have a problem called a liver shunt
http://www.yorkierescue.com/livershunt/research2.html
You certainly could have the GI tract checked and a scope or ultrasound and x-ray done to see if its something wrong with his intestinal tract.

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7174 Pet Accepts
30+yrs pet vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior & training, responsible breeding, small animal care
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