Change in Hattie's Bark

[Charlie]

My vet thinks Hattie has a loose larynx which sometimes happens in older larger dogs. She hacks quite a bit as she is trying to clear her throat which is is due to food particles sometimes getting trapped in the larynx. The other thing is her bark has changed from quite a deep bark to a much softer bark. I'm not imagining this I'm sure. Has anyone ever heard of this before I declare myself insane? xx

 

[Emily]

Our dog sitter has a 14yr old lab and her bark is really soft and sort of squeaky (sounds like a squeaky toy with a broken squeaker). Apparently she used to have a normal deep lab bark when she was younger.

 

[Charlie]

Thank you @Emily at least I know I'm not going crazy. Hattie's isn't squeaky just softer. The joys of getting old x

 

[Emily]

Thank you @Emily at least I know I'm not going crazy.

I didn't say that you weren't going crazy

 

[Charlie]

I'm happy being crazy!! x

 

[Candy]

Err, Yes, me too! The only way to go as long as it's dog related crazy! Bed time now!!!

 

[Oberon]

My previous Labrador, Nicolae, developed a habit of hacking and clearing his throat very forcefully as he got older. My vet said it was because the soft palate (or areas at the back of the mouth/top of throat) gets saggier with age (what doesn’t ) and makes it feels like there’s something stuck in their throat. So they try to clear it periodically.

Food shouldn’t/wouldn’t be getting stuck in her larynx as that’s in her wind pipe. Did the vet say ‘pharynx’ maybe? That bit is exposed to food particles.

Anyway, it’s nothing to worry about.

 

[SwampDonkey]

My oldest had LP which sounds the same his bark changed greatly. I had to he careful about chews and anything which could get caught in his throat because swallowing and clearing blockages became difficult. LP is common in labs

 

[Atemas]

Sky just doesn’t bark - she can but very very rarely does so I don’t know if it’s changed. I haven’t heard her bark for over a year now and that’s when we were with her at our friends house

 

[FayRose]

Yes, this happened to our old boy BJ. We fed him with his dish on a raised surface because the head down position caused more irritation due to looseness in the oesophagus too.

 

[Charlie]

@Oberon Maybe the vet did say pharynx I can't recall as we discussed her hacking several months ago. The change in her bark is more recent.

Thank you all for confirming I'm not imagining it as my family looked at me like I've landed from another planet when I asked them! xx

Would a raised bowl help I wonder? xx