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Veterinarians make a distinction between vomiting and regurgitation. Vomiting refers to the forceful expulsion of contents from the stomach. Regurgitation, on the other hand, is the passive return of contents from the esophagus. Food that is regurgitated never makes it to the stomach. Vomiting can be acute (sudden) or chronic (long-term). Acute vomiting lasts less than 3-4 days and has no other signs present. Chronic vomiting refers to vomiting lasting longer than 5-7 days or intermittent vomiting that does not respond to medical treatment. Chronic vomiting can occur more than once or twice a day and be accompanied by other clinical signs, such as blood, abdominal pain or fever.

A cough is a reflex that induces a forceful exhalation of air from the lungs in order to clear the airways. There are multiple ways to describe a cough (dry or moist, short or harsh, faint or deep, honking) and it can be followed by swallowing, gagging, retching, noisy breathing, or difficulty breathing. There are a wide variety of conditions that can cause a cough.

When veterinarians talk about heart sounds, they are referring to those that can be heard with a stethoscope during a physical examination. A normal heart has two distinct sounds, described phonetically as lub, the first heart sound, and dub, the second heart sound. The first heart sound is the closure of the valves between the top and bottom chambers of the heart, the atria and ventricles. The second heart sound is the closure of the valves controlling blood flow in and out of the heart. A phonocardiogram is a special recording of heart sounds. This is a recording of a normal dog heart made with a digital stethoscope. Normal heart sounds

On very hot, humid days, the safest place for your dog is indoors, ideally in the air conditioning. If you take your dog with you, it’s important to keep your pup hydrated and to watch for signs of heatstroke, which include heavy panting, excessive drooling, bright red gums, hot skin, and incoordination. At the first hint of heatstroke, play it safe and head to your local veterinary ER. If an overheated dog isn’t cooled off quickly, serious complications like organ failure and death can occur. You might be tempted to give your pet a buzz cut in the summer months. A trim is fine, but be sure to keep your pet’s coat at least an inch long. Your dog’s fur coat is designed to keep your pup cool during the summer and warm in the winter. By shaving your dog, you may interfere with this built-in temperature regulation. It’s important to be aware that hot pavement can do serious damage to your dog’s paw pads. Play it safe and schedule walks for early morning or in the evening. If midday walks are unavoidable, try booties or paw wax.  

Heatstroke is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the ambient temperature overwhelms the body’s cooling mechanisms. Dogs cool themselves by panting, but this method is much less effective on hot, humid days. A dog’s normal body temperature is 100°F to 102.5°F. Heatstroke is a body temperature of 105.8°F or higher. If an overheated pet is not cooled off quickly, serious complications like organ failure and death can occur.