reverse sneezing

Has anyone else heard of this

my 3 year old english springer spaniel over the last couple of months at differing intervals has been snorting, sneezing and swallowing especially in the middle of the night, when he had his first attack I gave him a course of antibiotics and it stopped a month later it has happened again and this time he had a green discharge from his nose so another course of antibiotics that cleared the discharge but last night he had another bad attack of this snorting so first this morning after not much sleep I scoured the internet and found his precise symptoms, reverse sneezing very interesting, there is no medical treatment necessary unless there is a green discharge and blood which would indicate something more serious going on. What a vet said it is very common in dogs that have short muzzles, there is even peoples videos on you tube of their dogs doing this. The vet suggests you rub their throat and close their nostrils to make them open their mouths to breath and this should stop the spasm. It is quite a frightening thing to watch, blue my springer was very rattly this morning in his chest indicating a respistory infection but he had just finished his antibiotics so it couldnt be so after more reading found out it could be an allergy so I gave him an antihistamine and after 20 mins he was back to his normal self, so glad I have found that article on this condition as it has saved me a needless trip to the vets.

just wondering if anyone else has heard of experienced this, my main breed is the dobermann so with having a long muzzle have not even heard of this problem in over 20 years of owing dogs, blue is my first spaniel bless him.

Pauline

I've experienced this very often. My shibas have all done it, past ones more than those I have presently.

I always stroke the throat - it seems to calm them and the spasm stops.

xx

Poppy gets this from time to time. I also stroke her throat and also put the palm of my hand over her nostrils, I find this helps her catch her breathe.

When we first got Ben he would do this all the time, and it is quite scary to watch them. Doesn't happen so much now only occaisonally. He didn't get any mucus or anything though just the snorting and breathlessness. Ben is a BC by the way so he has quite a long nose. My vet said that it was nothing to worry about.

Elaine xx

penny my dog has this she just snorts and is breathless like elaine's dog, she had it since she was a pup and she went on antibiotics but shes never stopped it - it only lasts for a few seconds but i hate seeing it - the vet told me it was quiet common in alot of dogs and nothing to worry about either.

My whippets and greyhounds do it usually when they get hot. In the winter they do it if they have been lying in front of the fire. At the moment they are doing it because it is so hot. A lot of greyhounds and whippets do it.

Poppy doesn't get mucus either. You're right though Elaine, it is quite scary to see, especially if it goes on a bit longer than usual. I was once told it's something to do with their soft palette.

Eddy does it a lot ever since I got him, I usually ignore it but if he starts to panic I'll hold my fingers over his nose to make him breathe through his mouth and occasionally stroke his throat which helps to settle him down a bit.

The only time Takara did it was a for a week or two after her spay and they do say it can occur after GA.

Harry25 - apparently it's something to do with the soft pallete not moving in sync with their breaths. What normally happens is the soft pallete moves up to make way for air coming through but when it gets out of sync it blocks the airway.

The snorting is them blowing out to try and get it back in sync.

They say holding the dog's nose can help - I dont' think it particularly helps Eddy when I do it but it does calm him down a bit if he's panicking... perhaps just because he knows I'm there with him.

Harvey does this sometimes as well but he has no mucus or anything. The first few times he done it i was really scared as it was in the middle of the night and i woke up with him doing it and i thought something was seriously wrong and i was rubbed his throat gently it seemed to work. Since then i have read it about as well.