I
get this question a lot, and yesterday as I was discussing this
"condition" with an owner, I thought it would make a very good blog
post as well as a good thing to put on our facebook page. There are
hundreds of videos of it on YouTube, so we'll be posting one here and on
facebook to help owners recognize what is happening to their doggies and not
panic when they see it!
It's
the incredible Reverse Sneeze!!
What
the heck is it? Well, most people think it's an asthma attack because it
appears as though the dog cannot breathe when it is happening. Another
concern owners have is simply that something has affected their dog and for
whatever reason, they are having episodes of severe respiratory distress and
are dying. They almost always come to my office saying, "My dog is
having difficulty breathing and he's dying!" or "My dog keeps having asthma
attacks!"
These episodes are followed by a warp speed drive in to see us
where we generally assess a happy dog wagging its tail and giving us the look
of, "What's all the excitement about?”
In
fact, the first time my husband saw our own dog do it, he said, "Now I
know why our clients get so scared when they see this happening!"
Reverse sneezing
sounds similar to a honking noise and is a condition that usually does not need
any treatment. It is called reverse sneezing because it sounds a bit like a dog
“inhaling sneezes” or “snorting backwards.” These episodes are short-lived and
usually resolved by the time of presentation, leaving us veterinarians to
(embarrassingly) try to mimic the noise in the exam room.
Follow this link for a video that demonstrates what a typical reverse
sneezing episode appears like.
The most
common cause of reverse sneezing is an irritation of the soft palate and throat
that results in a spasm. The dog’s neck will “stretch outward” and the chest
will expand during the spasm as it tries harder to inhale. The trachea narrows
during this time, and it’s hard to get the normal amount of air into the lungs.
All of these actions together result in the disturbing display.
What are some other causes?
Anything that
irritates the throat can cause this spasm, and subsequent reverse sneezing,
including:
- excitement
- eating or drinking
- exercise intolerance
- pulling on a leash
- mites
- foreign bodies caught in the throat
- perfumes and environmental irritants such as household chemicals
- viruses
- pollen, allergies and post-nasal drip
Further
evaluation should be pursued if reverse sneezing becomes a frequent occurrence,
as there may be a treatable underlying cause of the episodes, such as mites or
allergies. In many cases, however, the cause cannot be identified.
What can I do?
Reverse
sneezing itself rarely requires treatment. When the sneezing stops, the spasm
is over. If the episode continues beyond a few seconds, sometimes massaging
your dog’s throat can help stop the spasm. Also, it is sometimes effective to
cover the nostrils for quick moment, which makes the dog swallow and helps to
“clear out the irritation.”
Some dogs have
these episodes their entire lives while some dogs develop the condition only as
they age. In most dogs, however, the spasm is an occasional and temporary
problem that goes away on its own, needing no treatment and leaving the dog
with no after-effects.
