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Reverse Sneezing

My present shih tzu does this and also my shih tzu before him did it also. What worked for both of them is I open their mouth and it immediately stops. The cavalier that we just got does it occasionally also but it has only been a couple times and when I've gone over to try it with him he has already stopped. My shih tzus did it for quite a long time and I agree it can be embarrassing. It used to scare me until I learned what it was. lol. My vet is the one who suggested opening their mouths. The second I really put my fingers in and open their mouths and they get air it stops.
 
I agree with Bruce. Take the dogs snout in your hand and point it down. They will then open their mouth to get air, it elongates the esophagus and trachea and they breath easier. One of my cavaliers does this once a day-- I have one that has done this once or twice in two YEARS.
 
Most of mine almost never do this -- Jaspar maybe once a year at most. Lily and Lucy on the other hand might do it once a month.

For a dog that is doing this daily -- I'd discuss it with your vet. For some short nosed breeds this problem with the soft palate can be serious and can worsen as the dog ages. It would be wise to get advice.

If a dog is doing this it is a good idea to try and do as Sandy advises and stop it -- the dog is actually gasping for breath. Covering the nose and gently tilting the head downwards almost always will stop the snort. If it doesn't, I definitely think a visit to the vet to discuss this is in order at some point.

It isn't common for the problem to be serious and most cavaliers seem to do the snort at least now and then but if it is all the time, and doesn't easily stop, I wouldn't risk ignoring it as a possible sign of a larger problem.

http://cavalierhealth.org/brachycephalic.htm

-- symptoms

The most common and recurrent symptom of an elongated soft palate is noisy breathing. Occasionally, the dog will make snorting sounds, which is due to the tip of the palate flapping into the trachea during respiration. This is called the "Cavalier snort" or a "reverse sneeze". The dogs also are more likely to snore, gag, or retch, and in severe instances, they may collapse if the airflow is obstructed completely.
-- diagnosis

In severe cases, the palate usually is examined with the dog under light general anesthesia, using a laryngoscope. An elongated palate will obstruct the view of the larynx when the tongue is depressed. The veterinarian may take an x-ray to determine the length of the palate and airway.
-- treatment

If the palate is only moderately elongated and does not totally block the trachea, snorting may be relieved by forcing the Cavalier to breathe through its mouth instead of its nose. This may be done by holding the dog's head down and mouth open with one hand while blocking air from entering the nose with the other hand.
Treatment for recurring blockage of airflow is surgical removal of excess tissue from the palate by a veterinary surgeon. Post surgery prognosis is good for young dogs. They generally may be expected to breathe much easier, with significantly reduced respiratory distress, and display more energy and stamina. Older dogs may have a less favorable prognosis.
 
My Shih Tzu's used to do this also and one of my Cav's does it. Alex is taken over by this everytime night when I come home, he just gets so excited. I ask the vet and he said this is common with short snooted dogs. Cover their nose with your hand to force them to breath through the mouth and once they take that breath through their mouth they are ok. My is almost paralyzed and cannot move when he goes through this.

Jane, mom to Alex, foster mom to Rhett
 
If you have a dog paralyzed from this, I would see another vet for a second opinion. :eek: They literally can barely breathe if it is that bad. As the link I posted indicates, there is a point when this is a serious health risk and can cause early death -- and it tends to worsen as the dog gets older, with less chance for a good surgery prognosis as the dog ages. It may be worth seeing a respiratory specialist at a vet school. Vets don't tend to know a lot about specific conditions like this.
 
Hi

Dougall does this, he did it in the middle of the night, it gave me a scare as I had trouble waking him. Took him to the vet next day, I think the
vet thought I was mad! Dougall has only done it when excited, I discovered it was reverse sneezing by accident when browsing dog health issues on the web.
 
Oh I remember the first time this happened to Holly, I thought she was choking slightly.... then she was fine, completely back to normal. A few weeks later and Murphy done it, and whilst many people say that their dogs are fine, Murphy most certainly got a wee fright. Again, after a few seconds he was fine, but I had no idea what this was. I thought they were both maybe ill, so I called my vet, frantically, and he assured me that it is normal, only if they recover and go back to their normal selves. He mentioned the covering their nose slightly and pointing their head downwards. This works perfectly and both are fine. I must say though it doesnt happen all the time. I know with some others it is quite a persistent issue, but its only happened with me a handful of times... thankfully. It really is a horrible noise!
 
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