Heard of the Reverse Sneeze?

[Freedom]

I rushed Sugar to the vet's this afternoon. Didn't even phone ahead for an appointment, or to say I was coming.

She was making a funny noise, couldn't catch her breath. After 15 minutes, her whole body was shaking, and her heart was beating wildly. I grabbed her and the leash and off we went.

She kept it up the whole 2 mile drive; across the parking lot; up the ramp; and across the porch. I opened the door and she stopped and started breathing normally.

We had a short wait and she started again. The vet said it is called a "reverse sneeze." It could be an allergy. It could be something got up her nose; like a piece of grass. (Sugar DOES eat grass in the back yard. Instead of swallowing it and then vomiting it up, it could have gone up into her nose.) Or it could be an infection at the root of a canine tooth. (Her teeth all look fine.) She had a bit of a fever, but after going through almost 15 mintues of that reverse sneeze, the vet said she would expect that.

We have some antihistamine. And I have to wait for either the allergy to clear, or the "item" to come out the nose. OR take her back in a few days if nothing happens. The next step is an x ray of her nasal passages and sinuses.

Oh, what our pets put us through!

[Freedom]

So, it gets even better.

This evening I get her antihistamine ready, wrap it in some peanut butter and offer it to her. She takes it, jumps up on the loveseat, and proceeds to bury her "meatball" in her blankie!

Lacey sniffed the air and wandered over, Sugar snarled at her. That was HERS, even if she didn't want it!

A while later, Sugar got down to drink some water and, before I could stop her, Lacey ate the peanut butter ball. Oh well, a dose of antihistamine won't hurt her.

[Giselle]

Yep, a lot of toy breeds reverse sneeze. Lucky did it for the first time in a pet store. Talk about being scared! My friend's Chihuahua does this frequently and severely. It usually subsides in less than 10-20 minutes, though. Actually, come to think of it, Lucky hasn't had a reverse sneeze attack in months, maybe years...

[Ginger's Mom]

Hehe, yeah, when I got Peaches I knew nothing about raising a dog, so everything we experienced was new. I, too, took her the the vet for a reverse sneeze, but didn't get quite the same answers as you did. It was the next day (since her attack was in the middle of the night), and she was, of course, fine by then. When I tried to explain to the vet what happened, he just sort of looked at me weird and asked if she was just panting. Anyway, it took me quite a while before I found out what it was. I will say though that I did not know that it could be allergy related, and could be treated with Benadryl. Good to know, thanks.

Sleep tight, Lacey.

[Glacier]

Muskwa gets reverse sneezes occasionally. I find if I cover his nose briefly, they usually stop.

[Taz_Zoee]

Wow, I've never heard of this. This is good to know in case it happens to Zoee. That must have been very scary to go through with Sugar. I know I would have been terrified!!
Good to know it's not as bad as it probably sounds.
Oh and Sugar....YOU need to eat your peanut butter balls, don't let Lacey get them...silly girl!!

[Riptide]

My Pixie gets it too, usually when she's anxious or excited. They're called Laryngospasms, and they're normally harmless. Laryngospasms are caused by a foreign body on the larynx. In response to the foreign body, the larynx tightens and spazzes, and your dog may make a wheezing sound. I was extremely alarmed when Pixie first did it -- I thought she was dying or something! But after a bit of research and a visit to the vet, I felt a whole lot better. The vet said that the foreign body on her larynx was probably just a drop of mucus or something and not to worry.

If your dog starts reverse-sneezing again, gently pinch her nostrals shut so that it forces her to breathe once through her mouth. It normally does the trick