janis
Grey Puppy
my 4 boys
Posts: 88
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Post by janis on May 11, 2007 9:08:26 GMT -5
good morning all! - i'm wondering if any of you have the same thing with their greys and if so what is the cause? - sunny does this "snorting/wheezing" thing quite often - it can happen anytime, but usually when he's laying down - it sounds just awful - like he can't get his breath - but he always gets over it very quickly - my mini dachsund does the same thing but the other two dogs don't - any thoughts? -
janis
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Post by GreyPoopon on May 11, 2007 9:13:22 GMT -5
Could it be reverse sneezing? Reverse sneezing sounds a bit like someone who is too lazy to get up and get a Kleenex.
If so, something might be tickling his nose or throat. Perhaps dust or something he ate.
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Post by tara on May 11, 2007 11:58:37 GMT -5
Ty does this too janis, but it is usually after drinking (especially really cold water) or eating so I have written it off to that (because vet thinks it is related).
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genia
Grey Lover
Posts: 672
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Post by genia on May 11, 2007 14:16:54 GMT -5
I had a ridgeback that did this and when I described it to my vet, she looked in her medical books and said it was a reverse sneeze and not to worry about it. She hadn't heard it before though, so I guess it isn't too common.
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Post by jenschase on May 13, 2007 10:40:16 GMT -5
Chase does this as well! Sometimes he links 7 or 8 reverse sneezes in a row...sounds so awful...first time other people see it they are quite shocked!! I'm used to it by now....but it is weird!
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Post by brandynt on May 14, 2007 22:01:00 GMT -5
Absolutely sounds like a reverse sneeze. Syd does it all the time and last year when I was in New York my friend called in a panic because she thought Syd couldn't breathe. It's fairly common with short nosed dogs (pugs, bostons, etc.) but is not uncommon for any breed. Brandy
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genia
Grey Lover
Posts: 672
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Post by genia on May 16, 2007 10:57:23 GMT -5
I kind of miss hearing it now since the ridgeback that did it is gone, but since this topic came up, I'm wondering if our greyhound is doing this. I keep thinking he's 'horking', but the more I think about it, the more I think he may be sneezing.
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erinder
Grey Lover
Collarbones - for you guessed it, collars! (formerly Fussy Pup)
Posts: 421
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Post by erinder on May 22, 2007 22:20:37 GMT -5
odd, digby does this too every now and then. it doesn't seem to bother him too much when he does it. we thought maybe it had something to do with worms because i know that in order for the young worms to get to the digestive tract they have to get coughed up from the lungs where the larvae live. that was just our theory since he's had worms a couple times. id prefer to think it was reverse sneezing!
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Post by rikker on May 29, 2007 12:37:04 GMT -5
REVERSE SNEEZING Often due to eating too fast or minor throat irritation, reverse sneezing often sounds like gasping for breath. Occasionally a parasite called Paragonimus can be the cause of chronic, frequent reverse sneezing. This parasite is also known as a lungworm, and lives in the air passages leading to the lungs, thus causing irritation and coughing or reverse sneezing. This parasite rarely shows up on routine stool exams, so treatment is often recommended if any symptoms are present.
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genia
Grey Lover
Posts: 672
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Post by genia on May 29, 2007 20:15:18 GMT -5
thanks for the info. I'm sure the cause with my ridgeback was eating too fast. Ridgebacks tend to be vacuums as far as food goes.
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Post by karenrickers on Jun 7, 2007 21:00:19 GMT -5
Thanks so much for this information! Both my greys have done this, but usually just for 5-10 seconds, then they were fine. Tonight my girl Gini kept doing it ... perhaps for five minutes, it seemed like an eternity! I was madly searching for an emergency vet clinic, and telling her to breathe through her mouth, when it stopped. So I did the search on this site. I will have them both tested for the lung worm, I guess, but could it be an allergy? Would antihistamines help? The 5-10 seconds I could cope with, but the 5 minutes of thinking Gini couldn't breathe just about put me into cardiac arrest!
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cojoeman
Grey Puppy
[red]Marriage Officiant[/red]
My greys, Dagny & Galt, say hare, hare...
Posts: 52
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Post by cojoeman on Jun 8, 2007 7:41:28 GMT -5
You might find this information helpful. It is from the GALT website (Greyhound Adoption League of Texas): SAGE ADVICE: Reverse Sneezingby PAW volunteer and adopter Lynne Keffer Have you ever been startled by your dog exhibiting snorting, honking and gasping noises? Have you felt helpless while you watched your canine friend appear to be struggling to breathe? What you probably witnessed is the condition in dogs known as reverse sneezing. It actually has nothing to do with sneezing, but is a spasm caused by an irritation of the soft palate. The soft palate is a soft, fleshy tissue extension off the hard palate, or roof of the mouth. Small dogs in particular can exhibit this behavior and certain breeds may be predisposed to it. It has sent many a distraught owner to the vet in panic. Some animals can have this condition for their entire lives, or it may develop as the dog ages. During the spasm, the dog will usually turn her elbows outward and extend her neck while gasping inwards with a distinctive snorting sound. Gently massaging the throat area or pinching the dog's nostrils shut so she must breath through her mouth can help shorten the episode. Sometimes taking the dog outside in the fresh air stops the spasm. Once the attack ceases, all goes back to normal. (Another technique sometimes used to stop a bout of canine reverse sneezing: behavior specialist Sarah Wilson suggests trying to get the dog to swallow, touching the back of the tongue if that is safe.) It is thought that the pharyngeal spasm can be caused by a number of irritants, including dust and pollen, or household chemicals. Moreover, some dogs can launch an episode after eating, drinking or running around, or while pulling on the leash. If your dog experiences this behavior fairly frequently and the episodes are severe, a trip to the vet is in order to determine other possible causes, which can include viral infections, polyps, excessive soft palate tissue, and nasal mites. However, many cases of reverse sneezing appear to have no identifiable cause. There lives a small Chihuahua Beagle mix, Cynthia Louise, who possesses a certain PAW volunteer. Cindy was extremely prone to severe middle-of-the-night reverse sneezing episodes when she first came into the PAW program, sending her terrified then-foster mom (now devoted adopter) to the vet in alarm. The vet anesthetized her (Cindy, not her mom) and explored the little dog's sinus cavities as best she could to see if anything was embedded in her sinus passages. Nothing was found, and after a short course of anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, Cindy recovered completely. In hindsight, it seems quite likely that the time of year, autumn, with its accompanying proliferation of allergens, combined with the stress of being in a new household, may have contributed to Cindy's pronounced reverse sneezing. Since the initial episodes subsided, the little dog has had only one or two minor incidences. Reverse sneezing appears a lot worse than it is, generally posing no health threats whatsoever. Typically, an episode of reverse sneezing will end soon on its own. Nevertheless, understanding and recognizing the syndrome can go a long way toward helping dog owners and their dogs cope with it. The Merck Veterinary Medicine manual can be accessed online at www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.
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