Reverse Sneezing
Today's tip was written by PAW volunteer and adopter
Lynne Keffer. By the way, you can now access the
Merck Veterinary Medicine manual online at
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp
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.
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care, adoption and the work PAW does, visit our
website at:
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www.paw-rescue.org
P.O. Box 1074, Greenbelt, MD 20768