Reverse Sneezing??!!

[Marci]

Has anyone noticed their doxie "sneezing" and huffing, sort of like an asthma type sound? I asked my vet if Lucy could have allergies and he said these episodes were just reverse sneezing and not to worry!!?? So far she has been OK but she seems in so much stress and discomfort for the short time it lasts that it gets me VERY upset and concerned. We have our yearly appointment next week but I was wondering what you all have seen.

Thanks!! Marci

[Dolly's Mom]

Hi Marci,

Apparently this "reverse sneezing" is common with dachsies. My Dolly will reverse sneeze about every 4 weeks and it DOES sound TERRIBLE. Sounds like she's gagging. What I do is offer water(which she usually will not take from a bowl) cupped in my hand. Even a little lick sometimes stops the cycle for her. Also I massage her throat and just wait it out. I'd be interested to know what your vet says. Maddie, so far, does not do this.

Sandi

[WOTANSMUTTI]

Hiya!

I rub Wotan's snout (his snub nosed snout) and that seems to help. I think those that watch are worse for wear than the dachsie who's snorting away! http://dachsie.org/ubb/bounce.gif

[Marci]

Thanks for the replies!! I will keep you posted after Lucy's visit to the vet. I think this is a dachsie thing as you said, Sandi. My big red dachsie I had growing up did it too but a bit different than Lucy. He sounded more like Felix Unger!! (honk, Honk...) I think it must be way worse for us to watch than them that is snorting! So True...

Marci

[loving two dachsie's]

Both of my puppers ocassionally get this reverse sneezing. Bailey has done it a couple times in the past two weeks. I does sound pretty strange. Is this caused by allergies, because it seems to happen only at certain times of the year?

Linda

[loving two dachsie's]

Both of my puppers ocassionally get this reverse sneezing. Bailey has done it a couple times in the past two weeks. I does sound pretty strange. Is this caused by allergies, because it seems to happen only at certain times of the year?

Linda

[pluto'slanie]

Pluto does the same thing. I stroke his throat and I think it helps. I certainly makes me feel better.

[Penny's Aunt]

Vets usually call it "reverse sneezing". But I just heard a perfect new word to describe it: SNORKING! Doesn't that just fit?

My dog did it all her 16 yrs. I would just check on her, & after a half-minute or so, it would stop. I hated when she did it at night. By the time she stopped, I was wide awake, & she just stretched & went back to sleep.

[wireweiners]

I think all dogs do it but maybe dachsies do it more often because they are low to the ground and more apt to sniff things up their nose. One of the causes of reverse sneezing can be a collar that is too tight or pulling on the lead while out walking. I also had a show dog that would do it if we were set up around breeds that use chalk for grooming. I think breathing the chalk irritated his throat. A handler taught me this trick to stop it. Tilt the dog's head back, massage their throat gently and blow in their nose. This makes them swallow which eases the irritation. Blowing in their nose after you give them a pill will help make them swallow the pill too. http://dachsie.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Mandy]

A rescue toy poodle we had growing had this problem a lot. We always thought that he did this because his former owners had beaten him and we thought that perhaps some damage had been done to his nose at one time. We did know that he had been hit in the nose a lot. Apparently, this is not the case. Our two little guys do it once in a while and since we've had them since they were pups, we know they haven't been abused.

Petie (the toy poodle) would go into these fits when he got really excited. We would tell him to "settle down," "calm down," or "take it easy." Petting also helped him get over these spells more quickly. Hope this helps.

On a side note, I would like to say something about Petie (he was a dachsund in attitude). Petie was about a year old when his previous owners abandoned him in the country during a blizzard. He was able to make it to an elementary school where the janitor let him in during the snow storm. My mother worked at that school and when the weekend came, she brought him home, "just for the weekend." We had 14 great years with him. He was one of the best dogs ever and acted just like a dachsund. He learned to trust and had so much love to give. He was still a puppy and did puppy things when we got him (like getting into trash and chewing). We think that the people who had him worked all day and would come home to trash on the floor and such....then they would beat him. He was such a sweet and lovable little guy. How can people be so mean? http://dachsie.org/ubb/mad.gif Petie is one of the many reasons we need to put a stop to any of those awful people who abuse animals.....

[Marci]

You're right, Mandy. We tell Lucy "It's OK" and "Calm down", etc. and I think it helps when she is having a "snorking" attack!!(Love that word for it...better than the vet's "reverse sneezing"!)

Petie sounds like the best!! Must have been part dachsie, right? Like you said, in attitude. http://dachsie.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Wienergal]

Love "snorking!" Both my dogs do this too, always when there's some intense emotion going on (Uh-oh! Here comes the Akita!) and only in the spring and fall--allergy times. I'm sure it's irritation in the nose and throat.

Love the Petey story! Wasn't he lucky to have found you!! I don't even like to think about the people who threw him out in a snowstorm. http://dachsie.org/ubb/angryfire.gif Gah. It just makes me sick.

[LisaH]

I've always wondered whether what Annie does is reverse sneezing. Is it that "hunnnnk-aaa, hunnnk-aaa" noise they make while inhaling? Snorking really is a great word. My husband often mistakes it for the "urka-gurkas," that lovely sound that precedes throwing up!

[Penny's Aunt]

That sounds like it. Kind of like when Felix Unger was clearing his sinus in the Odd Couple? Or was that Mmwwaaaa Mmwwaaa?

[This message has been edited by Penny's Aunt (edited May 20, 2000).]

[Penny's Aunt]

I just found a description of "snorking/reverse sneezing":

"Reverse sneeze syndrome is characterized by a series of rapid, loud, forced inhalations through the nostrils, lasting anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes. Attacks occur on a sporadic, unpredictible basis. Dogs usually have the head extended forward & stand still during the episode. Affected dogs appear completely normal before & after the attack. There is no loss of consciousness or collapse, although sometimes the appearance of the dog is upsetting to owners. Many dogs have these attacks throughout their lives. The exact cause is unknown, but it may be associated with sinusitis & other upper respiratory disorders. Whatever the cause, the condition is usually not serious. If the condition appears suddenly in an older dog or if episodes become mroe severe or frequent, the nasal passages & throat should be examined."


Please be aware that severe & repeated SNEEZING is a whole other ballgame. Any time your dog starts many repeated sneezings, almost or actually bumping their nose on the floor/ground, you need to get them to a vet. This is not a life-threatening emergency, but they should see a vet ASAP, even on a weekend. Dogs (esp these little hounds) often will inhale a foreign body. Grass awns ("foxtails") are especially common & nasty. They have tiny microscopic barbs on them, & they will work themselves deeper & deeper into whatever place they catch: hair, between the toes, or IN THE NOSE. If not attended to, they will work themselves right up into the sinuses, where they are out of reach, & will cause problems for the life of the dog. If caught in the beginning, the dog can be anesthestized & the vet can probe up the nasal passage & usually retrieve it. NO, it can't be done without anesthesia; the constant sneezing can cause the probe to severely damage the nasal passage. There is nothing you can do at home. (Sue)

[LisaH]

Penny's Aunt:

I think what Felix used to say was "phun-aa, phun-aa"!