What Reverse Sneeze in Dogs Sounds Like

A friend’s dog has a sudden onset of what sounds like breathing distress. Dr. Jones shows you:

• What Reverse Sneezing in dogs sounds like
• How you can tell if your dog has this, and
• How to help your dog if they do

Winston is my friend’s 12 year old beagle pug, and has been having some unusual breathing problems. He’s drawing air into his nose in reverse, making a snorting nose – it looks and sounds dramatic but it’s just an irritant that’s in the nasal cavity making this noise.

It could be an allergy (like seasonal allergies), a nasal polyp or some dogs can have nasal mites.

So, do you need to go to the emergency? This is actually very common, and most times you can heal it from home by finding the underlying cause.

If your dog gets occasional reverse sneezing, it’s not going to be much of a concern. If your dog gets sudden onsets of reverse sneezing, it’s not going away, or the episodes are increasing – it may be time to consider taking your dog to see your Veterinarian.

In looking at Winston’s mouth, I found a tooth with an abscess. We noticed his appetite was down, and when he did eat he was only eating on one side of his mouth, and his energy decreased. Unfortunately, he will have to have his tooth extracted but once he does, his energy will increase, and he’ll be able to breathe and eat normally.

Another common reason for reverse sneezing is nasal mites. It’s fairly easy to treat with something called Revolution, the drug is called Selemectin, a variety of Ivermectin.

Dosage is 2-3 doses given 2 weeks apart.

I hope this helps you better identify Reverse Sneezing!

Dr. Jones