# So, reverse sneezing is pretty terrifying!



## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

She had her first one when I came home yesterday afternoon and it frightened the life out of me. Then she was fine after but started again in the evening, even waking up two or three times in the night doing it, also she snored which she never does, and keeps making theses little piggy noises. It seems to be improving and I don't want to take her to the vet if I don't have to as she gets really stressed (obviously if she needs to be seen then that is what will happen). I just wondered if it was normal to take a little time to get over the episode and is there anything I can do to prevent another attack? She wears a harness so I'm pretty sure it isn't trachea damage.

Thanks in advance everyone x


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## Mona Lisa's Smile (Mar 16, 2012)

If it's truly reverse sneezing and you can't get it to stop by rubbing her throat and soothing her.....try squeezing her nostrils together...as soon as she opens her mouth to take a breath, it'll stop.

This happens to some of my pups when they get excited.


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

I blow into my dogs noses when they do this, it forces the air to go through the right way. I usually do that after massaging their neck & talking calmly doesn't work. The way you do it is cover their nose with your mouth completely and give a quick hard blow. Works every time for me. 


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

I had also read about putting your fingers over the nostrils for a few seconds, works like a dream. Lily actually seems to expect me to help her now this way.


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## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

Thanks ladies, really helpful info. Vet thinks it could be kennel cough as she's quacking a lot still so I think I'll take her in later just to be on the safe side.

I read kennel cough is really contagious, is she okay to go for a walk still and ride the bus to the vet? Probably a silly question but just wanted to make sure.

X


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## Lisa T (Sep 3, 2010)

I doubt it's kennel cough, it really does sound like reverse sneezing and the little piggy noises are quite common for short muzzle dogs. If your vet suggests a kennel cough vaccine I would seriously consider refusing. x


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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

The first time that happened to Kalisee, it was the middle of the night. She came crawling out of the covers and I thought she was having some kind of seizure or heart attack and I was running around the room getting dressed thinking where i could take her to some 24 hour vet or something.....then I found out what it was doing a quick search here on the forum. 

So the trick is to plug the nostrils for a few seconds and rub their throat and they are fine. Its not life threatening even though it sounds like it is!

P.S. She got it much more before she was a year old. Now it rarely happens and she is almost 2.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

If your dog does NOT do reverse sneezing except for an occassional episode, then a continued reverse sneeze that wakes up the dog in the middle of the night is something to see/call the vet about. The fact she was snoring and making these little 'piggie' noises sounds like an upper respiratory tract irritation/infection. JMO


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

My chi has been sneezing a little and has that snoring. It's a little congestion due to everything starting to bloom. It's that time of year. A Benedryl will help to dry up any congestion and ease reverse sneezing. It's always best to keep your pet calm when they start sneezing. Excitement can prolong it or make it worse. Reverse sneezing is not life-threatening.


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## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

Thank you so much for all your advice, really useful info here guys - thank you. 

We're just back from the vet, thankfully not kennel cough (hurrah!) and is as we suspected - a little bout of reverse sneezing. If symptoms get worse or persist for too long he wants to see her again just in case. 

She's now sleeping very quietly... lovely little pup x


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

Poor Molly!! Hope she feels better soon!
Leo had an episode of what I thought was reverse sneezing too last year, it would wake him up in the middle of the night too. It got so bad the next morning, he could barely walk a few steps without having an attack so we went straight to the vet. He ended up being diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection. An antibiotic, cough syrup, and honey manged to clear everything up quickly. 
Best of luck! 


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

If it's not an infection, it might be a good idea to have your vet investigate whether it could be collapsed trachea or just reverse sneezing. 


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## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

Update: her symptoms developed overnight and has now full-blown kennel cough... my poor little pup  We have antibiotics on their way. 

The biggest shame is she'd just stared her new term at Doggy Training School so she has to sit out the rest of the term. Trainer said she can go in the next term in 5 weeks though so that's okay.

How long do you normally have to keep them in for?

x


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Oh no! Poor girl. The good thing is that she has you to take care of her.  I haven't personally had any experience with kennel cough. Just wanted to say I hope that she starts feeling better soon! 


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Wow!! How did the vet miss that the first time? Glad she's getting antibiotics and hope she'll be better soon.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Glad you took her to the vet again. When my pup got kennel cough (from the vaccine!) I was at a dog camp in Vermont. The vet tech asked me not to bring her around the other dogs. Poor thing ended up being walked in places where the others didn't go, and generally spending lots of time in her dog pen! Lasted ONE week. Why the whole 6 weeks they are asking you to miss?


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## CuddlesMom (Feb 22, 2014)

I hope she feels better, soon! 

Our chi/pug had kennel cough when we adopted her, so the shelter sent us home with antibiotics. She ended up being perfectly fine. I'm not sure if she was actually diagnosed with it, though, or if they just assumed she had it. She didn't seem sick at all.


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## CHITheresa (Apr 30, 2011)

I had a Pomeranian had it very bad, id let her lick ice cub,blow in her face always helped, if she has bad time you can give little benedryl. She lived many years with it. Amberleah lou lou has it a little bit.


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## CurlySuzy23 (Dec 3, 2013)

What causes reverse sneezing? Why do they do it? Is it only chis that get this? My puppy has been making terrible noises for the last week. Before this I noticed him sneezing out wards, mostly when we went into the garden. Now he's making louder much longer noises, a bit like what a human sounds like when they are trying to bring up phlegm (sorry if that's tmi). The vet said it could be kennel cough but I am just wondering if it could be this reverse sneezing instead. 


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## LadyDevlyn (Jul 8, 2013)

CurlySuzy23 said:


> What causes reverse sneezing? Why do they do it? Is it only chis that get this? My puppy has been making terrible noises for the last week. Before this I noticed him sneezing out wards, mostly when we went into the garden. Now he's making louder much longer noises, a bit like what a human sounds like when they are trying to bring up phlegm (sorry if that's tmi). The vet said it could be kennel cough but I am just wondering if it could be this reverse sneezing instead.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


If it sounds like when we are coughing to bring up phlegm, it is probably kennel cough. That is a hallmark symptom. Reverse sneezing is very dry sounding and doesn't sound like a cough. 



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## CurlySuzy23 (Dec 3, 2013)

LadyDevlyn said:


> If it sounds like when we are coughing to bring up phlegm, it is probably kennel cough. That is a hallmark symptom. Reverse sneezing is very dry sounding and doesn't sound like a cough.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Thanks for this. Yes it's definitely prolonged inward snorting that he's doing. I have a vet appointment tomorrow so we'll see what they say. I've been trying to video him on my phone so the vet can hear as it's typical that he never does it when I'm trying to show someone! Thank you for your answer. 


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## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

woodard2009 said:


> Wow!! How did the vet miss that the first time? Glad she's getting antibiotics and hope she'll be better soon.



To be fair to the vet, her symptoms changed dramatically overnight so I do understand how he missed it. Just feel awful as she greeted a few dogs on the way home, one of them was a puppy, I just hope she didn't give it to them (we obviously didn't know at that stage). She's doing loads better now, although her poops are getting rather soft I'm assuming this is a side affect to the antibiotics and hope they don't get too loose!


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## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

susan davis said:


> Glad you took her to the vet again. When my pup got kennel cough (from the vaccine!) I was at a dog camp in Vermont. The vet tech asked me not to bring her around the other dogs. Poor thing ended up being walked in places where the others didn't go, and generally spending lots of time in her dog pen! Lasted ONE week. Why the whole 6 weeks they are asking you to miss?



Good to know it lasts one week, I'm keen to get her out and about as soon as poss so it doesn't affect her confidence outside (which is something we are constantly working on). Well the training course she's on is a six month block and she'd need to miss two classes so we'd miss a lot of the teachings, the lady who runs it said we can start again in the next new term so we don't miss out.


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## cepwin (Jan 19, 2014)

Hummm..that must have been what happened to Chuck the other day...it sounded like a cough or hiccups ....when it stopped I thought he must have had hiccups.


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