# reverse sneezing article



## luv4mygirls (Feb 20, 2005)

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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anyone else want to add to this article post away


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## Seiah Bobo (Mar 31, 2005)

Thanks Mandy, Seiah has these episodes after he runs around really hard, sometimes after his zoomies. I will definitely try that nose plugging idea. I always feel so bad for him when I see him go through that and Ash almost flipped out when he heard it the first time. Ash just stared at me :shock: asking me what was going on and why was he doing this. I'll definitely relay this message to him. Thanks again!!!


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## Chico's Mama (May 22, 2005)

Thats a great article...chico had reverse sneezing really bad, but it seems ever since i got my air purifier it's calmed down a lot. i still keep a bottle of childrens benadryl close just incase.


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## JOLIE'SMOM (Jul 15, 2005)

What a great post!  Three of my babies have this problem almost every time they go outside/inside. I've always heard it referred to as "reverse breathing" here in Oklahoma. It used to really alarm the babies but they are used to it now.


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## princess_ella (Jun 4, 2005)

some times reverse sneezing or cough can happen when a pup or dog have allergies sympotoms like scratching,itching,watery eyes.my older dog who is going to be two years in sept. had it as if she was having asthma attack.in other words they would last long for maybe 2 to 5 min.I had to keep taking her to the vet alot first for antiobiotics and cough suppresants.Than when she developed the other sympotoms benadrl and predensone.since she was so young the vet recommended me to look for something natural whcich i did find and works. At first i had to give to her as the instruction rec. 3 times a day now its as needed.she only needed a shot since she badly reactee to the booster shot.Now she will be getting her shots every three years.


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## foxywench (Feb 7, 2005)

good post, when i first got vixie i noticed this condition, however its always after she has a drink...so after watching her drink i notice she drinks so fast she actually inhales a little (vet says its just her and isnt gonna do her any damage as its just water up her nose rather than going in her lungs)
and the water up the nose seems to set her off, ive found covering her nose and making her breath through her mouth stops it straight away.
she sometimes does it when shes gotten into something dusty, very pollen filled flowers or today when the spaniel got his hair cut...

it can be terrifying to new owners...


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## chihuahua-lady (Apr 13, 2005)

my babies do it i havent seen ruby do it yet but jacob and tyke do apparently if you put your hand over there nose for couple of seconds that stops it a shih tzu breeder told me that i havent tried it didnt wanna scare my babies


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## luv4mygirls (Feb 20, 2005)

chihuahua-lady said:


> my babies do it i havent seen ruby do it yet but jacob and tyke do apparently if you put your hand over there nose for couple of seconds that stops it a shih tzu breeder told me that i havent tried it didnt wanna scare my babies


they say to do that, rub their throat or get them to lick and it stops. usually i just let it run it's course.


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## chihuahua-lady (Apr 13, 2005)

thats exactly what i do just let it be i dont want to scare them by trying to stop it


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## luv4mygirls (Feb 20, 2005)

chihuahua-lady said:


> thats exactly what i do just let it be i dont want to scare them by trying to stop it


yeah and sometimes my daughter goes and makes the noise along with chiwi. it's embarrassing lol so it's either me go around rubbing both of their throats or just let them honk hehehe.


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## Alisha (Mar 11, 2005)

Poco does this quite often Bella only does it when she's really really excited and happy.I do the rubbing thing but if they do it when they're excited they have to settle down before they can stop.My hubby had chis before and told me it was a chi thing.


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## luv4mygirls (Feb 20, 2005)

chiscrochetcrazy said:


> Poco does this quite often Bella only does it when she's really really excited and happy.I do the rubbing thing but if they do it when they're excited they have to settle down before they can stop.My hubby had chis before and told me it was a chi thing.


any dog with a short snout does it. and some with long snouts too.... pugs, boston terriers, dachshunds, chows, pit bull terriers, even shephards. it's a dog thing but the smaller snouted are more prone.


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## harmony (Aug 9, 2005)

This was very helpful. I had just recently noticed Faith doing this and I was worried about it. I will wait now to see if it worsens before I haul her off to the vet for it! Thank you!


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## LovelyChiPupz (May 11, 2005)

my dog does this and i've taken her to the vet and he hasnt mentioned anything about it - maybe he does not know the chihuahuha breed well!

My dog doesnt do it at set times like whilst drinkin or out in the garden amoungst flowers, it jst happens randomly even if she's jst lying in bed. 

Could it be this reverse sneezing? It does stop by itself and only lasts seconds?

My vet gave me antiobiotics but she has done it since. Plz help!


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## luv4mygirls (Feb 20, 2005)

LovelyChiPupz said:


> my dog does this and i've taken her to the vet and he hasnt mentioned anything about it - maybe he does not know the chihuahuha breed well!
> 
> My dog doesnt do it at set times like whilst drinkin or out in the garden amoungst flowers, it jst happens randomly even if she's jst lying in bed.
> 
> ...


does it sound like the description. most likely it is reverse sneezing and nothing to be worried about :wave: chiwi's most common time to do it is in bed....


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## LovelyChiPupz (May 11, 2005)

yes it sounds like the description i usually describe it as like a duck sometimes ducks do the noise that she does!

DO you know what i mean?


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## *Nicole* (Aug 9, 2005)

Thank you for posting that article on here... my little one has been doing it since I can remember and it has scared me. Took him to the vet and he has been on one medication after another and none of it helped, so the vet told me he has a collasped trachea. I tried the nose holding and once he breathes in through his mouth the goose noises stop immediately. Thank you again... worried mom - NO MORE!


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## foxywench (Feb 7, 2005)

yeah covering their nose forces them to take a breath through the mouth wich imediatly wets the palet and helps clear whatever has irritated it...some chis do it when there running around because their mouths are dry and they 'forget' how to fix the problme lol.
for some reason laying in bed is a pretty commong time, im wondering if mabe the fibers from blankets or somfortors irritate the palet.

belive me youll know a colapsing treachea very quickly, and it wont be from the honking sounds...colapsing treachia has an extreem hacking sound followed by labourd breathing ect...the honking is a reverse sneeze.

vixie knows now whenever it happens, if she has enough pwer to get her legs moving shell come over to me so i can cover her nose and looks at me as if to say, ok ma time to do that thing you do...lol

unfortunatly most vets arnt familiar with the condition because it isnt a medical condition and so they dont learn about it in veterinary school...

im lucky my vet has 3 chis of his own so hes very familiar with the reverse sneezing and told me not to worry...sometimes episodes can last as long at 1/2 hr, but usually stop soon after covering theri nose or as soon as they relax (if it occurs after running round crazy.)


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## Alli (Jul 21, 2005)

My pup does it all the time after running around...I've tried everything and nothing seems to stop it, but it never lasts too long. I just hate when it happens though, it always seems like it's painful or something. It's either the honking noise or sometimes he hacks, like he's coughing up a hairball. Is this the same thing?


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

The goose noise is reverse sneezing. Cooper does the hacking thing too, but I think it's different. He does it when he drinks a lot of water or runs around a bit... I think it's just a cough. I call it his "smoker's cough" :lol:


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## princess_ella (Jun 4, 2005)

I say as long as the cough is the only symtom than its reverse sneeze once they show signs of allergies like watery eyes,itchy skin or eyes,lethargic,chronic cough.


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## Rubyfox (Jul 11, 2005)

Triny is always doing the "reverse sneeze ", the vet told me that she has a very small head & short nose so she will suffer, bless. I have to pick her up and massage her throat or make her swollow and it goes away, she gets all shook up poor girl.


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## dollhouse (Sep 20, 2005)

my chi has been doing this alot and i had no idea what it was. this is very helpful thankyou. i thought maybe she had asthma or something worst.


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## dollhouse (Sep 20, 2005)

my chi has been doing this alot and i had no idea what it was. this is very helpful thankyou. i thought maybe she had asthma or something worst.


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## LuvMyChiwawas (Sep 1, 2005)

Chico does this when he gets really excited...usually when he wants me to pick him up.


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## sesar_galvez (Apr 23, 2006)

:wink: for help


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## rach (Jan 12, 2006)

thankyou for that it was very informitive. Tilly does it every couple of days. i always feel bad for her.


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## Roxstar_Luna (May 4, 2006)

Oh my gosh! My pommie has this! THanks for this info. I mean, well, it's been posted a while, but I am now reading it. lol. I am taking her to the vet when I take Roxie to the vet and will ask about it anyways to make sure that is what she is really doing but I am positive it is. Glad to know she isn't going to die or something.


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## MyTank (Sep 8, 2005)

It is scary! Tank does it pretty often. I think the heat definitely is a trigger.


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## serina48723 (Jun 11, 2006)

Chihuahua's are known for their backwords snort, and sneezing. Generally they do this out of excitement, but can do it out of fear, wheather changes etc. This is a trick that has worked for generations with us, as I am a 3rd generation owner, second generation breeder. Place your hand over the Chi's mouth (not tight enough to sufficate the dog) loosely over the dogs mouth. They breathe in the warm air and then they will stop.


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## HenrysSam (Apr 14, 2007)

This is really helpful, i'm going to show it to my mum as she gets so stressed out when Henry starts doing it, she calls it his "asthma attack" & when she is alone with him she gets proper worked up which doesn't help my boy! She won't believe me when i tell her it is normal & nothing to worry about, even after i showed her the (albeit very short) section in the chihuahua book i have! I was fine about it because when i went to pick Henry up as a baby 2 of the breeder's chi's started doing it at the same time so he explained it to me. He advised to massage the neck or squeeze the nose, Henry never lets me squeeze his nose though so i just massage his neck. He has learned to come up to me if he can, as soon as he starts doing it, otherwise i hear it anyway & go straight over to it. I never make a big deal of it so he doesn't get stressed, it's just my mum who needs working on! 
anyone know if reverse sneezing can cause problems for chi's when they come round after an operation?


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## Janis (Jul 28, 2008)

I know this is an old article but it is very helpful. Lucas does this quite often and I feel so bad for the little guy. It usually happens in the morning after he goes potty and has been running around. I am glad to hear that it is completely normal and that I don't need to freak out every time he does it!


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## chihuahua_momma (Jul 30, 2008)

oh wow i'm glad i found this, 3 of my chis do this (and we are watching the 2month old) but it does seem to end quickly. thanks for the info


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## furriefriend (Jul 25, 2008)

Thanks for that post v.useful info haven't had the problem yet but thought my GSD was having the problem.


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## pinkglitterybunny (Jul 26, 2008)

very helpful my chi does it im glad i found this article as i was gonna post and ask what was wrong with her!! xx


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## roosterbob (May 2, 2008)

Thanks for the helpful post. My wife was just asking me the other day if I knew anything about it.


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## Turbo (Aug 7, 2008)

This is great to know!! My little Turbo had this same incident this morning, William and I didn't know what to do and were in a panic. I was a second away from calling work and saying I wouldnt be in because I was ready to head to the Vet. Once I had him calmed down and had him eat his breakfast, he was fine and running around.


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## TrisherLeeAndEva (Sep 2, 2008)

my shih tzu and my friends pom do it quite regularly i will try the hand over the nose idea see if it helps. my dog tends to get sick after the episode sometimes too? i wonder if thats not normal or what..hmm


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## Georgia24 (Jan 18, 2009)

My Georgia did this when seh was excited, typically when I came home. I would just talk to her and pet her back to calm her and she would stop almost instantly.


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## Mandy (Jan 16, 2009)

hi there

my zac has this frequently he is very excitable and this causes hm to go into episodes of this honking (reversed sneezing) i used to panic when he done it but now i just lift him up and pet him till he calms down it happens nearly every day as he is sooo sooo hyper honey has never had it but she is so different from zac she is very laid back and shy

i will maybe try the nose pinching next time i will let you know how i get on with this
love mandy zac and honey


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## lilbabyvenus (Feb 8, 2009)

Nice post, Venus does that every once and a while.


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## elmopuppy (Jun 7, 2008)

Elmo does this all the time-particuarly when he gets overexcited. He sounds like Donald Duck!


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## littlemouse (Feb 22, 2009)

Oddly enough, my chi has never really done this before, but one of my other dogs, a Japanese chin, does it aaall the time.  I usually just rub her back and it helps.


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## CocoaPebbles (Nov 28, 2008)

All of my dogs have done this. But my little chi boy has it the worst, by far. Episodes every day. Several times when he is playing, after eating/drinking, and even when he is doing nothing. Vet said its normal because his nose is so tiny. Poor thing... I'm sure its annoying. When I first brought him home from the breeder, I thought he was sick because of it. Episodes are short lived though. My moms pug had really long episodes that needed assistance to end (plug nostrils and open mouth). I'm sure it was due to her pushed in muzzle that pugs have.


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## kotton (Apr 19, 2009)

wow great article!! My Kotton has been doing this for the past 6 months and I was convinced my pup inherited my asthma LOL...I instinctively did the massage the throat thing the first time, and since that worked I do it every time...but it is nice to know WHY...thanks!!


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## Bella~n~Wiley's mom (May 14, 2009)

My Lab does this, but I have known for a long time what it was... It still freaks the kids out though!


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## lucyzoe02mom (Jun 24, 2009)

I have two Chihuahuas, and Zoe, my youngest has issues with reverse sneezing. I wasn't too worried the first time it happened since i've seen it happen before, however when Zoe started doing it constantly for days on end i became concerned. I had to go to the vet anyways due to some skin stuff that was happening with Zoe and mentioned this to the vet. Needless to say we found out that Zoe has food allergies (beef, wheat and corn) and her reverse sneeze was being exacerbated by the allergies to both food and pollen. Finally things have calmed down, she's on allergy meds every day, 5mg of zyrtec, and her food was changed, plus i keep on hand little syringes filled with 1cc of childrens benedryl for 'emergencies'. Lucy, my eldest Chi also has allergies due to pollen, skin related, so the benedryl works well for her. The main thing i've learned over the years, i pay attention to the pollen counts for that day, just like i do for me, and adjust their meds accordingly. Zoe still has episodes sometimes, but they are much shorter and are easier to get control of.


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## FireFox (Jun 4, 2009)

My Peppi does this as well. 
We did some x-rays on her chest and trachea - everything there is fine.
Recently i got an air purifier but it doesn't seem to help much 

How can you tell if they have food allergy? Blood tests?


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## lucyzoe02mom (Jun 24, 2009)

FireFox said:


> My Peppi does this as well.
> We did some x-rays on her chest and trachea - everything there is fine.
> Recently i got an air purifier but it doesn't seem to help much
> 
> How can you tell if they have food allergy? Blood tests?



With Zoe she was chewing her paws, srcratching a lot, and would actually sound very stuffy when she tried to breathe, same with my other Chi. Figuring out what she was allergic to was a little harder, basically i took her down to the most basic of foods, no treats or extras, and added things back in one at a time to discover what caused a reaction. Took a few months, and even now i still sometimes find something new that doesnt agree with her. 

There are allergy tests that can be done by the vet, but my vet prefers to keep things as simple as possible if i'm willing to put in the work.


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## FireFox (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks *Lucyzoe02mom* 
I have to talk to my Vet about allergies too, see what he has to say. 

I know it's common in Chi's to have these wheezing/snorting episodes - but have many would be acceptable?? Few times a month? Few times a week? Few times a day?

Peppi only gets that when she is very exited, especially when someone of our family comes home, even if they have been away for 30 minutes. She gets so exited and starts to wheeze, but that would only last for 10-20 sec but would be couple of times per day! Should i be worried?


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## lucyzoe02mom (Jun 24, 2009)

FireFox said:


> Thanks *Lucyzoe02mom*
> I know it's common in Chi's to have these wheezing/snorting episodes - but have many would be acceptable?? Few times a month? Few times a week? Few times a day?
> 
> Peppi only gets that when she is very exited, especially when someone of our family comes home, even if they have been away for 30 minutes. She gets so exited and starts to wheeze, but that would only last for 10-20 sec but would be couple of times per day! Should i be worried?


Zoe gets them several times a day on bad days, and they can last upwards of 5 minutes some times. I would say that if Peppi's aren't lasting more than 20 seconds or so it is probably ok. Just look for trends, such as it occuring when Peppi gets excited, and try to find ways to make it less so. Zoe has the same issue when i come home, so over time i've made her have to sit and wait for me to come get her, she isn't allowed to jump around. It works 'most' days. Still check with your vet to make sure there aren't any other issues that might be causing it, but it is amazing how once you figure out what causes the issue you can sometimes find ways to prevent it.


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## FireFox (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks again  

The thing that scares me most is that some say this can lead to trachea collapse and that's more serious thing. 

At the moment i am dealing with the "coming home" issue, but some people really don't understand that they have to ignore her when they come in, so i chose to pick her up and don't let Peppi to say hi to them. Otherwise they keep shouting - aaaaww oooohhhh hiiii aaaawww how are yoooouuuuu todaaaay??? And Peppi then starts her - honk honk!!!


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## Triton07 (Jul 9, 2009)

My Triton has this. Whenever he starts up, I will take my index and middle knuckles on either side of the trachea, and massage gently downwards. I make him sit and relax a bit and it stops within seconds of doing it. He then carries on with his daily trouble making haha

Triton will do it a few times a day, and it doesn't bother him any. And his trachea, when I got him as a pup I thought he may have a collapsing trachea, and I asked the vet and he said he has a mild case. But I think he was going off my words. I used a harness to control him for awhile, but he has really bad behavioural issues so I've switched to a martingale collar(nylon, with some chain for a tightening correction) and it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all. If the day comes where he starts to cough though, I'm returning to a harness!


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## unchienne (Mar 29, 2009)

Thank you for this article. Tilly reverse sneezes everytime she gets too excited...which is pretty much everytime I come home from work. Sometimes she does it in the mornings when we go outside b/c of the shock of the cold, winter air (she's fine in the other seasons). Pearl is less exciteable, but if she gets wound up (me praising her soon after getting home or I don't give her a treat fast enough), she starts "honking" too.

I knew reverse sneezes were almost a norm for chihuahuas, but the frequency of the attacks had me worried. Good to read that they don't cause any health risks. 

To get Tilly calmed down, I hold her close and kiss and rub the underside of her neck. I just always did it b/c she would always expose her neck to me. Interesting to see that this closely mimicks their recommendation for gentle massage of the area. I'll have to give the nose covering one a try as well to see if that helps.

Again, muchas gracias.


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