reverse sneeze?
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Permalink Reply by Corgi Mom on
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I'll ask my boss (I work for a veterinarian) when I go to work tomorrow. I do know that if you gently blow into their nose that it will get them to start breathing regular. But I'll be able to give you a better explanation by Monday afternoon.
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Permalink Reply by Valerie on
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sounds great. seems to only be a corgi thing and i know on corgi L they have talked about it but it seems no one has yet, that i KNOW of figured out what it is exactly. Cant wait to hear. thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Avyon on
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Our lab used to do it as well but Roxi does it too. All I can think about is you know that weird feeling you get before you get hiccups? I think its their diaphragm or whatever its called actin up just like we get hiccups.. sorta like that adult hiccup for dogs hehe.
Thats been my guess on it. Im thinking corgi's or long dogs get it more just because food takes a longer time to get down to the stomach ;) (joking of course) and I tend to always get hiccups when I eat or drink too fast lol.
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Permalink Reply by Ivy & Bryson on
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Ooh, yeah, that has been a problem for Bryson too. We used to think that it happens randomly, but ever since we started doing rally, we noticed that it seems to happen more often when he's intently focused on us during practice (i.e. head craned back a bit as they're so short and so close to us). We learned (forgot from where) to gently massage his throat, and it seems to help. Makes me wonder if this is due to some kind of airway irritation...
They say it's benign, but I doubt if anyone's ever seen their corgi go into a reverse sneeze spell would think it's completely harmless (it looks scary to us for sure).
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Okay Valerie, I asked my boss today about a reverse sneeze. It could be a soft pallet problem meaning the dog who does it may have too much tissue in his throat (or back of its mouth). A dog who does this often snores - badly. Like Ivy & Bryson said it is very scary when it's happening to your baby. Rubbing their throat gently or blowing gently into their noses will cause the dog to take a deep enough breath. Doing so causes the airway to open larger (or large enough) to allow them to breathe easier.
It can be "corrected" by surgery and is generally routine and depending on your vet may have to stay overnight or go home later that afternoon. The surgery is clipping tissue from inside the throat area (soft pallet) and there usually isn't any stitching or cauterizing. There will be some bleeding - not much - and they usually will cough/spit up some blood. Their throat may be a bit sore and soft food is recommended for a days or so. They will get their voice back.
That usually stops the reverse breathing episodes. It's generally up to you and your vet. You may want to weigh how often and how severe your baby's reverse sneezing and/or snoring may be to decide if it's worth putting him through the surgery. It's not too painful and dogs usually bounce back later that same day or by the next morning. Hope this helps.
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Thanks, Corgi Mom for the info about reverse sneeze! The soft palate obstruction theory definitely makes sense, since like we said Bryson seems to have more problem with that when his head is tilted back, which probably causes the excess tissue to fall back and cover up the airway. He does snore a little, but not too bad.
People often says this is "benign", but I guess it isn't completely harmless now I know this is related to actual airway obstruction. Neither his reverse sneezing nor snoring seems to be bad enough to warrant consideration of surgery, but we now know what to watch out for if either condition changes.
This may be completely unrelated, but this makes me wonder if it has anything to do with him having been debarked? We got Bryson as an adult when he retired from showing, but we think he was debarked as a puppy.... Don't know enough about dog anatomy, but I can't help but wonder if there was scarring from that debarking procedure that is now causing obstruction?? OK, I'm probably thinking too much at this point....
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Debarking? Moonmystic explained to me what that is and it's hard for me to believe that is something that is done. If Bryson was debarked then he might have scar tissue. It sort of makes sense to me that it could be possible. The only way you'd know for sure is to have his throat examined - under sedation. Please let us know if anything changes and we'll keep Bryson in our prayers.
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Permalink Reply by Florence Fong on
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Hi Corgi Mom,
I learnt something new today. Thank you very much.
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Permalink Reply by Susan Bradford on
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Hi everyone - my pembroke, Jodi, does this "reverse sneezing" as well - scares the heck out of me when she does it. Usually when she is overly excited - but once out of the blue in the middle of the night. Can't say for sure that having her head back had anything to do with it - but it could have. My brother's Tibetan Terrier does the same thing and his vet told him to hold their noses when it happens. I do this with Jodi and it works like a charm. (Just pinch their nostrils until they seem to be calmer) Obviously - do this for only short moments at a time - 5 or 10 seconds - don't hold on too long! :):) Sometimes I've had to repeat the nostril pinch 2 or 3 times before it stops completely.
Do any of your Corgis "cough" after drinking? I've wondered if this is related to the reverse sneeze - Jodi coughs everytime she take a drink of water from her bowl - but not the toilet......sometimes I think she's just messing with me - haha.
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Small dogs tend to be more prone to the reverse sneeze. It's not uncommon to have to have a Pug, French Bulldog, other bulldogs, Dachshunds, etc to have soft pallet surgery to remove excess tissue from their throat. Smaller dogs have smaller airways and sometimes need a little help. Blowing gently into their nostrils helps also for those that either are uncomfortable or prefer not to pinch noses.
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