# Reverse sneezing pugs



## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Not sure if everyone knows what reverse sneezing is, not just pugs get it though. But from what I understand it is if a dog breaths in an irritant which causes an reaction opposite a sneeze where they keep inhaling sharply but its hard to get air in anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes. 

Anyways, Ruby, as a pug, has gotten it on occasion, but its a quick fix. I take her face and quickly blow air into her nose and it usually clears up, and if that doesnt work then I lift her head up a bit and start petting down her throat to make her swallow. The swallowing action apparently helps to reopen airways and dislodge whatever the irritant may be.

For some reason she has been doing it more frequently. It used to happen randomly, and sometimes not happen for a couple months. But its already happened maybe 4 times in a month. She does have allergies, not exactly sure what they are - never had her tested. But Im certain they are both environmental and food related. I dont know if its because we didnt have a cold winter where the frost killed off a lot of stuff, but it seems like allergy season started with a bang. 

I know she will be fine and the episodes resolve, but I cant help but slightly panic, she just looks so helpless. Of course, she acts completely normal afterwards and continues playing or whatever she is doing. 

So my question is, is there anything I can do to prevent these reverse sneezing episodes from happening more often? Would an air purifier possibly help? 

Hope this post makes sense. Any advice is appreciated!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

it's normal......bubba doesn't do it...but all of my shih tzus did....when they'd start, we would just gently rub their esophagus and belly and they'd eventually stop....

as long as physiologically there is nothing pathologically wrong other than the way they are built....there isn't a whole lot we've ever been able to do....and it is not easy to hear.

we have all of our smush faced dogs checked for narrowed nares and nasal passages and elongated soft palates...if there's something else to check, i'm all ears.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Yeah, Rubys nostrils arent as narrow as some mushy faced breeds can get, but they also arent big like "normal dogs" I think we talked about that when I first joined the forum. I believe it was you who told me about the surgery to fix their nostrils.

There are some pretty close up shots of Rubys face on my FB album where you can see her nose. Or is it more internal than external?


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Reverse sneezing is common with brachycephalic breeds. Our male Dani does it now and again. We learned to pinch/plug the dogs nose to make it stop. What this does is stops the dog from inhaling through the nostrils and it forces them to mouth breath which stops the attack. Sometimes I will also rub the throat while plugging the nose.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

I tried the nose plugging for the first time when she had her second episode a couple weeks ago. Scared me to do it so I stopped after a few seconds lol. I felt like I was suffocating her or something.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I think I've seen every dog do it at least once. Mine don't do it that often but Drews parents chi does it a lot.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

My Lhasa's did it all the time. We did the nose pinch trick with them. They didn't like it but, it did make them stop fairly quickly. My first Lhasa suffered from it more then Chelsy did. She reverse sneezed all the time and got used to me just grabbing her nose and holding it closed for a few seconds. Chelsy would duck and struggle with the nose pinch but that alone seemed to make her stop the sneezing.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Kat said:


> Yeah, Rubys nostrils arent as narrow as some mushy faced breeds can get, but they also arent big like "normal dogs" I think we talked about that when I first joined the forum. I believe it was you who told me about the surgery to fix their nostrils.
> 
> There are some pretty close up shots of Rubys face on my FB album where you can see her nose. Or is it more internal than external?


the surgery we had done was to fix the nares because the vet couldn't understand how this dog breathed the first two years of his life.

it must have done something, because he has not reversed sneezed in three years....that's how long we've had him.

the problem is not just the nasal passages....it's the smush faced anatomy that does it from the nose to the throat....we're cramming a lot of anatomy between the nose and the throat...

many of the brachycephalic breeds have it and it's common and usually not harmful....

having said that, i've also read that other breeds can reverse sneeze, usually due to an irritant they smell or swallow....

if their larnyx is at all curled or the palate is at all elongated then it's more common.

we had bubba's palate checked, since he is such a puppy mill dog...none of this was bred out....most likely it was bred in. 

he is barrel chested because of his inability to breathe for the first two years, which is why people keep thinking my little bubbatrucker is FAT. and he's not.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

chowder said:


> My Lhasa's did it all the time. We did the nose pinch trick with them. They didn't like it but, it did make them stop fairly quickly. My first Lhasa suffered from it more then Chelsy did. She reverse sneezed all the time and got used to me just grabbing her nose and holding it closed for a few seconds. Chelsy would duck and struggle with the nose pinch but that alone seemed to make her stop the sneezing.


you are a brave woman. 

i cannot, could not do that. i used to massage the esophagus, the ears, the belly.....probably did no good...but i could not pinch.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

magicre said:


> you are a brave woman.
> 
> i cannot, could not do that. i used to massage the esophagus, the ears, the belly.....probably did no good...but i could not pinch.


I figured if I could hold my nose closed to jump in a pool, then holding their nose closed for 5 seconds isn't going to hurt them. Besides, compared to other things I'm used to doing to them, holding a nose closed was really minor :heh: I'm used to working at the vet so we treat everything at home, from abscess's to taking sutures out. It's a wonder my dogs even let me come near them ( nail clippers, thermometers, hair clippers, medicine bottles, betadine, ear drops - that one makes Rocky run!)


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

chowder said:


> I figured if I could hold my nose closed to jump in a pool, then holding their nose closed for 5 seconds isn't going to hurt them. Besides, compared to other things I'm used to doing to them, holding a nose closed was really minor :heh: I'm used to working at the vet so we treat everything at home, from abscess's to taking sutures out. It's a wonder my dogs even let me come near them ( nail clippers, thermometers, hair clippers, medicine bottles, betadine, ear drops - that one makes Rocky run!)


i can hold a human heart in my hand. i can suture a human and perform all kinds of tortures on mankind.

but a doggie or kitty? 

colour me wuss. 

you are a brave, brave woman.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

magicre said:


> i can hold a human heart in my hand. i can suture a human and perform all kinds of tortures on mankind.
> 
> but a doggie or kitty?
> 
> ...


Now see........ I hated doing things to my kids. I didn't even like to clip their teeny tiny fingernails. I was a hospital corpsman in the Navy and i hated working on people! You are much braver to work on humans. They can talk back at you and let you know when you are screwing up and doing it wrong!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

let's call it even.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

Kira my sisters toy poodle used to do this just before eating everyday you would barely get the food bowl down and she would begin(it was raw) i always figured it happend due to her excitment about food?
Cesar has done this aa few times not very often though i jsut let it be.
its really annoying though cause my mom,sister and bf all look at him and start yelling "dont you dare puke!" and im always yelling at them "hes not going to puke quit yelling at him!"
then i explain whats going on and then he does it again 
"dont you dare puke!"
:frusty: morons!


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

My Blaise will do this (and he's definitely not a smooshed faced breed, lol). At first, I did worry a bit. Most of the time, I would just "thump" his side a bit. Then he had a reverse sneezing "fit" while running. He barely paused. The "fit" threw his stride off and he slowed down a bit but kept running. This is when I decided as long as it's not a "long" fit that I wouldn't worry.


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## dustinshaw98 (Feb 22, 2012)

Kat said:


> Not sure if everyone knows what reverse sneezing is, not just pugs get it though. But from what I understand it is if a dog breaths in an irritant which causes an reaction opposite a sneeze where they keep inhaling sharply but its hard to get air in anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes.
> 
> Anyways, Ruby, as a pug, has gotten it on occasion, but its a quick fix. I take her face and quickly blow air into her nose and it usually clears up, and if that doesnt work then I lift her head up a bit and start petting down her throat to make her swallow. The swallowing action apparently helps to reopen airways and dislodge whatever the irritant may be.
> 
> ...



Exercise will improve his breathing.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

dustinshaw98 said:


> Exercise will improve his breathing.


Not necessarily. Some brachy breeds need surgery to remove excess tissue. They have a normal amount of nasal tissue in a nose 1/4 the length. Most are fine, though.

That's why they don't do well in really hot weather right? They don't have as much ability to cool the air that they breathe (like a normal dog would through it's nose)?


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

My dog reverse sneezes (he's not flat faced), didn't do it much all winter but started up again now that spring is coming, most be pollen or something. I don't do anything to stop it, he's learned to deal with it himself quite well though, if he gets going on a long one you'll see him hold his head up and swallow hard a couple of times. He'll start to bring his head back down slowly and if he slightly honks again he'll quickly lift it back up and swallow again, then it's usually under control.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Oh I know what it is, it doesnt happen to Audrey often but has happened. And she gets scared and clenches her teeth with make it worse. I stop it by opening her mouth and blowing in her nose as you mentioned. I'm not sure how to prevent it tho. Audrey tends to do it when shes very excited.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

dustinshaw98 said:


> Exercise will improve his breathing.


It has nothing to do with excercise. She is a very healthy, slim, and active pug. I take her for a minimum of 45 minute walk everyday, with some off leash running or jumping up and down obstacles like giant rocks by the lake, benches/picnic tables, tree trunks, etc. - pretty much anything the landscape will offer me. Of course I am always aware of the temp and humidity outside and dont overwork her.
Its the anatomy of the smushed face that causes reverse sneezing too. But considering allergy season is upon us, it happens more frequently now.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Maxy24 said:


> My dog reverse sneezes (he's not flat faced), didn't do it much all winter but started up again now that spring is coming, most be pollen or something. I don't do anything to stop it, he's learned to deal with it himself quite well though, if he gets going on a long one you'll see him hold his head up and swallow hard a couple of times. He'll start to bring his head back down slowly and if he slightly honks again he'll quickly lift it back up and swallow again, then it's usually under control.


Lucky you! Ruby is one to panic and clench down on her jaw and not move. She doesnt know how to fix it herself. Im sure if I let her it would eventually pass, but when Im there I always help her through it cause it scares me too lol.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

dustinshaw98 said:


> Exercise will improve his breathing.


that would be wrong thinking. 

smush faced dogs inherently CAN have this reverse sneezing. other breeds can also have it.

has nothing to do with exercise.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Dude does this on occasion. He NEVER did it on kibble in California but it started the day we moved up to Washington. it was constant. It got to the point where I would get frustrated and angry (of course I never acted this way towards him) with him because it was so often. I knew it had to do with the move so I wasn't too worried. I knew I just needed to figure out exactly what was causing it. As soon as we switched him to raw it pretty much stopped. ONCE in a while it happens but it's a very quick fit and I could probably count the number of times it has happened since last June (when we switched them to raw) on my ten fingers.


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## Deaf Dogs (Apr 10, 2012)

Mouse my Dachshund does this if I give her dry kibble. I noticed if I mixed her food with canned (before I figured out her metal allergy) she didn't do it. So I started putting water in her food. She hasn't done it in months. I think it was from her gulping too much food at once, honestly, as it takes her twice as long to eat with water in the dish.

But there's something weird going on with her... she snores and snorts like a pug does... not normal for a long skinny snout. I think she has apnea.


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## twotonelover (Jan 10, 2011)

Rosey reverse sneezes from time to time. Once it was in a pet store and some lady came running over to me saying "Your dog is CHOKING! Aren't you gonna get help?!" People are funny sometimes 

I'm not sure how to REDUCE how often it happens, but I've noticed if I rub Rosey's nose and throat at the same time it makes the episode end a bit quicker.


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