Sneezing & reverse sneezing

[wykid]

Hello! Barkley has been reverse sneezing and regular sneezing for about 4 days now. :( He does it quite often so we took him to the vet yesterday. The vet is stumped, I guess. His temp was normal and everything else seems fine. He eats, potties and plays just the same and seems fine, except for the constant sneezing. Does anyone have some advice on something I can do to alleviate this? The vet said it could be allergies but didn't offer anything other than that, like what I could do about it. :confused: He will go back to the vet in a week for another round of shots so he'll be checked again but I don't like seeing my baby miserable if there might be something I can do to help him:( Thanks in advance!

PS This site and the people on it have been wonderful in helping me do the right things for my furbaby. Thank you!:)

[Zo zo's mom]

Yes, it is most likely allergies. My girls get it and sometimes sneeze, but the tell tale sign for them is that the eyes get weepier and for lack of a better word, gunkier.

We took our late dog Sophie into the vet a long time ago because of reverse sneezing. Our vet assured us that it looked and sounded much worse than it really was...and also warned us not to show too much attention when this happened as dogs are smart and realise when they do this, they get attention...so they may do it more often.

Good luck with your fluff.

[angeleyes]

When we first got Sammy (he is almost 6 months now) he sneezed alot. I took him to the vet and he said puppies do sneeze alot when they are little. He also said it could be allergies but said just to wait it out. Sammy doesn't sneeze much anymore so I guess he is outgrowing it. They are so tiny and close to the floor that alot of things make them sneeze. As long as everything else seems normal and the vet isn't worried, I wouldn't worry either.

[wykid]

Thank you. I wasn't sure how concerned I should be. It looks awful when he's doing the reverse sneeze...like he can't breathe. :( Knowing that it's pretty common, I won't worry about it too much but I'll keep my eye on him. I've been racking my brain, the last few hours, trying to figure it out and I realized he may be allergic to cheerios?:confused: The timing is actually right on. I started clicker training him on Tuesday, using cheerios for treats because they're small and he loves them. Coincidentally, (or not) That is when the sneezing started. I'm going to quit giving them to him and see what happens. I'm going to feel bad if I did this to him but at least I'll know what's going on. Thanks again!

[JesBred]

Quick tip: When they reverse sneeze, hold their nostrils shut and it should stop it :wink5: It's pretty funny because when Mitzy does it now she knows to come to me and I'll plug her nose so it stops :tongue:

I don't know what could be causing the regular sneezing :( Poor Barkley. I did want to point out that if it is a food allergy it could take WEEKS to see any difference once you stop the Cheerios, so don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away. But if that is something you recently introduced and correlates with the start of his sneezing it sounds very probable to me ;) When we were trying to figure out Mitzy's allergies I kept a log. Wrote down EVERYTHING she ate, came in contact with. What times she itched and how long it lasted. I know it sounds time consuming but so worth it when you go the vet and really helps them figure out what could be going on!!

I hope you figure it out, allergies are frustrating with these little ones because you just want them well but don't know how to help!!

[wykid]

Thanks for the tip! :) I'm so glad that we stuck to the same food and treats that the breeder gave him, otherwise I'd be tearing my hair out trying to figure out what else could be causing this. He doesn't get any people food either, except for the cheerios, so hopefully the sneezing will end sometime soon, now that the cheerios have been gone. I think the regular sneezing might be caused by already having his nose botherering him and then sticking it into corners, grass, under the couch, etc. etc. LOL He has been exploring a LOT!:D Thanks for the help guys!

[JiJi's Mom]

Yes it does sound horrible :(

I just called out there name and that distraction seems to stop there sneezing. :confused: Don't know why.

Hope it's not the cheerios since they love those cheerios.

[ilovemysnow]

Snow did the reverse sneezing before like twice during the day, and once in the middle of the night and i panicked and took him to the vet the very next day! I recorded him doing it too, and thought i'd show it to the vet since it was hard to describe.... He said not to worry and that this was normal. He said dogs do this to get whatever that's stuck in their nose out... then i said, dang, can i get my $50 back since it's nothing? LOL and also, if Snow did this constantly, as in, nonstop, then something is definitely stuck and he needs to go to the vet asap so they can help remove it. Another reason why i TRY and clean daily. I just get worried that Snow sniffs too much dirt/dust off the floor. Were you cleaning when it happened?? Maybe it's just dust/dirt or something..

Jess' advice is on point!! Keeping a journal will definitely help determine if any food allergy is the cause! Also the plugging the nose part! I'm going to take that advice myself. :D (Thanks Jess!!)

Hope Barkley gets better! :hearter: Keep us posted.

[angeleyes]

Mia, Belle and Sammy are sneezing alot lately, can you come and clean for me so they don't have to suffer?:(

[ilovemysnow]

Mia, Belle and Sammy are sneezing alot lately, can you come and clean for me so they don't have to suffer?:(

I would be SO GLAD TO!!!! Lol i'm a bit OCD when it comes to cleaning..... hahahah be careful what you ask for! Lol

[wykid]

Just wanted to give a Barkley update. I'm almost 100% positive that it was the cheerios because he's doing a lot better. Every day, since I posted this thread and got rid of the cheerios, he has been sneezing less and less. The only time he's done it yesterday and today is when he gets water up his nose when he drinks too fast LOL. Sucks for him, though, because he's so picky about treats and he LOVED the cheerios.:( I guess I'll just have to find some other delicious treats for him.;) Thanks for the replies, everyone!

[ilovemysnow]

YAY!!! So glad Barkley's doing much better. Thanks for the update! :hearter: Cheryl & Jack sent Snow some Purebites Liver treats during the gift exchange, and SNOW LOVES IT!!!!! He's picky with treats too. Just a suggestion, it's actually on sale here:

http://www.healthypets.com/purebites.html?gclid=CJf_kI6vwqgCFQE2gwodQhXRrg

Snow also loves the Wellness soft treats too, i get the ones for puppies since it's smaller and softer:

http://www.amazon.com/Wellness-Puppy-Treats-3-5-Ounce-Pouch/dp/B001HBBQKY

both healthy treats!

[wykid]

Thanks for the suggestion:) I'll check them out. I'm not used to having a picky puppy that turns his nose up at everything I give him. My Cairn would eat pretty much anything. LOL Barkley has some liver treats that he likes but I can't use them for training. He'll eat the first one and then he'll just play with them after that.:p He's such a character.

[Nikki's Mom]

Wow, that's a bummer if it is the Cheerios. Nikki and Kodie LOVE Cheerios and it's such an inexpensive treat and it's great for training. Hope you find something else that he loves. My 2 also love the Soft and Chewy Buddy Biscuits by Cloud Star. I buy them in every flavor and they are soft so I break them up.

http://www.naturalk9supplies.com/Dog-Treats/cloud-star-soft-and-chewy-buddy-biscuits.aspx

[2morkies]

Wow, how clever of you to think of the Cherrios as the culprit! I wonder if it's the grain in it? Mine LOVE Cherrios too. Have you tried Purebites?? or Stella and Chewy's freeze dried food? It makes a good treat when crumbled into pieces. :) Welcome to MT :)

[wykid]

Once I calmed down and thought about it, it was pretty easy to figure out. Other than the cheerios, he had only the same treats and dog food the breeder gave him. I've tried others since but he turns up his nose at them. :tongue: I'm going to get him some of those purebites and see if he likes them. Funny how he's so picky about treats but he'll eat anything and everything else off the floor and outside, that he's not supposed too. LOL