My dog wheezes, coughs, has throat bulge. Is it reverse sneezing?

Reverse sneezing looks and sounds very aggressive but it is quite benign. The bulbs you are seeing are likely is salivary glands or lymph nodes but of course, I cannot say for sure without doing an exam of my own. For the reverse sneezing you can try Benadryl. See the link below. Since I cannot confirm that those “bulbs” are normal for her and since you don’t recall these previously, I would have your vet take a look at them. Your vet can confirm they are benign or if they are something to be concerned about. I hope this helps. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/

Hello, and thank you for your question! Lulu is such a cutie! Reverse sneezing is quite common in small breed dogs and for the most part is quite harmless. You can try to prevent the episodes by minimizing her level of excitement (e.g. Not getting overly excited yourself when she greets you at the door), and using a harness instead of a collar when out for walks. One thing that I did with my dog to stop the reverse sneezing episodes was to gently put my finger across his nostrils, to block the airflow through the nose and force him to breathe through his mouth. This worked so well that he eventually learned to do it himself! If the reverse sneezing and coughing episodes seem to be truly bothersome to Lulu, I would recommend taking her to the vet. In rare cases, reverse sneezing may be associated with allergies or nasal foreign bodies. I hope this helps, and that Lulu is otherwise doing well!

The sound you are describing could be related to Bella's collapsing trachea, but it also could be a reverse sneeze. Reverse sneezing in small Terrier dogs is fairly common and usually related to allergies. However, depending on where you live, reverse sneezing can also be from nasal mites- these are easily treatable with a product like Revolution, as long as you have a negative heartworm test first. It is also possible the sound Bella is making has developed secondary to a chronic infection such as dental disease or tooth root abscess. Because there are some different possible causes of Bella's throat sound, I recommend a pre-anesthetic exam so your vet can rule out some causes and help to make the anaesthesia as safe as possible for Bella. Your vet may want to run some basic blood work and take throat/chest x-rays to determine the cause of the noise. Best of luck to you and Bella. I am glad you are concerned about her dental health, as it's super important to her overall health!

From your description, my main suspicion is that Brownie is experiencing a reverse sneeze. This occurs when irritation occurs in the back of the nasal passages, causing her to dramatically inhale air. (Regular sneezes occur as a result of irritation at the front of the nasal passages, causing air to be pushed out.) During these episodes, you can try blowing directly into her nose (I realize that it sounds strange!), but this can help to change her air flow and stop the reverse sneezing. If these episodes worsen, she could also be experiencing the start of collapsing trachea (unusual in a larger dog), allergic airway conditions or kennel cough, which would require a visit to her vet. I hope that all goes well!

Reverse sneezing is commonly caused by irritation to the back of the throat. In breeds like pugs with short noses there also tends to be excessive tissue in the back of the throats that causes irritation. You could talk to your vet and see if something like an antihistamine might be safe to try, although it may not help much. Some dogs that have major breathing issues related to brachycephalic airway disease, the syndrome seen in pugs and bulldogs that is related to malformation of the nose and airway, can benefit from surgery to trim some of the tissue of the soft palate.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree that is sounds like Turtle is reverse sneezing. If this isn't new for her, some dogs just do it more than others. If it is worsening or is a new behavior then I would have her examined. Causes can be anatomy differences in the oropharynx, allergies, infection or foreign body (grass, piece of food, etc). Sometime antihistamines help or a course of antibiotics. If is is a new thing then sedating and looking up the nose, in the back of the throat, above the soft palpate and scoping can be done. But all that can be done at home during an episode is massaging the neck and calming the dog down. I wish you the best!

It sounds like she may have reverse sneezing which is nothing to worry about. I suggest you watch some YouTube videos to see if that is what you think she is doing. This is very common in small breed dogs. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3L4v0W2_Sw ) ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/reverse-sneeze-in-dogs )