My new dogs have reverse sneezing and pawing their noses. Mites?

Hi there! Usually reverse sneezing is caused by nasal mites which are microscopic bugs that invade the nasal cavity. It could also be allergies. I’d have your vet check Molly lungs just to be safe and get her started on nasal mite medicine. Some prefer ivermectin which is oral for 3 weeks, others use different medication. I’d have your vet prescribe whatever they are comfortable with and that should clear it up. Thanks for asking us about Molly!

I'm wondering if Daisy might be reverse sneezing when she's making this new noise. A reverse sneeze and a sneeze can have similar causes - anything that irritates the nose and throat including allergens, upper respiratory infections, nasal foreign material like pieces of grass or even parasites can all cause sneezing and reverse sneezing. I usually don't get too concerned about either one unless there is also nasal discharge or the sneezing/reverse sneezing is occuring frequently enough that it seems to be affecting the pet's ability to rest. If so I think that your best bet is to see a vet unfortunately.

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 there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. A reverse sneeze can be caused by irritants in the upper airway region so if there has been an increased amount of dust in the air this could potentially be causing the symptoms you are seeing. An environmental allergy or an upper respiratory infection could also lead to these symptoms. A reverse sneeze should resolve within a short amount of time. However, if it persist or worsens, I would have a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Miko! It sounds like she probably has an upper respiratory infection of some kind - this is very common in dogs who have come from a shelter or rescue environment with lots of other dogs. I would recommend taking her to the vet to have this checked, since she will probably need a course of antibiotics to treat the infection.

Nasal mites are usually killed pretty quickly with the treatment however, we are not actually 100% of their complete life cycle at this time. So, it is probably best to keep him away from other dogs until one week after his clinical signs resolve.

Yes, if you are noticing a sudden change in his behavior, I recommend to have him examined. He could be experiencing an infection or have something trapped in his nose. The vet can give him medications to soothe his mucus membranes and this may help him to feel better and to lessen the physical symptoms. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.