My dog is sneezing and wheezing. Is it reverse sneezing? What to do?

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.

If there is any irritation due to dental disease then yes, in theory this could be a probable cause. Allergies can also cause reverse sneezing. Usually, reverse sneezing causes no harm to the animal. It is also possible that there is something in the nasal passage causing irritation. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Reverse sneezing refers to the reflex of bringing air into the body to remove irritants in the upper area that lies behind the nostrils. The most common causes for younger dogs include infections, the existence of a cleft palate, or bronchial infections. Another primary cause is the involuntary movement of the hairlike cilia that line the respiratory tract and act to remove foreign matter from the air before it reaches the lungs. This involuntary movement of the hair is medically termed ciliary dyskinesis. The most common causes for older dogs include nasal tumors and dental diseases. Other causes can be mucus irritation, nasal passage obstruction, inflammation, excess nasal discharge or secretion, pneumonia, chronic vomiting, and gastrointestinal disease. Under vaccinated or unvaccinated dogs are at a higher risk of developing infections, which may lead to consistent sneezing. Chronic dental disease can lead to both chronic sneezing and reverse sneezing. I recommend taking Tucker into your vet to see what is causing the reverse sneezing, and how best to treat it.

Reverse sneezing is caused by irritation of the nasal cavity and/or larynx which an be allergy related or even caused by a nasal mite in rare cases. Yes pets can seem to be trying to vomit, but this is really them trying to scratch the irritated area. If she is doing this more frequently than comfortable with and does not respond well to offering her water during the event, then a vet visit is recommended to perhaps start her on allergy medicine and to check her for possible nasal mites. However, in most cases pets don't require any treatment for reverse sneezing episodes b/c they are infrequent and don't impede on the quality of life of the pet. I hope that Maddie's reverse sneezing episodes resolve soon! Best wishes and take care.

I had a patient that had managed to get a piece of carrot up into his nasopharyngeal area. After a week or more of reverse sneezing we did a nasal flush and found it. I have also seen nasal mites and cancer cause these signs. If he doesn’t improve soon then a nasal flush or rhinoscopy would be indicated. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Reverse sneezing is due to nasal discharge. We blow our nose to remove the excess discharge. Dogs suck back and swallow the discharge. When it gets in the nasal passages it can cause reverse sneezing. This is nothing to be overly concerned about. You can give benadryl to reduce the nasal discharge. There is a section on this website with information and dosages of common over the counter medications. Asthma is a much more serious lung problem that is not the same thing. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Veer.

If he continues to do so it would be a good idea to get him checked. Reverse sneezing is usually meant to clear the nasal passages of irritants so if he can't clear what is bothering him it may mean he has something else going on that induces these sneezing episodes. Pay attention when he does it to see if there is something in common with each incident that may be causing or contributing to the reverse sneezing that you can pass along to your vet, even video it if you get the chance.