Why is my small dog struggling to breathe with snorting sounds?

This sounds like reverse sneezing which is fairly normal in small breed dogs. Here is a information sheet on this problem. It is nothing to worry about but if you are worried, I suggest you videotape an episode and take it to your vet’s office so they can advise you. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952493 )

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Oreo. It sounds like he may be having fits of reverse sneezing. This is when the dog sneezes inwards instead of outwards. It sounds roughly like a snort. It can be common in small breed dogs with no underlying cause. Other dogs will do it upon excitement or in response to allergies or an upper respiratory tract infection. Most of the time if it is not accompanied by signs of illness, it is not a cause for concern. I hope this information helps!

Pets do not typically exhibit anxiety like this. Snorting can have many causes including allergies, post nasal drip or infection. There is a condition pet commonly have called a reverse sneeze. I recommend to look at videos on YouTube and see if that’s what she’s doing. If she was doing it frequently, or this is out of character for her, I recommend to visit the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Reverse sneezing can look quite scary at times so I understand your concern. However, thankfully this usually is benign and rarely becomes anything concerning. Most dogs just have reverse sneezing episodes every once in a while without causing any issues. If this ever seems to affect Diva in any way or if these episodes become too frequent, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment to make sure that this is not anything else more concerning. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! Sounds like a scary moment with Abby! I am wondering if Abby had an episode of reverse sneezing. It is a very loud sucking in sound through the nose and their face has a pained grimaced look. It can be quite scary. Causes for revere sneezing are allergies, foreign body in the nose, an infection, or just a tickle one time thing. Some breeds have the episodes more often, I see it in a lot of Beagles. See if this video is similar to what she did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3L4v0W2_Sw Hope this helps!

From your description, it sounds like this could be a reverse sneeze. These are not dangerous (unless it happens continuously, then we would need to look for a cause). Check out this video to see if it seems similar: https://youtu.be/U3L4v0W2_Sw If not, then a vet visit is probably warranted to figure out what is going on. I hope this helps!