It just breaks my heart
 

This morning at 4 AM I was woke up to Lilly having one of her spells. I'm really not sure what it is because I wouldn't really consider it coughing or whatever but it's pretty scary. It rarely happens but when it does it lasts a little bit, this morning it went on for a good 5 - 10 minutes. I know quite a few of you have posted about reversed sneezing and in a way it sounds like that but not really, she doesn't really have any of the signs of tracheal collapse either. When she does it she acts as if she can't catch her breath and starts trying (what it sounds like) to take very quick breaths or something. She'll also start hacking for a few minutes and she's actually puked before. The other time it happened in the middle of the night, I woke up and she was in the floor doing it. If I just try to calm her down like if I start gently petting her and talking to her in a very low, calm voice she'll eventually stop but this morning after doing this for I'd say a good 3 minutes she was still doing it. So, I brought her into the living room (I sleep with a fan in my room so thought this might be causing it) and laid her in my lap and continued to pet and talk to her and she finally stopped.

Is it possible that the fan could cause her to do this? She usually sleeps under the covers but both times she was out of them and either in the floor or on top of the covers. Anyone know what this could possibly be? I'd love to get a video of her doing it but whenever it happens my top priority is calming her down. I want your opinions first, we're taking her to the vet this weekend when my boyfriend gets back home.

Oh and when she does this like this morning, she just feels sort of stiff like she's afraid to move or something.

Gracie will do this too... but I think it could be her alergies because I think the dust or something gets blown around her... and it makes her do this... so I have given Gracie some childrens benadryl and it will usually take it away... I did ask a vet about it... ;) I would call your vet... sorry I know its SCARY!!! Good luck! I hope this helps...

I don't understand exactly what it is you're describing. I know it's hard to describe, too. I've been in that position before. It isn't tonsillitis, is it? Muffin used to get tonsillitis if she got too cold at night. She'd wake up coughing. I used to give her benedryl and it would stop. I always, always had to keep her covered up at night, because she got cold easily. Let us know what you find out.

I say cough, but it was really more of a honk!

Soo hard to describe. I mean I could see it being described as a honk, a really weird honk... it's almost like she's gasping for air but she's not. It's like she can't breathe out of either her mouth or her nose and I'm not sure which, I think it's her mouth because when she used to do it my boyfriend would put his fingers over her nose and she'd stop doing it but last night I tried that and it wouldn't work, I tried to get her to open her mouth and she wouldn't, I couldn't even pry it open. It was just weird because I had her under the covers but when I woke up she was on top of them so I don't know if she got too hot or what. I've gotta get her some PJ's asap. Is this a better description though?

I know it's hard to describe. I had a little chi that did the reverse sneezing. It was a honk to me, too.

The thing that caught my attention in what you said in your first post was that she was stiff afterward. My memory is poor now, because that was so long ago that I had her. But it seems like she would get kind of stiff when that happened, too.

Unless a vet sees it happen, he might just be guessing like the rest of us.

Good point. Do you have a camera with a video function? Video her so the vet can actually see what you're talking about and how long it lasts.

Yeah, I do, I would've already taken a video it's just that when it happens I'm more worried about getting her to stop. I'll try to keep my camera handy though so I can make a video when it happens again.

If it is reverse sneezing...when she has a spell...place your finger over her nostrils. This forces her to breath through her mouth and she'll stop.

It's similar to having someone breath into a bag when they are hyperventilating.

Both Bob and Marley make this noise. Rarely but they do..like a sneeze but not really a sneeze mixed with snort and backwards sort of/ If that makes sense at all...

:aimeeyork It almost seems like she has a "tickle" in her throat? Take her and gentlely massage her throat next time, see if that helps her relax. :animal-pa

That makes sense. Kacee has done that once or twice. I would gently massage her throat and it stopped. It wasn't really bad to begin with though.