What Is This PLEASE!?
 

Every small dog I or someone in my family has had does this....
Where they act like they cant breath/harking/crud in their throat! Do you know what I am talking about? Sounds like they are having an asma attack! But Tiffany has never done this until the day she came home from surgery last week. Why is she just starting this at 1 year old and what on earth is it?? I think it is pretty normal for small dogs but I dont understand why she just started doing it the same day of surgery? Any advise? Thanks, you all are the best! :)

Cooper was neutered last week and the instructions he came home with said he might cough for a couple days after surgery...so I think this is normal.

Sounds like "reverse sneezing" to me.

its not a cough, it sounds just like an asma attack. I know thats not what it is though. Every small dog I have ever had or known has done it....
She does it for atleast a few seconds... maybe 10 sometimes longer. If kinda scares me. But like I said, I know lots of dogs that do it... anyones do this?

what is reverse sneezing? tripp does this but he has a collapsed trachea

when they have surgery they have a tube put down there throat your vet should have told you that they might do that for a while
it should go away soon if not talk to your vet if your worried

Here I just copied and pasted this for you. Buckeye does this pretty often. I bout freeked when he first started doing it. now he and I both are pretty used to it. I just rub his throat gently or hold my fingers over his nose holes to make him swallow. Hope this helps you.


Reverse Sneezing

This is a misnomer, for it has nothing to do with actual sneezing. However, it is a popular term for something that appears to be worse than it actually is. When this occurs, your dog will appear to be snorting or choking. The posture will be one of the neck extended with the chest expanded, as the dog struggles to take in air. The actual physiology is that the trachea has narrowed and the normal amount of air is not able to enter the lungs. The triggering mechanisms are usually excitement or stress. If this is happening to your dog, do not panic. You can help your dog by soothingly stroking the upper throat area to encourage relaxation and dilation of the trachea. If things do not resolve soon, and the dog is really having a continued hard time, you can try depressing the tongue to open up the oral cavity for the passage of much needed air into the lungs. The predisposition to this is thought to be hereditary, particularly in smaller breeds because of the decreased diameter of their tracheas. If your dog occasionally has this, do not worry that you need to be there to help each time it happens. A dog is able to come out of an attack of reverse sneezing without help and will not suffer permanent damage.

Collapsing trachea or Reverse sneezing here is a page describing both
http://www.papillonclub.org/Education/trachea.htm

You are so helpful :) Thanks for sharing the info!!

Baby's had two reverse sneezing attack. It sounds JUST like an asthma/snorthing attack. It's very scary! :( I've read on YT that if that happens don't look alarmed b/c that will alarm them. Just place your fingers over their nostrils for a second or two and that will force them to breath through their mouth. It should then stop. It's not dangerous or anything to worry about. ;)

Gucci have don't that also. Very scary. I also learn here to cover her nose and that has help to stop it.
I also agreed that if this started just after surgery it can be due to the tube the vets place on the pups throat.

My small dogs have all done this -- of course, it frightened me and my dog the first time - but we are all used to it now.

My Bichon almost always does it when I get home from work (he's excited) - as well as occasionally at other times.

My 10-month-old Yorkie hasn't done it yet - but if he does - I'm not worried about it.....

I just comfort my dogs and tell them they're okay when it happens.


Don't worry-- Carol Jean

I totally know what you are talking about. My girl does this every now and then. I took her to the vet cause I just don't like to take chances and had all kinds of things done $$$$ and the vet said she wasn't sure but that she saw a small narrowing in the trachea. Anyways she gave me steroids to try and open up that slight narrowing. I know for a fact its not tracheal collapse. She still does it out of the blue every now and then.:rolleyes:

I too took Baby to the vet when it happened. He took xrays, and it cost me a bundle for him to tell me that is wasn't a collapsed trachea! :eek: LOL Better to be safe then sorry. :p

I know YT was a savior for me for all the things I've learned. But, when people hear it for the first time they sure as heck don't think of sneezing. Cuz I know it sounds nothing like sneezing! That's why I took her to the vet. I think Reversed Sneezing isn't a great name for it. It should be like: Snorting Attack that sounds like an Asthma attack but isn't. Is that name too long? LOL :D

This is older now, but may be of assistance to you:

My Yorkie needs surgery. What should I know about anesthesia and intubating?

There are a couple of different dangers in surgery for toy dogs and they are not insurmountable, but they are VERY SERIOUS.


1) DON'T ever allow the vet technician to intubate your toy dog. Too many small toy breeds have had TRACHEAL INJURY and suffered and DIED because of collapsing tracheas from injury to the trachea during intubation. Make sure that the vet knows that you expect him/her to use the smallest possible tracheal tube to intubate your toy dog. Speak up! It could mean saving the life of your little dog. If the vet treats you like an "overprotective" Mom, find another vet that will understand.

2) Proper use of Ace Promezaine as a pre-anesthetic injection is ok so that the dog can be intubated.

3) Isoflurane is the anesthetic of choice. Don't use Halothane or any of the barbituates (see number 4, below). Some vets will "mask" a tiny dog with Isoflurane rather than use the injectable and some vets will not intubate at all, but this depends on the type of surgery being performed. This is an excellent method whenever possible.

4) Last but not least, DO NOT ALLOW YOUR VET TO USE ANY KIND OF BARBITUATES TO ANESTHESIZE YOUR TOY DOG. MOST PARTICULARLY NOT PENTABARB. Many toy dogs have died needlessly because of UNINFORMED VETS WHO ARE DECADES BEHIND IN USE OF ANESTHETICS FOR TOY DOGS. If your vet thinks Isoflurane is too expensive and refuses to use it, then FIND ANOTHER VET THAT will use it. It could and probably will save your dog's life.

http://www.shooterdog.com/alexfaq3.htm#SURG

this happens to lexi once in a while, still scares the heck outta me..
the other day she had me crying cause i felt so bad... well not crying, but
tearing quite a few tears as i was rubbing her throat.

This works for Logan. Logan only does this when he's in a stressful state. Like when he's forced to hang with the little kids my hubby's mom babysits or when my grandma was very sick & dying, he could sense that I was upset & that was stressing him out.

Oh God!

I can tell you guys stories on this, my 9yr old Buffy has this.

Twice she almost died on, one was Oct 31 2004 she was eating when she had one attack...I already new things were getting really bad with her, so I never took my eyes off of her and saw her fall over. I ran to her not knowing what I was going to do to help her, but I remember my CPR class. The first thing was to clear the air way and that's when I felt the ball of dog food....I pulled it out and she took a deep breath and woke up scared as hell...me too!

Second time was Oct 2005 2:30 am, I was sewing and was going to bed so I picked her off the sofa and she started. I worked on her until 3:30 by this time I went to wake up my hubby so he can say good-by and I just could not do it alone, when I told him how long I had been working on her he jumped and remember something I told him the vet had told me.....He said that when that happens to stand under a fan or in front of a fan, this forces the air in and not so much work for them. Buffy also has a heart murmur so she can have a heart attack going thou this breathing attacks.

Well, long story short that help to keep her calm while hubby got everything to go to Doggie ER were they kept her in oxygen for 4 hrs....we did this twice that same week.

From that experience it forced my vet's to do more test, now she is on heart pill, pill to keep water from building up on her chest and medication for broncho's. We went from have 3-4 breathing attacks a Day to now only having them once every 2-4 Months. The first time she went without an attack for 2 weeks, I want to go out and celebrate, have a drink, dance on a table, something!

So we stayed home with our little family and had a great dinner with the furkids. :)

I tried different things to help her, but the medication everyday and loosing weight (also very important) has saved her life.

If anyone wants any more info. or share with me anything that has help you or just share a story....feel free to PM me.

Best Wishes to all of you! :ghug: