h, my pug and so do alot of other pugs do this,its sounds like a long inward snorting sound, it is horrible, does anyone  know what causes this and the best way to stop it, thanks

Hi Joanne,
also known as paroxysmal respiration, reverse sneezing is caused by irritation to the throat and soft palate sending it into spasm. My pug does it after eating and its very scary as she goes all wobbly and I have to massage her throat. She extends her neck out too to help her breath. Its common in small dogs and especially short faced breeds like pugs and boston terriers. Often they have narrowed tracheas and they find it hard to fill their lungs up. It can be caused by things like pollen, dust, perfume, but in pugs it can occur when eating, and overexcited. Although it occurs in other breeds, with pugs it could indicate an elongated soft palate, as they basically suck the soft palate into their throats causing blockage and spasm.

It's an elongated ( or in the case of short faced dogs a pushed back) palate which interferes with breathing. Once they start snorting
(or 'goose honking' it's called) gently tip the nose downwards - like chin on chest kind of a thing. Hold until normal breathing resumes - dont inpede the nostrils.
By doing this you are clearng the airway and reducing the spasm on the palate.

Excitement and pulling on the lead sometimes starts it off.

It seems to be something that all dogs do at intervals.

its strange, one of mine does it quite alot but I dont think ive ever heard the other do it.

My Swedish vet always said it was due to excessive stomach acids and I've found that to be true. I stopped it entirely  in one of my dogs by changing his food and you can stop an attack by giving milk =neutralise the acid. Likewise I can bring on an attack in the Papillon by giving him the wrong sort of treats or food. I get much the same thing myself with excessive acids, actually gasping for breath with it.

Thats interesting, its my dog who often has stomach issues / food intollerances who suffers with it.

My mini-dachshund used to do it a lot, as far as I know he didn't suffer from any food intolerances, however a friend from agility with a CKC (which does suffer from a food intolerance), also does it quite a bit.

hi, my Boston Terrier does this as well, my vet told me to put my fingers gently across her nostrils when you do this they take air in through their mouth.I was in pets at home last Saturday and there was a man there with his pug who was reverse sneezing i asked if he has tried putting his fingers across the dogs nose to which he had never done so he tried the above the dog stopped instantly.

thanks everyone,   i thought it was to down to the soft palate, but my pug has had his soft palate trimmed, his airways widened through laser, as  he had BAOS, he also had stage 2 larynx collapse, which the operation fixed as my pug could get more air in so his larynx inflated, he has a hernia, 2 slipping patellas, entropion in both eyes twice and all the spine problems. We have been told by all the top vets that he is not in any pain as if he was we would have him pts. I do get very mad and sad, as if his breed was bred different he would not have had these problems, i also get very mad when people say  " oh, its a one off, you were unlucky". what a load of tripe, i did everything poss to get a good strong healthy pug, i have heard from loads of people how they have had problems with their pugs, oh and my other pug died last year, aged 4, so that is more than bad luck isnt it

>thanks everyone,   i thought it was to down to the soft palate,

It's just a general 'dog thing'; I've known dogs of many breeds (none brachycephalic) and crosses to do it at intervals.  Interesting article here.

My Boston does this after eating too fast. I find that lifting his front legs up and giving him a gentle stretch usually works, failing that, fingers over the nostrils will work.

Marianne, I find what you say very interesting!
My young girl had an infection in her stomach and kept bringing up bile on nearly daily bases.
She was also doing the reverse sneezing every now and again when recovering having antibiotics etc to help her stomach heal.
We were told due to scarring, she might have a problem for the rest of her life, which luckily is not the case as she is fine now.

After recovering she stopped bringing up bile and doesn't reverse sneeze anymore...
I have to say I never put the two together but after what you say it is obvious they were linked!
She still very very rarely reverse Sneezes(heard it few times since she recovered), but I thought it could be that she has sucked in something while out on a walk!
I shall now if she does do the reverse sneezing give her some stuff to balance the acids as it must be that what causes it and can't be pleasant feeling.
I can also now think what she has eaten etc to see if there is a foodstuff that might cause it, like maybe fatty foods etc

Thank you for your post!

I can also now think what she has eaten etc to see if there is a foodstuff that might cause it, like maybe fatty foods etc

Thank you for your post!

No problem. :) With my Papillon it's anything dry that sets it off, hence he is fed wet food only. I can always tell if any visitor (that usually means my mum!) has given him a piece of biscuit for instance LOL.

Joanne
it could well be down to his soft palate. Blimey your pugs been through so much. Mine has also been through hell and back with continual problems and I agree its down to the breed conformation. I was also told on here that mine was a one off and accused of condemning the breed and breeders. I was just trying to highlight their problems.

it is not a one off my lovely, i know alot of pug owners that have got their pugs from kc breeders that have suffered from entropion, spine probs, breething probs, gme. pugs that pass out and you have to hit them to make their soft palate get out the way so they can breath again, being told that you can not walk a pug in hot weather, or let them climb stairs or run and jump. They are dogs for goodness sake.I did loads of research before i bought my first pug(who has all hereditry probs) i went through all the correct channels, so that i would know all the potential risks i was taking on, and half of what my first pug has, was not even mentioned, and the other half i was told (by countless breeders)was so rare that it hardly happened,my own grandfather had pugs, i have the photos and they do look slightly different to my pug and they lived to cracking old ages with no probs.so i thought i was doing everything right to get a good solid pug,from a kc breeder with fantastic lines etc. One year after buying him i bought my second pug, a year after that, my first pug(aged 2)started showing the signs of serious health problems. Now what really gets my goat is that, then i find out, by ringing nearly half the pug dog club that this is more common, but that the breeder who i bought my pug off plus also the person who owns his father, both had their dogs x rayed and are x ray clear, no one wants to say, well it has come from somewhere lets get looking,  no they keep their heads in the sand and keep breeding. The other thing that bugs me, is that when ever something is wrong with a pedigree dog, they always blame the the person who you bought it off, tey wont even consider the father side (in my case) its like they are saying, oh nothing to do with the dogs side. If that is the case then i could breed from my pug and blame the bitch, this is not right, now we know that this pug is not in any pain and if he was i and there was nothing we could do i would have him pts, he has cost thousands to fix and most is covered by insurance but the point is, is that he should not have go ill in the first place, and i agree with you olive, people do say its a one off, but my second pug died age 4 and he too was of brilliant lines, the only difference is, the lady who bred him has supported me through his death, where as the person who bred my pug with all the probs   told me to put him to sleep and then completely blanked me etc. i will never have another dog again,it has been far too much stress and heartache,i wish that it was mandatory for every pug owner to honestly say what is wrong with there pug if it has any health probs, and what it dies from,i want pugs to have compolsory health tests and more research into the faulty genes that are causing these probs, i also want the screw tail gone and a muzzle, but i cant see it happening, can you?

It won't happen, because they are bred for fancy. Somewhere along the way, someone thought it was cool to mess up the whole construction and take it to extremes and that the dog (which suffers) should pay the price for their delight. It's happening in loads of breeds. You can't have a freak of a dog and health in the same package. The breeders bring it upon themselves, but the buying public are now becoming wiser and don't want that 'freak' of a dog. Until the buying public make more demands and refuse to buy from the breeders that breed for excessive traits, this will continue. Those breeders who think it's ok, will of course continue to condemn and discredit the breeders who are trying to make a change by calling them BYB's breeding from poor examples etc... it all boils down to market and who has the best selling tactics. Of course they will tell you to go to someone who does well in the show ring, the breeders who are members of breed clubs and the breeders who advertise in certain places etc... and those that value paper over function will go and buy from a breeder who values the same.
I love all animals, but some breeds I think should be left to die out. There was a time when dogs where bred purely for what they could do and breeds came about to perform a certain task, that definately wasn't to parade around a ring for a rosette.

Lets knock the pedigree dog gang are here My BCs are bred for & fit for purpose & on the odd occasion they have done the snorting & I've had to help more than one mongrel over the years to stop snorting.

The last mongrel I had suffered from HD, had eye conditions, was very nervous, was deaf & had a coat that matted at the drop of a hat, still she must have been OK because she was the result of two street dogs getting together & nature taking it course, No inbreeding, not bred to win in the show ring etc etc etc

No MM, its yet again just a normal member of public voicing their opinion on a breed that suffers with so many conformational and genetic problems.

Moonmaiden, we aren't talking about Border Collies... a pug and a border collie is just a bit different (just a tiny little bit! lol). Now, maybe, just maybe, if you were the owner of pugs and had something to bring to the debate other than a 'working' dog, it may be valid?

Olive1, I'm confused, isn't everyone here just a 'normal' member of the public? Are you not? I don't recall ever reading that Royalty uses this board to post questions and give advice regarding their dogs. lol

>a pug and a border collie is just a bit different (just a tiny little bit! lol).

Yes, but MM's point was that her 'fit for function' BCs also reverse sneeze at times. It's not a specific pug fault due to bad conformation or bad breeding - it's something that any dog can do. To try to link it to inbreeding or poor conformation merely serves to reduce the validity of other grumbles about ill-health.

Entropion, for example ("i know alot of pug owners that have got their pugs from kc breeders that have suffered from entropion"). Hardly a specific pug problem - we've recently treated two working spaniels and a labrador for exactly the same condition.

TheMutts....absolutely we are all MOP! Its just that in my previous thread on pugs that got locked, a few comments were made (not by myself) about members of public! My point was that when a dog owner not a breeder airs their views or concerns on a breed and its problems, they get accused by mainly breeders of attacking breeders!

Reverse sneezing is very common in many breeds. As far as pugs are concerned, it can be down to elongated soft palate and narrowed trachea, which is down to poor inbreeding and confirmation. Joanne's poor dogs problems are down to this too. It might be deviating from the original topic of reverse sneezing but none the less an interesting discussion.

Well my parents have 2 pugs both have NEVER been the vet and are 2 and 3 years old.
They have no breathing problems skin problems nothing in fact they are like kittens on speed,real fun happy go lucky dogs
that have brought the greatest of pleasure to everyone who has met them.

Not every dog is poorly,like not every person is poorly.

We as dog exhibitors do more health testing than we ever do even planning our own children.
We will travel hundreds of miles for the right dog,talk to loads of people.

The greatest gift that dog exhibitors have given the world is the gift of compansionship that every dog offers us,
sadly some decide not to take that gift and mistreat these amazing pets.

>My point was that when a dog owner not a breeder airs their views or concerns on a breed and its problems, they get accused by mainly breeders of attacking breeders!

Ok, thanks for clarifying that. I'd hate to think that pet owners (who at the end of the day all end up having to deal with these problems) shouldn't be concerned for the health of their pets and obviously the breed that they chose because they also have a love for it. It seems quite often the responses some of them get are quite sarcastic. It's a shame these things can't be debated, I did think when I posted yesterday, it was a matter of time before the chain and padlock came out.

Carolyn, my pug speeds around like a bullet. She also has laryngeal collapse grade 3!
As far as health testing, can anyone tell me why there are NO recommended health and DNA tests for pugs on the KC web site?

>Yes, but MM's point was that her 'fit for function' BCs also reverse sneeze at times.

JG, I know what MM's point was, but she posted...

>Lets knock the pedigree dog gang are here My BCs are bred for & fit for purpose & on the odd occasion they have done the snorting & I've had to help more than one mongrel over the years to stop snorting.

I find that rather unhelpful, arrogant and rude. I think some members need to realise that people are entitled to an opinion and you can do with that opinion what you wish, but to trash it, belittle it and place your own above it is not really helpful and gets a thread locked. Just because someone has come here with a breed, asking questions, even having a moan... etc... they are entitled to, they are the ones that have to live with this dog. Just because someone else posts a quite matter of fact response to there question does not make them part of the 'knock the pedigree dog gang'. Yes, all dogs reverse sneeze at times, but... that doesn't mean they should do it on a regular basis. It's always been something they do and it's over with and forgotten about for most owners. If a dog is doing it regularly, so much so that the owner is concerned, then sorry, there is a problem and to me, that needs looking at. We are talking about a brachycephalic breed that is prone to problems with respiratory problems, so while all dogs can on occassion do this, this breed most likely does it because of it's inherited abnormalities.

I think some members need to realise that people are entitled to an opinion

That would include you yourself realising that I think.

>That would include you yourself realising that I think.

I had thought you might reply. Funnily enough I always do realise that, but I CAN also respond to people and treat them how they treat me, not often but sometimes. You were the one hounding me on the last thread and here you are yet again. BUT I've been nothing but polite to you and will continue to be so. :)

I'm getting confused here ...The Mutts - when has Marianne been anything but polite?   

I've never known her hound anyone as you put it.

There are several members of the board (and I put myself in this category) who will ask many questions of any poster who seems to give conflicting advice/information in differing threads.

In over 40 years of dog ownership I have known labradors, aussies, border terriers as well as "pedigree tripe hounds" to suddenly start this inward sneezing, but I certainly would not attribute it to their breeding.  It's just something that they have done from time to time - and that is that.

The original poster seems to worry that it is because their dog is a pug.   And I should just like to reassure that poster - no it isn't.

>I'm getting confused here ...The Mutts - when has Marianne been anything but polite?

Marianne seemed to want to pick an arguement on the last thread of mine and to be honest and I really don't want that to happen on someone else's thread and to see it locked. It has nothing to do with giving conflicting advice or information.

thanks for all the  advice, i must say, i have looked on u tube at different types of dogs doing the inward sneeze and i must say, if mine did it like that i would not worry, the fact is, when my pug and the pug i had which died does it, it is so loud, their legs go all over the place, even to the point it looks like they will collapse, he sticks his head in the air, it seems to go on forever, i am worried as like i said he had his airways etc fixed to allow more air in,and i am scared it is a sign that his larynx is on the collapse again,saying that he has not done it today so maybe it was just a spell he was going through,

Joanne
my pug has had her palate shortened, and she still does this virtually every time she eats. I wouldn't worry too much that his larynx is worsening unless he's more breathless on exercise etc. I think maybe pugs are generally more prone to this because their larynx's and other soft tissues in their mouths are basically too big for their heads and thus probably more prone to irritation. We have to gently slap her chest like a mini heimlich manoeuvre.

That is the method I use on the rare occasion any of mine do it.

Interestingly it usually happens when they are really scenting something in the spring or summer, so I always put it down to over stimulation and/or irritation of the airways.

The one of mine (at Rainbow bridge now) that did it most though did used to bring up bile in the mornings on occasions???

Both my BC a working dog ISDS and my Cocker KC do the reverse sneezing its a dog thing!!