Know this has been covered before...sorry :-)

But could anyone advise on why my Cavalier (4yrs) has started reverse sneezing alot more in the last few weeks?! She has recently been spayed, dont know whether this could have had an effect?! She does it all the time...when I come home from work (bless her) and when she has her dinner...if visitors come round!!

What actually IS reverse sneezing??!

hya im not sure why they do it but my pub bitch does it all the time. i just lift her up and blow once into her face and she stops. iv also heard u can pinch the nostrils shut so the dog has to breath through her mouth. apparently it hasnt got anything to do with sneezing at all its more about a spasm of the palate. it can come on after play,eating, excitment basically. or if there are holsehold chemicals around or anything that can cause allergy symptoms.  it looks scary at first dosnt it?  actually thought my pug was going to stop breathing, but no shes ok and she has them all the time then gets on with her normal grunts and snorts haha.

Suzi thanks for your post. Yeah its really scary, I wondered what on earth she was doing the first time I saw her doing it...bless her. I was told by a Chihuahua breeder to lift her up and hold her with her nose to the ground, and it does work, but I cant do that to her at the moment because of her spay scars!! Glad your Pug is ok....love pugs and their little grunts.

At the back of the throat is the soft palate...say ahhhhh,and you will see the little wriggling uvula ie the soft piece of flesh whose job is the flip up and close the nasal passage when you swallow food or drink. As the uvula flips up the epiglottis,a flap of cartilage that sits on top of our larynx, swings down to close the windpipe,acting like a trapdoor,so that our food goes into the oesophagus or food tube.
  When the uvula gets stuck,we snort and gasp to flip it back into its position so that the nasal passage is free once again....ie a reverse sneeze.
Pinching the nostrils,or even gently rubbing the dogs throat will help to flip the uvula back into its dangling position.
If the dog was recently spayed it is likely that the throat has been aggravated by a breathing tube during the op and the uvula just needs a bit of time to recover. I bet she will be fine in a couple of weeks.
Sophia

I have one cavalier who does this but only when very excited.
Gentle rubbing down the throat-line ( where you will feel the tension) and/or tipping the nose down and inward towards her chest ( chin on chest action), stops it.
Try to calm the little girlie in the situations you know will trigger it.

Sophia, thank you so much for taking the time to write such an interesting and informative post. :-)

Thank you tooolz, I will do, I'll try not to make her so excited, she's such a mummy's girl though!