# Reverse Sneeze? Why does this happen?



## lfung5

Bella keeps gasping for air. It's almost like she can't get enough. It sounds horrible. Kind of like she's snorting and choking at the same time. It happened when she was a puppy and the vet told me it was a reverse sneeze. It's happened since, but yesterday it was really bad. She had a lot of episodes. There's a lot of pollen around and I'm wondering if that could be the cause. Does anyone know if there's anything that can be done for this? Can I do anything to prevent this? I was told to take my mouth and put it over her nose and mouth and slowly blow. I'm not sure if it's helping. If it is allergies, can I give her something?


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## dboudreau

Delilah does the "reverse sneeze" when she is stressed, covering her nostils with my fingers usually stops it. Strong smells will also cause her to do it too. The first time it happened I thought she was choking, it was scary before I knew what is was.


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## Scooter's Family

Scooter was doing it a lot Thursday and Friday but he's stopped now. It's freaky isn't it?


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## Petaluna

I've heard a collapsing trachea (which I think is congenital) can cause that. My yorkie did it occasionally and I never knew why. It is scary when it happens, that's for sure. 

I'm looking into something called Transfer Factor Canine Formula as an immune-booster, and I wonder if it could help existing allergies. It contains bovine colostrum.


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## irnfit

Shelby does it all the time. Kodi hardly ever does it. When I had my other dogs, they did it all the time, too. Is this only a dog thing, because I've never heard my cats do it?


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## lfung5

I just called the vet and Bella has allergies. They told me to give her chlorpheniramine, which is an antihistamine. For the average size havanese, 4mg 3 times a day. Since Bella is small, 6 lbs, they suggested 1/2 a tablet( 2mg), three times per day.

Thanks for all your responses!

Bella is the only one who does this. Fred and Scuds must be allergy free


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## Sandi Kerger

Fipsy does this too but very seldom - it sort of sounds like they have something in their throat? But you know, if she can get at toilet paper, she shreds it and I always thought maybe she had got a piece of toilet paper in her throat?


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## Lunastar

A reverse sneeze is much different than a collapsing trachea. The collapsing trachea will cause them to make goose like honking sound. My vets say the reverse sneeze is not dangerous. Bella does this if she goes out on the patio when the kids are here and out there smoking. They are not allowed to take her but she is sneaky. She will also do it if she eats too fast. I find rubbing her throat lightly and talking to her helps. I will have to try the nose.


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## Scooter's Family

Holding Scooter's nose doesn't help but just holding him and talking quietly usually calms him and it stops. Freaks me out though, I wish he'd do it at the vet one time so they'd see it.


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## Lunastar

Scooter's Family said:


> Holding Scooter's nose doesn't help but just holding him and talking quietly usually calms him and it stops. Freaks me out though, I wish he'd do it at the vet one time so they'd see it.


I hear that! Although I will say my vet can mimic the sound perfectly.


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## cjsud

The vet told me it was reverse sneezing but it really worries me. To me it looks like a seizure. He looks at me like help me catch my breath mom. I stroke his throat and that works but how can I be sure that it's a sneeze? He never makes the sound of a sneeze but it does seem to happen if he gets very excited or breaths in some dust.


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## Melissa Miller

Goldie does this... Stogie never has. 

Someone told me once to blow in their nose and it works everytime. It sounds gross, but I kinda blow in her nose and whatever is happening stops soon. Goldie always looks so scared when she goes through this, I hate it!!!!


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## JASHavanese

Scooter's Family said:


> Holding Scooter's nose doesn't help but just holding him and talking quietly usually calms him and it stops. Freaks me out though, I wish he'd do it at the vet one time so they'd see it.


I wonder if our dogs feel the same when they see us start coughing from swallowing something wrong? And speaking of that, why do people always ask you if you're ok when you're coughing your head off because you swallowed something wrong? Do they really expect you to stop choking and answer them? ound:


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## Scooter's Family

I always offer to smack my husband when it happens to him but he never takes me up on it.


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## Mijo's Mom

LOL Ann!  Mijo does this now and then and Guapo has only ever done it once. The first time Mijo did it we were ready to bring him to the emergency vet.. keys in hand and all! Then it stopped! I pick him up and hold him in one arm then rub his nose with the palm of my other hand. It stops immediately. Nothing to worry about!


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## HavaneseSoon

Dexter did the reverse sneeze quite frequently when he was younger, the other day I actually heard a real sneeze coming from him.

When I first heard the reverse sneeze, it sounds like they are coughing to get something out of their throat, it sounds pretty rough


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## Evye's Mom

Thank goodness there is so much good information on the forum about reverse sneezing. Evye has started it and I didn't learn what I have from these threads...it would have petrified me.


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## SMARTY

Smarty did this a couple of times, our vet said it is not a health issue, some small dogs just do this. Scared the b...g.....bs out of me.


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## Evye's Mom

Same here. I talked with them when I brought Evye in for her spay consult. I was afraid it was a respiratory issue. He said is was benign and harmless, common for toy breeds.


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## JASHavanese

SMARTY said:


> Smarty did this a couple of times, our vet said it is not a health issue, some small dogs just do this. Scared the b...g.....bs out of me.


It is scary unless you know what it is. My 60 lb standard poodle does this as well. If I have a dog in class that does it I cover their nose for a couple of seconds and sometimes think the owner is ready to smack me upside the head until they see it stops it, then they relax.


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## mellowbo

Lulu does this and I think hers is a crushed trachea. I think it is from her pulling on her leash when she was a baby and she is so small. I should have used a harness on her from the beginning. I hate it!
Carole


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## Evye's Mom

I have always used a harness, never used a collar, and Evye still has it so it may not be anything you did or did not do.


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## Scooter's Family

Same here Carole, only harnesses and Scooter does it.


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## Jammies

Jammies does the same thing and it really scared me the first time she did it because of her heart problems, but when I talked to others that have Hav's, they said the same thing happens with their dogs. With Jammies though, I'll have to keep a closer check on her.


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## pjewel

My Cagney has done it all her life. When she was little it used to scare the hell out of me until I realized it wasn't life threatening.


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## Lunastar

mellowbo said:


> Lulu does this and I think hers is a crushed trachea. I think it is from her pulling on her leash when she was a baby and she is so small. I should have used a harness on her from the beginning. I hate it!
> Carole


The sound of a reverse sneeze is very different from a collapsing trachea. A collapsing trachea sounds like a goose honking and is dangerous, the reverse sneeze sounds more like gasping and choking, sounds scary but is harmless.


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## furfan

Ruben, our new havanese puppy, does it some, and our beagles did it a lot, especially in the spring. I was pretty sure it was largely an allergy thing, because of the seasonal variation. 

It does sound scary, and sometimes goes on for awhile, no matter how much throat massaging or nose covering you do. We tried the allergy medicine, too, to little effect (although I might talk to the vet again). However, our sweet beagles died of entirely unrelated causes, at ripe old ages, so I don't think the reverse sneeze is anything to worry about.


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## JASHavanese

Scooter's Family said:


> I always offer to smack my husband when it happens to him but he never takes me up on it.


So surprise him and go for it. :laugh:


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## HavaneseSoon

Old thread.......but, good to know. 

Jack just started doing some reverse sneezing.........it freaked me out! It is like he trying to breathe too fast through his nose and gasping.


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## clare

Dizzie and Nellie do it if I have used strong cleaning products in the house.


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