My dog sounds like he can't breathe!!

[Amber98]

My dog is breathing really hard through his nose, as if something is stuck in his nose. I thought he couldnt breathe, so I blew in his nose and was freaking out.

But he is still jumping, wagging his tale, barking etc.

I took him outside for fresh air, he stopped and 5 mins later he is breathing like that again. He takes like 5 really strong breaths through his nose and then is back to normal.

What is going on? He is a 9 year old beagle and just had a vet check up yesterday and was fine.

My mom did say he tried to eat some garbage on his walk, he always eats stuff that people throw on side walks (chicken bones), but she said she opened his mouth and got it all out. I looked in his throat but didn't see anything lodged in there.

[Ginakoh001]

Thanks so much for this post. Today my dog has a similar sign during a walk and I thought he is lack of oxygen. I have been warned to watch out of difficulties in breathing since he has heart murmur. The whole episode ended when I carried him. He did that again when we reach home. The thing didn't occur again after his meal. And not long after he is running around jumping. Luckily I remembered that one of the sign for out of breath is opening the mouth wide which my dog didn't. So I googled and found your thread! Thank goodness!

[DonnaLWR]

my mind went right to reverse sneezing I raced to the vet the first time. it passes though

[ginger899]

As far as I know, reverse sneezing is not necessarily caused by any allergies. So bear that in mind before possibly giving him any anti-allergy medication.
It is a bit of a mystery what DOES cause it, but dogs all over the world seem to do it from time to time, with no obvious detriment to their health (yes it does look scary when it happens, and some dogs get a little bit scared of it themselves, whereas others don't.)

It's important not to confuse reverse sneezing with other weird noises dogs can make which ARE a symptom of illness, such as persistent coughing, retching, or the strangulated sounds of a collapsing trachea.
But if your vet doesn't see any reason to be concerned, that's a plus.

I find the best way to handle a reverse sneezing episode (which does upset my dog a bit) is to gently stroke her and calm her without making any fuss at all. And it passes in a minute or two with no ill-effects at all.

[Amber98]

oh wow thanks so much. That second video is exactly what my dog was doing. I called my vet and he didn't seem too concerned either.

Anyway, he's fine now, it stopped after 2 or 3 times yesterday. So weird, maybe he is reverse sneezing due to allergies. We do live in the city, not too many plants around.

Thank you again!!!!!

[ginger899]

Did the breathing seem anything like this?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UyBrb0Hhpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzDKsvtL69U&feature=related

(and there are a few more videos which you will find which might help.)

If you think it was the same thing, then this is reverse sneezing, which is apprently quite harmless, even though it does look a little strange, and can be scary if you haven't seen this before. My dog has attacks of reverse sneezing occasionally. I calm her  gently because she seems a little dismayed by the whole thing. I have been reassured that it causes them no harm, and is not a symptom of any other illness.

Just guesswork on my part. If you are at all unsure, then do take your dog to the vet. I have heard bad things about foxtails, so if there is a problem with one, it is better sorted out fast.

[Ghilly]

You should really take him to the vet to see if there is something stuck in his nose.  Beagles are always using their noses, probably more than most breeds.  It's what they were bred to do.

Do you live in the city, the suburbs or in the country?  I ask because if you live in the country, or if you have a lot of plants in your yard, it's possible that he managed to inhale something and now it is stuck in his nose.  Dogs have inhaled foxtails before and these can be very painful and actually need to be removed by the vet if they become stuck in the nostril.

He could also have a simple case of allergies.  It is September, and many of the fall plants that affect humans with allergies also affect dogs.  Also, like humans, dogs can develop allergies at any time, even if they have never been affected by them before.  However, like with anything else, the only way to tell would be to take him to a vet for evaluation.

Please post back and let us know what happens.

Ghilly

[Amber98]

P.S: I just gave him his dinner, he ate it up really fast, no problem.