What Causes Dog's Snorting Spells

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Issue: What Causes Dog's Snorting Spells?

Hi,

Beagle

I'm having a problem with my two-year-old Beagle mix. Every now and then she starts frantically licking everything. She'll also try to eat grass or strings hanging off her toys. After all this she'll vomits white mucus.

While she's doing all of this she will snort and swallow as if she's got drainage in her throat. This can go on for hours. I've taken her to two different vets to no avail. No one can seem to figure out what's wrong. Her lungs look good on X-ray, and her heart sounds good so is it possible this could be a sinus issue? She eats and drinks normally. When she's not having these episodes (they've been happening every couple of days for the past two weeks) she's rough housing normally with our other Beagle.

Thank you!~~ Erin

Expert Reply

The snorting and swallowing really does seem like a mucous issue, but whether this is completely due to bad sinus or if your dog has an allergic reaction to something I just can't say.

What I'd like you to do is keep a notebook diary, marking down every time she has these incidents. Then I want you to think back and remember what she was doing for the last 30 minutes prior to the episode. Do this for at least two weeks, and it may reveal what's triggering all the licking and snorting. Even if it doesn't, it will drive home the fact to your vet that these episodes are frequent and real, and they must have a cause. Hopefully this will lead to a diagnosis.

In the meantime, there is a way you can help her when she's having a snorting spell. Take hold of her and close her nostrils with your fingers. This will trigger an automatic response to open her mouth and lick, and then close it and swallow. I used to use this trick on snorting Shih Tzus in the ring, and it worked rather well. Hopefully it will help your dog too.

Thanks for your question, and I hope your vet can figure out what's going on.

~~ Kelly

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Comments

Hi Dog Lover,

Great tip. Our Shih Tzus were especially prone to reverse sneezing and we used to cover their noses to provoke them to lick and swallow. It was usually helpful in stopping the spasm. Here's a link for everyone to check out.

Reverse Sneezing

Thanks for contributing. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My dog also has gasping attacks, he does it mostly when he's excited or on a leash. By doing research, I am under the impression that he is "reverse sneezing". Google it and see if that applied to your dog and the suggested treatments help.

-- Contributed by: DOG lover

Hi Isobel,

what kind of dog do you have? If it's one of those short-muzzled breeds, a certain amount of snorting and sneezing is to be expected. Puppies also experience some head congestion during the teething period, so it also depends on your dog's age. That aside, snorting and sneezing can be caused by allergies, viruses and even foreign objects in the sinus cavity. Your vet would need to sort out the cause before deciding which treatment would be effective for relieving the problem. If your dog truly snorts and sneezes a lot, go ahead and let your vet take a look just to be sure whether there is an infection involved.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly
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