My Dog Speck Has Breathing Problems, Does anyone know what this could be?

This is my little dog, Speck, and he has these breathing episodes. If anyone recognizes these breathing patterns and knows what the cause may be, please let me know. This little guy is the world to me, and I just want to know if there is anything I can do to stop these episodes or possibly prevent them from getting worse. They typically happen about once every 3 days, sometimes as much as twice a day, and sometimes he wont have them at all for a few weeks.

His Vet has not seen these videos yet, but when i described the behavior to him, he said it was a "reversed sneeze". However, the videos that I have seen on Youtube of dogs with a reverse sneeze doesn't look or sound at all like what Speck experiences.

Speck is a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. In August 2010 he will turn 6.
Thanks

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• dog
• breathing
• problem
• respiratory
• health
• breathe
• breath
• air
• wheeze
• diagnose
• puppy
• episode

[Terry5135]

I see you've already heard this, but I'll reiterate since right now my dog is in hell after surgery. In small dogs, laryngeal collapse is not uncommon as they get older. In big dogs, laryngeal paralysis is not uncommon when they are older than ten. My dog is in the middle, but unfortunately, instead of the best of both worlds, she got the worst of both worlds, which is extremely rare. Right now I'm in despair over her prospects.

[flynnfilms]

@Terry5135 I'm so sorry to hear that. I wish you and her all the best. I know how helpless it feels to watch them suffer. Just stay close and let her know you're there. Let me know if her situation starts to turn around. I'll be thinking positive thoughts for you both. Thanks for watching...

[lynnebourne]

Your dog should never wear a collar, only a harness. Their trachea's are always weak so cannot take pressure. The injections do not help. The dog will also react to stress this way. They may not look stressed but if they are they will do this. Pick the dog up and rub it's ears and it will stop. They do not handle stress well. Too much exercise will also do it. Remember dogs are sensitive and need to be treated gently.

[flynnfilms]

@lynnebourne Thanks for your comments. What injections are you referring to? I will definitely try rubbing his ears next time. Thank you for the suggestion, I hope it helps. It makes me nervous to think about taking his collar off. In the past 3 years he has gotten out of the backyard 3 times, but luckily each time a neighbor has picked him up & called the number on his collar & I got him back within minutes. I have fixed the hole in the fence, but Im still nervous to take his collar off.

[undchick2169]

my vet said he didn't know what was causing it, but thinks it might be a stand of bordatella and put the dogs on amoxicillin. My boy dog is a lot better, but my girl dog has been getting worse, so not sure if it's actually working or if the boy dogs immune system finally kicked in. The vet said that if they weren't showing signs of improvement to come back in and he'd put them on steroids to help!!!

Good luck with your dog...hope he gets better!!!!

[flynnfilms]

@undchick2169

During a recent vet visit, i had the Dr. look at his youtube videos. I was told he has a collapsed trachea, or something called Lorenzo Spasm.

[littlestpetshop331]

my dog has this its his trache(tra-a-ke)and we might put him down its so severe TREAT IT WHILE YOU CAN!!

[hotgluegunfun1]

My papillon does this but much slower than your dog. It scares me.

[wkayew]

my dog does this too. He has for years. The vest said it was reverse sneezing and can be caused by an allergy or stress. Ive noticed he does it when he is upset or if he plays in a dusty area or grass after its freshly cut. The vet told me to give him a small amout of childrens benadryl allergy liquid. That really seems to help too.

[eLnnyL]

looks likr backwards.sneezing or what my dog does when shes about to throw up.. :O

[Terry5135]

@flynnfilms Thank you for the very kind comments. They are most appreciated. She does seem to be getting better - all too gradually, but still, there's hope. For your dog, perhaps they ought to do an exploratory - that is, instead of drugs and shooting blind, they could put him under light anesthetic to see that things are working properly and that there's no laryngeal collapse. At least you could eliminate one possibility. I wish you and Speck the very best also, that you have years together.

[lynnebourne]

The injections the vet gives all dogs for various things made my dog worse. She seemed to react badly to them. She can only eat nature diet food as well and drink filtered spring water. Their systems are very sensitive to chemicals and pollution etc. The only time she does the cough now is if she is stressed, tired, or eats and drinks too fast. It is to do with their diaphragm. It sort of seizes up. My dog has never had a collar. She has a harness if she goes out.