Snorting dog

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that Rico is having problems! Sometimes sneezing and coughing can be difficult to figure out.

I'm wondering if the coughing you are seeing is something called a reverse sneeze. Have a look on youtube using the search term "reverse sneeze" and see what you think. Be sure to look at a few videos as not all of them are typical.

Another possibility is something called nasal mites. We don't really know how common these are because they are hard to diagnose. But, they are killed by most topical heartworm/flea medications such as Revolution. So, if I am suspecting nasal mites I will usually either apply Revolution or consider treating with ivermectin.

It's also possible that there is some sort of foreign object in the dog's nose or mouth but it is unlikely from what you have described.

It is also possible that this is due to allergies, but allergies causing sneezing and coughing/snorting in dogs are not common. And if it were allergies Benadryl should be helping.

I would agree with you that it doesn't sound like kennel cough.

My guess is that you are seeing a reverse sneeze. If this is what it is unfortunately there's not much we can do for it.

However, the good news is that a reverse sneeze is not harmful to the dog.

Hope this helps!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Sneezing because of allergies is not common, but certainly can happen. However, if this were due to allergies you really should see that the Benadryl makes a difference. You could also talk to your vet about using Reactine which sometimes works better than Benadryl.

If it only happens a few times per day it may be nothing significant. Many people sneeze multiple times per day and we don't get concerned.

Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

No problem!

Interesting that you have two dogs that are sneezing. I have seen some dogs with mild kennel cough that will sneeze and that's it. Sometimes dogs who have been vaccinated for kennel cough, if they come in contact with the virus will sneeze for a couple of weeks but never get any sicker.

It sounds like there really isn't anything to get terribly worried about. The only other thing I would mention to your vet is the possibility of nasal mites.

Hope that helps!

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

This is an excellent question. You would think that once a dog has had kennel cough they would be immune for life but this is not necessarily the case. I have indeed seen dogs get kennel cough more than once in their life. I have also seen dogs who were up to date on their kennel cough vaccine get the virus as well.

There are a few components to kennel cough. Sometimes the virus is a bordetella virus and sometimes parainfluenza. And these viruses can have slight variations as well.

Think of it like a cold virus. If you got a cold today, you will not catch the same cold 2 weeks from now. However, 2 months from now a slightly different virus may come along and you could catch that one.

One thing to note here is that in most cases kennel cough is not horrible. It is very rare for it to be life threatening.

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

You're very welcome! Have a great day! I'm sure your dogs will be just fine!