# Both of my dogs are making a strange exhaling noise???



## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

Hi everyone! I'm always a little paranoid when it comes to my dogs, so just bear with me!  A few days ago I noticed Ripley (my year old golden) start making an unusual exhaling noise from his nose. Not rattling or anything like that, just an emphasized exhale if that makes sense. It def got my attention, but everyone just said to wait a few days. This morning when I was getting ready for work, my twelve year old corgi Hunter started doing it and shortly after Ripley did it again and they both went back to sleep. Then this evening when I got off work I took them both on a walk and Hunter did the exhaling along with an almost choking sound. When we got home, Ripley did the weird exhaling and later I found puke on the floor and shortly after Hunter did the weird exhale/choke sound for a minute or two straight. So now I'm definitely making an appointment with the vet tomorrow morning, because its definitely really unusual and concerning for me. Hunter's noise is def worse than Ripley's, but he is also a lot older so maybe it hit him faster? Do you think this could be what a dog cough would sound like?? Or that it could be some sort of bug they both got? I always like going to the vet prepared, but I can't really find a good description of what is going on and so I'm kind of clueless at this point. Anyone else have any experience with this? Thank you in advance!


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## Madisonmeadows (Jan 20, 2013)

I googled kennel cough and here's a utube video - not sure if that is the case for your dogs.....

Dixon has kennel cough - YouTube


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## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

So I got back from the vet and it isn't kennel cough. Hunter has gotten a lot worse and the doctors have no idea what is causing the reverse sneezing/coughing in the dogs. They said possibly some chemicals in the lawns? Or something recently changed that they are both allergic too....? There haven't been any changes we have made. So we are contacting our landlords to see if they have been putting anything on the lawns. They both were sent home today with some meds, so hopefully we will see some improvement soon!


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## CITIgolden (Mar 9, 2013)

JMME said:


> So I got back from the vet and it isn't kennel cough. Hunter has gotten a lot worse and the doctors have no idea what is causing the reverse sneezing/coughing in the dogs. They said possibly some chemicals in the lawns? Or something recently changed that they are both allergic too....? There haven't been any changes we have made. So we are contacting our landlords to see if they have been putting anything on the lawns. They both were sent home today with some meds, so hopefully we will see some improvement soon!


Has the vet done any tests to rule out more serious conditions? What kind of meds have they given you? 

Do they have good appetite? Any other symptoms or changes you noticed? Are they both still vomiting? Certainly many lawn chemicals can cause such reactions.


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## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

The vet said the first step is getting in contact with the landlords. She said 90% of things used in lawns are fine for animals. However, she said both of my dogs must be allergic? She didn't have a lot of answers for me, so in the mean time she sent me home with a steroid and hydro something (it's for allergies since Benadryl hasn't made a difference) and metronidazole. I've only given them one dose so far, so we will see how it goes. Tomorrow I will be talking to her again after we have a clearer idea of what is being used on the grass. She didn't run any other tests yet because she isn't sure how to proceed just yet. She also said having them in the bathroom when we shower would be good for them because their airways are irritated and the moisture could help.


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## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

Also, Ripley has had loose stools and was heaving yesterday. But today he hasn't heaved. They are both sneezing and exhaling loudly more (seem to have bouts of it) and sometimes Hunter has fits of reverse sneezing that last several minutes. It's not deep in their lungs. She said it is upper respiratory most likely and we just have to figure out what's causing it so that it stops getting worse


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## Barkr (Dec 23, 2011)

Kennel cough is what I was thinking as well but not because of the disease more the vaccine. Have they had their vaccine lately ? Roxy had these same symptoms begin about 12 days after her KC vaccine . It made us crazy! I was thinking maybe she had spring allergies. But then it started to get better about 3 Wks later we had a vet appointment for another matter I asked about it and she said it was most likely from the the vaccine.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Praying*

Praying they are both better soon.
I was thinking kennel cough, too!
Were they both boarded or groomed recently? Around other dogs?
Are they vaccinated for kennel cough?
Did the vet take chest xrays, blood tests?


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## Madisonmeadows (Jan 20, 2013)

Hope they get both get better soon!


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Fertilizer on the lawn is BAD for dogs. Then there is the weed killer..also bad. Wash their paws and keep them off the grass, yours and everyones this time of year.


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## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

Ya I was worried about kennel cough too and they are up to date on all of their vaccines, but I know that even with the vaccine they can get it. Also, neither have been boarded. However, the vet is certain that it not kennel cough after their exams and she said we would expect them to start to get better not worse over time. We go to Washington State Universities teaching hospital and they are pretty good overall, but still didnt have much to go off of. We still haven't heard back from the landlords yet, so I'm going to try again when I get home.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

How did they rule out kennel cough? That "reverse sneeze" is a classic symptom. The fact that one dog started and then the other did a little while later seems to indicate something infectious, so that's another vote for KC right there. I'm sure your vet is right, though, since unlike me, he or she has actually seen the dog and is a DVM. I'm just asking out of curiosity.


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## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

The main vet and the 4th year squeezed their tracheas and listened with the stethoscope. They both were in agreement right away that it was not kennel cough and the vet said she didn't think it was contagious, that it's environmental. Like I said though, they pretty much only ruled out that it isn't kennel cough and couldnt really explain what is going on. So we pretty much got sent home with a couple of medications and a few instructions like putting them in the room with us while we shower to moisten their respiratory track since they both have a lot of upper respiratory irritation. We are following up with her again Monday and may be going back in because we aren't seeing much improvement in Hunter at all. If anything, I think his reverse sneezing is getting more frequent but it could be breed related?


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## CITIgolden (Mar 9, 2013)

The case for KC or a common cold strain seems initially strong because they both showed symptoms at the same time, however any vet can indeed rule that out easily by a simple physical. That said it can be allergies as well, but having said that, if Benadryl or other allergy meds aren't making it better than allergies are unlikely, at least airborne allergies. for other kinds of atopic syndromes, antihistamines may be ineffective - so if indeed there's something in your lawn or paint or whatever your landlord may have changed recently, and an allergy is suspected your only other option are steroid-based medicines/injections. Unless your dogs are in a really bad shape, I would strongly advise against steroid treatment, due to many side-effects. Obviously, any and all decisions should be made by you and your vet. None of us here will know more.

This is a cicada year, and many dogs are allergic to cicadas, roaches etc.not sure where you live and cicadas aren't out yet but there were some interesting studies about the chemicals they begin releasing prior to getting out of the ground.

Other respiratory issues may be caused by common household chemicals or pest control treatment, any chance your landlord sprayed the lawn with pest/herbicides or applied liquid rat repellents?

Any recent food changes? 

You may just try getting one of those natural ocean spray brand or other pure low saline sprays / nasal decongestants - make sure it's not any medicated, and try spraying near your dogs nose, not directly in. The purpose would be for them to inhale.

If you have an air humidifier (cold) you could try putting it on the ground, dogs will find the mist entertaining and it will sniff it a few times at least.




Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Molly98 (Apr 12, 2013)

One of my goldens had strange episodes of reverse sneezing which turned out to be nasal mites. Has the vet mentioned that? It is easily treated with Revolution. I had to treat my other golden for it too because it is quite contagious. Please aqsk your vet avout nasal mites. I even took a video of my girl doing the reverse sneeze so the vet could see for himself. I hope your babies are better soon!


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## Molly98 (Apr 12, 2013)

I just posted a reply, but it disappeared. Anyway, has your vet mentioned nasal mites? One of my girls had very disturbing episodes of reverse sneezing which turned out to be nasal mites. It is easily treated with Revolution. It is quite contagious, so my other golden also was treated. Hope your babies are better soon!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

CITIgolden said:


> The case for KC or a common cold strain seems initially strong because they both showed symptoms at the same time, however any vet can indeed rule that out easily by a simple physical.


I'm genuinely curious because I asked this question and it hasn't been answered yet and you seem to know: how does a vet rule KC out easily and conclusively with a simple physical?


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## CITIgolden (Mar 9, 2013)

tippykayak said:


> I'm genuinely curious because I asked this question and it hasn't been answered yet and you seem to know: how does a vet rule KC out easily and conclusively with a simple physical?


AGain, *I'm not a vet*, but kennel cough is similar in symptoms to many human conditions including common cold. 

DISCLAIMER to Tippy: Given our previous exchanges, I hope this question is in good faith and not opening of another debate as I really don't care much about debating here. As I said, the reason I value this forum is experience of the vast majority of good meaning people with dog's health in mind, and not as much the debates over science, which I have plenty of access to. 

Kennel cough has unique kind of symptoms and is diagnosed based on history (boarding dogs, spending extensive time in pet stores, groomers, other usually enclosed spaces in which there are many dogs), the second step is observing the physical symptoms which vets are very attuned to - similar to MDs who can usually tell a flu vs. common cold. 

The reason a physical can tell if a dog has KC (I don't like the acronym as my dog is named KC  is its characteristic hacking cough, followed by dry heaving. The cough is sudden, and increasing in intensity (also known as paroxysmal coughing - happens with people caused by a number of conditions) which then may subside, but the episodes return again with the same or increased intensity - thus the difference from chronic periodic cough or reverse sneezing. Following the hacking cough episode, as the dog quite literally runs out of air, they may produce high pitched sounds as if they are struggling to breathe in. Think of the sounds in Quit smoking commercials...

Other clinical symptoms, while may not all always present are often common and include nasal discharge or another kind of mucoid discharge, foamy, white discharge around mouth similar to the times when your dog is running outside on a hot day. Some dogs also develop conjunctivitis. 

So I presume the vet would take the history, observe the dog, wait for an episode (which would happen during a visit almost for sure) sometimes it can be as simple as listening to the kind of the cough but more thorough exam would include, feeling the dog's stomach area and trachea during an episode and observe deflation along with the rather violent movement of the muscles around trachea. Take a look inside dog's mouth for the signs of mucoid discharge, check dog's eyes for conjunctivitis, and examine the nostrils. 

Now KC is caused by both viruses and bacteria and can often be a sign of an underlying conditions and more complicated cases may require further examination. However, lab tests are often inconclusive and not very specific, thus the best you can get is the type of a pathogen that is causing KC and that is usually done by performing transtracheal wash, and doing a culture. If it comes back with a virus well not much we can do but wait for dog's immunity to fight it off and relieve the symptoms. 

The CAV-2 vaccine does not really play a factor, it is not completely effective, and will absolutely do nothing for other pathogens causing KC. That said, it lessens severity of clinical symptoms.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Is it possible they both inhaled something during an outing, like foxtail seeds or something similar? Beware of Foxtail Seeds This Summer - Whole Dog Journal Article


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

CITIgolden said:


> DISCLAIMER to Tippy: Given our previous exchanges, I hope this question is in good faith and not opening of another debate as I really don't care much about debating here.


I completely understand why you thought I might have had some kind of nefariously Socratic intent with the question, but it was sincere, and I appreciate that you took the time to answer. I don't hold grudges from thread to thread or even from post to post within a thread.


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## JMME (Jun 18, 2012)

Thank you for all of that information! It was very interesting and helpful! We are following up tomorrow and planning on doing a recheck. We will def also talk to them about the steroids and whether they are necessary and I'm going to ask about the nasal mites. The landlord says that they haven't used any fertilizers or pesticides and we haven't repainted or done anything out of the ordinary. No food changes. The only thing I can think of is a recent trip to my grandpas for a weekend. It was just Ripley that came with me though and he is the one that first showed symptoms. My grandpa has two dogs and lives on 30acres just outside of boneapart national forest. A lot of animal life and a big pond that Ripley kept trying to swim in. I also mentioned this to the vet during the exam but it was kind of brushed off.


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## CITIgolden (Mar 9, 2013)

JMME said:


> Thank you for all of that information! It was very interesting and helpful! We are following up tomorrow and planning on doing a recheck. We will def also talk to them about the steroids and whether they are necessary and I'm going to ask about the nasal mites. The landlord says that they haven't used any fertilizers or pesticides and we haven't repainted or done anything out of the ordinary. No food changes. The only thing I can think of is a recent trip to my grandpas for a weekend. It was just Ripley that came with me though and he is the one that first showed symptoms. My grandpa has two dogs and lives on 30acres just outside of boneapart national forest. A lot of animal life and a big pond that Ripley kept trying to swim in. I also mentioned this to the vet during the exam but it was kind of brushed off.


Well then sounds like an infectious disease. Ask your grandpa if his dogs have any similar issues. Has your vet did a basic blood panel to see if there;s any infection going on? That may be a good idea. I wouldn't go with steroids unless your dogs literally can't breathe. Steroids suppress immunity and that can lead to all sorts of troubles. 

Best wishes and keep us posted!


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## robinrd (Oct 30, 2012)

Are they eating and maintaining their weight? Could it be a fungal infection? Blastomycosis is rare but causes wheezing and coughing, It also causes weight loss and a number of other things. If it is blastomycosis, certain antibiotics can make it worse. I don't know, just a thought ??


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