Okay, I have two beagles that are 9 yrs old. One is female, one is male. They both do this inverted sneeze/cough thing. It's the weirdest thing I've ever heard. It's like they involuntarily inhale sneezes and they can keep doing it for maybe up to a minute. They've both been doing it for a while now; ever since they were pups. But it's been occurring more often now that they are older. I've noticed that they do it a lot when I take them for walks and they pull on the leash too hard and it chokes them. They also seem to do it when they are begging for food. Can anybody tell me what it is and if something is wrong with them? Thank you!

My dogs have done that too
I think it is one of two things or both
They are allergic to something
They get themselves OVERLY excited.

One of my dogs does that when he is really excited, it freaks me out.:eek: He is 5.
But then he stops and everything is back to normal.:)

Thanks NOhelp4U!

Okay, so it sounds like it's normal. Phew! :) Thanks Just Dahlia

Mine do it when they get too excited.
Just be careful though as it can scare them and make them panic which only makes the problem worse.

How long do these things last?
It can be caused by a lot of things - it's always best to just get a quick checkup at the vet to make sure it's not something serious.

It is called a reverse sneeze. Typically it plagues the short snouted breeds, like pugs, bull dogs, boston terriers... I believe it has something to do with the soft palate in the back of their throat. It occurs after eating or when they are overly active. While it is probably uncomfortable for the dog, it has no known negative effects. To alleviate this, rub their throat and or back. Another method is to cover their nose to force them to breath from their mouth.

My two labs get it as well.

My neighbors' beagles used to do that when we would take them for walks too. They only did it at the beginning of the walks so we figured it was when they got excited.

Believe it or not I have a cat that does that as well. My daughters doxy does it as well when she gets overly excited or just sniffs something like dirt. My cat will be running then all of the sudden stop and start reverse sneezing and she bounces backwards when she does it then looks at me like it was my fault.

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Originally Posted by Sariss

How long do these things last?
It can be caused by a lot of things - it's always best to just get a quick checkup at the vet to make sure it's not something serious.

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They can last anywhere from a couple of seconds to up to a minute.

One of my dogs has the same thing - it's called inverse breathing. It's also a term used when people have asthma.

I have never heard the term reverse breathing but maybe it's the same thing.

My dog will actually begin to stagger from insufficient oxygen - I have to grab her, reassure her, stroke her throat to get her to begin breathing "normally" again.