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BLMiller1985 · Mar 6, 2008, 12:45 PM

Sabina is now about 15 weeks, and she just recently recovered from kennel cough (except she still has a little runny nose) and now every now and then, maybe three times a day, she has short, fits that last for about thirty seconds or less where she sounds like she's gasping for breath, but instead of gasping in, she's exhaling in quick short sharp breaths. Is she asthmatic or maybe is she having panic attacks? It happens sometimes when she's just laying down, but I noticed that it happens the most when the big dog in our house is playing roughly with her or there's a lot of movement and noise in the house. What's going on with my little girl?

wildandblue · Mar 6, 2008, 03:28 PM

This sounds exactly like epileptic seizures. All dogs have them occaionally from time to time. It looks a lot scarier than it is. Keep her from hurting herself and when the fit is over talk quietly and reassuringly to her. A good bedside manner helps. You may notice in time she seems to know in advance when she will have one and won't be scared because you aren't... a variety of things can trigger a fit many of which are unavoidable... wind, sunlight, excitement... both my dogs had this from time to time... one lived to be 15 and died in her sleep.

froggy7 · Mar 6, 2008, 08:50 PM

It might be something called "reverse sneezing" or pharyngeal gag reflex. If it is, it can sound truly frightening (my dog does it), and is one of the reasons that people take their dogs to the emergency vet. But, if that's what it is, it's generally harmless. Here's some sites with info on the phenomenon.

Dog Tip: Reverse Sneezing
Reverse Sneezing (Pharyngeal Gag Reflex) - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

BLMiller1985 · Mar 6, 2008, 09:01 PM

Thanks guys.. I'll definitely do some more research on ya'lls answers. :)

BLMiller1985 · Mar 7, 2008, 04:15 PM

So it doesn't seem like she is epileptic or reverse sneezing at all. She's actually begun to start wheezing more now, not just breathing exhaling quickly. Some people say that dogs go through this when they have just recovered from kennel cough, which, she'll take her last dose of clavamox tomorrow morning. This afternoon she actually had a fit that lasted for at least a minute.. I started to get nervous, especially after I rubbed her throat until she swallowed and it had no effect. I tried covering her nose to see if it would make any difference and it didn't. She still has a bundle of energy and she's eating fine, so I'm assuming she's not seriously sick. :) But.. I did notice this.. after she stopped coughing from the cold, I cleaned her kennel with a pine-sol dilute, and washed her bed with laundry detergent. Maybe she's allergic to the laundry detergent?:confused:

froggy7 · Mar 7, 2008, 08:35 PM

I know that cats can't handle pine-sol, but I'm not sure if that applies to dogs. Does she seem to do this more when she is in her crate, or is it pretty much random? Also, if she was under a vet's care for the kennel cough, it might be worth calling them and asking if this is common during the recovery period and if they think it's anything to worry about.

LifeIsTooShort · Mar 8, 2008, 08:38 AM

My dogs have done something similar... it's like they snort in and out, kind of harshly for a few seconds. Sometimes when one is going on too long, I go outside and ring the doorbell. For whatever reason, the excitement of the doorbell makes it stop and then she starts barking! However, if your dog is recovering from an illness, maybe you should call the vet and see what they think... it could simply be part of the recovery.

I wish you the best!

lindsayminar · Mar 9, 2008, 05:34 PM

My Lab does it too. Especially when she had just recovered form kennel cough. I usually tried to call her name run around get her excited and her mind off it. It went form snorting, to wheezing, and now the occasional snorting wheezing thing. I would say don't worry unless she starts to have nasal leakage again orstops eating her food