Jack russell X whippet breathing problems - HELP!

[natalie]

My mini lurcher (jack Russell X Whippet) has had the odd occasion when her breathing is very laboured. She'll stand very rigid and makes a lot of noise trying to get air into herself. I was told by the vet that she gets her soft palette caught and I should squeeze her nose to force the palette back. She normally only has these attacks every few weeks or so and they'll last a minute or so. Last night she started with them early evening and carried on through the night. She's been to the vets and is on anti-inflamitarys and antibiotics but I'm not very reassured as she's been on these before. She's only 18 months old and is otherwise in perfect health. I've looked for info on the net but can only find breathing problems relating to squished faced dogs, pugs, bulldogs etc.. Does anyone know of any similar cases and have any advice? Many thanks.

[Giny]

Sounds like reverse sneezing. It's usually a common problem seen in smaller breeds but the good new is that it's not dangerous. My last dog had it and would usually worsen when he was excited or stressed. There's no cure for it sadly and seems really scary when they go through an episode but it's not life threatening. Here a link that describes it well.

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIP...eSneezing.html

[Giny]

My manners, welcome to GP!

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Normally I would say reverse sneezing as well but since you mentioned the vet talking to you about the soft palate I'm wondering if your dog was diagnosed with an elongated soft palate perhaps? This problem, while one that does seem to appear more often in the "short nosed / squishy faced" breeds it is not limited to just those breeds. Any dog can be born with an elongated soft palate.

The problem with an elongated soft palate is that the palate partially blocks the opening into the voice box. Changes in the voice box can lead to attacks of acute airway obstruction or "Laryngeal Collapse." If an elongated soft palate is the problem there is a fairly simple surgery to help partially correct the breathing issue. Many owners whos dogs have this problem will tend to notice that the difficulties are more pronounced during exercise and when the dog is hot.

Since you talked about a prolonged incident during the early evening that carried into the night in my opinion there is more going on here than just a simple case of reverse sneezing and your vet should be made aware of what happened. As for holding the nose, I'm sorry but that isn't going to "fix" the problem and is at best a temporary solution to a possibly lifetime problem. If it were me I'd get a second opinion personally.

Welcome to Global Paw by the way and I hope that things go well for your baby.

[Gina]

Yes..I did rush my JRT to the vet one weekend..for those oh-so-expensive weekend, after-hours x-rays and complete work-up..only to be reassured by the vet that the little guy had reverse sneezes. But it was frightening..and he kept doing it in the car while I rushed him to the vet..a 30 minute ride..I thought he was dying! My vet recommended aspirin treatment if he has another episode. He has had a few more episodes..a coated aspirin seems to do the trick.

[Barrett]

My dachshund, Bailey, does this pretty bad when I use a collar on her for walks. Once I started using a harness that pulls across her chest and NOT against her throat she completely stopped. I went almost a year only using the harness and we never had a single reverse sneeze episode. Then I forgot her harness at my Mom's house a few months ago and used a collar on her and she started the reverse sneezing again that night. Try a harness and see if that relieves some of your dogs episodes.