# Hyperventilating dog



## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

Hi everyone, by Maltepoo Bianca hyperventilates sometimes. She'll wake up in the middle of the night doing this. She makes a funny sound when she does that, its more like a choaking/coughing sound and breathing heavily in and out and it has me worried. She's only 18 months. She'll do this sometimes during the day as well, mostly when she's been startled. I was thinking that she was doing it during the night because of a bad dream because she's just bolt to a sitting positing and then it starts. Has anyone experienced anything similar to this?. Any ideas?


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## pixxee84 (Jan 23, 2008)

Beowulf has made sounds like that before, but I didn't think it was hyperventilating. He is a Maltese, that is 6 months old. I always thought it was a sneeze or cough, and I have only seen him do it while hes awake. I read somewhere about reverse sneezing, but I don't know anything about it, maybe someone else does.


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

what you’re describing is called a reverse sneeze. they sometimes do it when they get over excited or sometimes when they get done drinking... it's a spasm of the trachea. most times it will subside on it's own. however, you should be on the look out for a collapsing trachea, the reverse sneeze is sometimes an indication of it. just to be safe, i would have your vet check it out.


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

I read that you can stop the dog from doing this by forcing them to breath from their mouth by putting two fingers on their nostrils for a few seconds. It works with mine.


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## njdrake (Apr 23, 2007)

Tess does this sometimes when she gets excited. I was told by a friend to do the same as Tami in the previous post, I place my fingers on her nose and she is OK immediately. I hope this helps.


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## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

I'm going to give it a try. the first time she did it, it really freaked me it. It sounded like a little pig snorting in and out and her heart was beating so fast. I was afraid she was going to pass out. I usually just cuddle her sooth her until it passes, but I'm going to give this a try.


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## Cheri (Jan 7, 2008)

That's a great tip because my Gypsy (doxi mix) does it sometimes too and it freaks me out every time LOL. My Lab/pit mix did it a lot when he was younger too. 
~~Cheri~~


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I know how scary it is to watch them go through that. And even once I knew what it was, it was still scary to wittness. Both of my babies have done this. Zoe more so than Jett, but I didn't get Jett until he was a year old. Both of them seemed to have outgrown it. Hopefully yours will too. But like Carrie said, be sure to tell your vet about it so that it is documented and can be watched.


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## Jenn&Tucker (Nov 24, 2007)

Tucker was doing this during activity and at rest, it was getting worse so we took him to the vet. The vet did X-rays looking for a collapsing trachea or enlarged heart and everything was OK. She put him on antibiotics saying it could possibly be a kennel cough. A couple of days on the antibiotic and he has never done it again. We finished the regimen of medicine and all is well. We are kind of stumped on how he got kennel cough though.... It had to be at the pet store, those were the only dogs he was around for a couple of weeks prior to the incidents! And he'd had the bordatella.. but, all is well now so no worries.


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