When your Pomeranian Reverse Sneezes, I think is more uncomfortable for the Pommy Parent then it is for the Pomeranian. From all the research and Vet visits I had over my time as a Pommy Mommy indicate that the startling snorts and gagging sounds are more common than you would think in small breeds such as Pomeranians. As a Pommy Mommy any noise that comes out of our furry babies that doesn’t seem natural becomes an alarm. No need to worry too much, because this is kind of natural in two of my babies, Mika and Luka.
Luka seems to reverse sneeze at least 2 – 3 times a day. When a Pomeranian reverse sneezes in Vet and medical terms is actually something called: mechanosensitive aspiration reflex, inspiratory paroxysmal respiration, and pharyngeal gag reflex. Now if you were to tell me that’s what the problem was, I would have a heart attack because it sounds like a very serious problem. I found out that words sound horrible but what is happening isn’t so much.
Episodes of this phenomenon only last a few, if… that many minutes.
When your Pomeranian Reverse Sneezes
Reverse sneezing is caused by a spasm of the throat and soft palate. This spasm is triggered by any irritation to the throat, pharynx, or laryngeal area. The most common triggers are excitement, exhaustion, a tight collar, pulling too hard on their leash, an environmental irritant like pollen, perfume, even a household chemical or cleaner, room sprays, or even a sudden change in temperature. It’s very rare that a respiratory infection or nasal drip causes the irritation.
Whenever the weather changes from Summer to Fall/Winter, my Luka has little reverse sneezing fits for the first 3 weeks of the weather change, then it stops and becomes very random. Sometimes when I open the sliding glass door or the front door Luka and Mika run out… and they start reverse sneezing… like clockwork. Mika it doesn’t bother but Luka still get’s a little nervous because it seems like he doesn’t know what’s going on.
When your Pomeranian Reverse Sneezes it almost never requires treatment or a trip to the Vet… even though I’ve gone just to make sure.
Like little Luka, when your Pomeranian reverse sneezes it can create anxiety, remain calm and your Pom will stay pretty calm. Most of the time your furry baby will learn what’s called a “conditioned panic response”… because you’re freaking out, they will too. The furry acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.
I’ve been told to do nothing because it comes and goes so quickly but if you feel the need to do something, which some of us do, try massaging his/her throat to stop the spasm. Sometimes covering your pet’s nostrils very briefly will cause them to swallow, which usually clears the irritation and stop the reverse sneezing.
You can also try putting your hand in their mouth,and pressing on their tongue… if the sneezing lasts longer than you think it should. This makes their mouth open wider and increases airflow through it’s nose.
But truth be told most of the time these reactions aren’t necessary and will just further stress levels of Pomeranian and parent. Although this is usually nothing to get all up in arms about, many Vet’s recommend that you pay close attention to your furry babies before and after your Pomeranian reverse sneezes.
Here’s a quick tip from Dr. Sherry Weaver on Reverse Sneezing: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/dog-health/reverse-sneezing
48 comments
Thank you! My Pom Missy has done this and I had no idea what was going on. Your article was quite helpful. 🙂
You’re welcome.
Thank you for this I thought my little Mia was the only one who reversed sneezed. It worried me a lot for awhile till a trip to the vet reassured me it was okay but I always kind of panic which I have to stop I don’t Mia to panic also I don’t think she’s use to it either like Luka lol but thanks again for all your info 🙂
This is exactly what Scarlett does! It is worse in the mornings for her. She is 14 and I was worried it was heart related. My vet said no, just reverse sneezing. He gave me cough tabs- that is what they are called, for her to try. She takes 1/2 pill two times a day. They work great and she went from sneezing several times a day to maybe once a week if that!
We have to administer the same thing when things get bad.
I’ve been a Pom Mom since 1995 and have been the happy mom to 6 at different times (plus 3 litters of pups) and have just one little guy right now….Teddy! 🙂 Just stumbled upon your site from Pinterest and bookmarked the blog.
Each one of my poms at one time or another have done this type thing and I’ve often (if they are panicked) have picked them up, rubbed them and created a calm, loving hug for my babies. It is scary when it first happens and you haven’t a clue what is going on; but once you “know” it is all a matter of the love you give them that gets them through it. 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this! This happens often with my pom, Chester, and even though the vet said it wasn’t a big deal it would still stress me out. But now knowing it happens to a lot of poms and with the great information you provided it has put my mind at ease. I love your site!!
I am so glad it helps give you piece of mind.
I wondered what this was. My pomeranian Gracie does this too! I thought there was something really wrong until the vet told me and now after reading this article it makes more sense Thanks for sharing!!
Maybe I should have read this before I posted on our page, huh ? Lol. Thanks again, love. You’re always a bundle of help. <3
This helps a lot. Will tell my vet about this next month when we go for her yearly check up. It sure doesn’t sound good, now that we know she’s actually ok, we’ll be better at handling it. Pushing our buttons won’t work with that, but we will be cuddling her a lot still! 🙂 She’s becoming a real cuddler now, we’ve only had her for almost 5 years and she will be 10 soon so we worry about losing her! Hopefully she will be with us a few more years and we won’t be so afraid of this! thanks for your help and good advice!
The first time my baby did this, I rushed him to the vet, it came with wheezing, an occasional cough. I thought he had something obstructing his airway and I fell apart. My husband had to drive the 2 miles because I was shaking so badly. My vet very calmly stroked Rusty from his neck to mid belly and it stopped in 30 to 45seconds. Yeah I know, I was a lil overprotective but he was so tiny and I loved him so much. Anyway my vet said it was very common in small breeds and told me if he didn’t stop after a little while to put a drop or two of honey on his nose and his tongue stretching to link it off will stop the gag reflex. Since my first to my 2 that I have now, it hasn’t failed me once. After that visit, my dr gave me his cell so I could call instead of bringing him in for everything, that taught me to calm down because I had to b balm enough to talk to him and cut down on our trips to the vet by 90% at least. Lol
3 out of my 4 pommies do this. It still scares me because my vet said they make the same noise if they have a collapsing trachea. I always try to stay as calm as possible and I hold them and talk to them to soothe them in a very calm tone. Now I think they do it on purpose just to get me to hold them like a baby lol. They can be such goobers at times 🙂
my pom tiny timmy does this scared the crap out of me i called the vet and they explained it to me!!!
That article on reverse sneezing helped me tremendously! I have read about it before, but to actually see and hear a video of a pomeranian reverse sneezing to me just solved all mystery as to whether or not that is what my pom is doing. And it is. My Teddy has a collapsed trachea and I always thought it had something to do with that, and it would scare me, but now I know it is just reverse sneezing and nothing to worry about. Thank you so much for posting that article and the videos! You have a great website!
My vet said if I could get him to eat a treat or drink some water it would cause the sneeze to stop. Basically anything that would make it work his throat muscle. I have found that if I rub his hind legs it makes him do an involuntary licking which stops the sneezing. Some times I see him doing the licking on his own when the sneeze starts to try and stop it.
Thanks for the great article. I did notice in the first video that another pom was growling while this one was reverse sneezing. I have two poms, a 14 year old and a 1 year old. Whenever the 14 year old does the reverse sneezing, the 1 year old starts growling and barking a her. I try to get her to stop because it can’t be helpful to my old girl (I call her GG for golden girl). It’s funny that others do that too!! Thanks for all the great information!!
Lisa
There’s no need to tell the other Pom to stop. It is more stressful if you are reprimanding the other one.
This article has somewhat reassured me, but….. I rescued 2 poms three weeks and 2 days ago. They are Spike, age 10, and Lucy, age 5. They are not related by have been together since Lucy was a puppy. I do not have history, other than one old vet record from 2008. They were not taken very good care of, at least not in Lucy’s lifetime. Spike is starting to remember some of his manners, but Lucy is a 5 yr old puppy. She is not spayed and right now she is in heat. SURPRISE! Anyway, Spike has some health issues; he has kidney stones and a very very narrow wind pipe. I know that’s not the medical term, but you get what I mean. He also has some type of issue with his heart that we are trying to identify and decide the seriousness of before we do anything about the stones. Oh, and his teeth are so bad they are practically falling out. Above all that my biggest concern is what you call reverse sneezing. I call it down right goose honking. And he can honk for hours without stopping. I have had him back to the vet twice for it, and she has no idea. We thought it was a reaction to the Bortetella vaccination, as it started up the night after shots, and she still thinks that’s part of it, as both dogs are hacking. But now that I’ve read your article, I think Lucy more fits the video of Luka. She only does it once in a while, but oddly she usually does it while Spike is doing it. And her’s only lasts a minute or so. She is quite scared too it seems, so I do hold her or talk to her to help calm her. Spike on the other hand, can walk around the house and honk for 10 minutes straight. He actually honked all through the night for almost a week!! None of us got any sleep!! How can you put a dog in a kennel and walk away when he is clearly in distress??! We tried amoxicillin, steroids, right now we are on Benydryl – and the vet is pretty much out of ideas.
I rescued the dogs on a Friday, took them in for shots on Sunday morning, took them to the groomer on Sunday afternoon, and when I got them home from the groomer the honking first started. So I had them almost 48 hrs and there was no honking, or reverse sneezing. I was concerned the groomer had too tight of a collar on him, but I watched her start him and he sat perfectly still for her. I know the previous owner had collars on them, so that could have damaged their throats, but I am at a complete loss for how to help this little boy just breathe!!! I would welcome any suggestions you have. Next time I will talk to you about Lucy’s barking issues…!
PS that is Spike as my profile picture! He is 10 pounds and LOVES to eat – rabbit poop is his favorite food, apparently. And Lucy is a 3 pound black silky feather weight who I think has been pretty neglected, She loves attention and is in my arms more than not, although she still finds time to sneak off and pee somewhere…but she barks that shrill non-stop bark at everything – when she’s outside, looking out the window, and when people come into or leave the house. And she seems especially concerned when anyone leaves.
Okay, I talked your ear off and I’m sorry. But I am just to happy to have found your site, I’m just so glad there is someone I can talk to who gets it!!!!
Not to alarm anyone,but my pom TULIP makes this noise. The vets have told me that her sounds are from a collapsing trachea. She has a severe case & could easily die from the episodes. On our last trip to vet for shots, she went into a spasm. They her an injection, which did stop the problem for an hour. Vet told me that dogs usually die when they are pups. If not properly diagnosed, this can be fatal. Tulip will be 11 yrs old in July.
Thank you! I’m so glad I read this post. I thought there was something wrong with my pommy….
Thank you so much for this article! Ive been terrified that something was wrong with my pommy. Ive tried to explain it to the vet who always listened to her chest and throat and said everything is fine. Of course my pom never reversed sneezed in from of the vet so I looked silly!
My pom, Rosco is 9 and had done this his entire life. It gets worse during allergy season for which we medicate.
I am glad that you shared this as my poms do this and I do get upset when it lasts long. I do massage the throat which helps sometimes. When they open their mouths it seems to stop.
my eski does this too she really gets upset about it. Hard not to worry when they look so scared.
Wow, I’m so glad I found this information on your site and thanks for the video. One of my girls did this yesterday and I was so worried. I think it was brought on by the excitement of us coming home, so we just remained calm and calmed her down and it eventually passed. Reverse sneeze…..who would have thought.
OMG! Thank you for this post, my smallest pom does this and I had no idea what it was, now just to figure out what sets this off.
My late pom didn’t reverse sneeze. She did occasionally sneeze and fart at once.
My teddy does this a lot. The reverse sneezing and the hacking. I give him an ice cube to lick and it usually stops it quickly. When I had him fixed the collar irritated his throat and the vet put him on some meds and it stopped it completely. Now he is doing it again. Not sure what is up with that
Thanks for posting this explanation. Lil Bit does this when she gets excited. At first it freaked us all out. But now we just work on calming her down.
My story may be a little different. My Rusty Dreamweaver was coughing, hacking, and making choking sounds. When I took him to the vet , they told me that his trachea was pushing against his backbone becasue of a fluid buildup in the sac around the heart. They said that he had congestive heart failure and would live about 6 months or at the most a year. Four years later he’s still here and taking his meds, which includes a beta blocker and a diuretic. When it gets humid I have to increase this diuretic to wring out more fluid. He exercises “gently” every day, then goes nuts when the mailman comes.! He’s now eight years old and the best Pom in the world.
My Coco does this too!! I have noticed if she gets hot it happens. I hate to do it but I keep her coat cut short, especially in the warmer months and it happens way less. She sleeps so much better and does it mainly when she’s playing. She pants a lot with her long coat and is restless at night. She loves it when her coat short. You can just tell she feels better and there’s a lot less hacking.
ok i think this is my dogs problem but she sounds like trying to choke up a hairball too . i dont stress over it cuz it stops but always wondered what it is now i am almost positive thats what it is a reverse sneeze! t.y. Pommy Mommy. miss ya but moved and got real busy.
My 8 year old Pommie Yogi has been doing this more and more. First a cough, then hacking about 5 times, then it ends with one big GAG, like a hairball. He was having several episodes in a row during the night waking us up as he sleeps in a bed next to ours. He is now taking Theophylline 100 mg – 1/2 of a pill 2 times a day. Theophylline is a human medication sold by prescription only. It’s a bronchodilator treatment for cats and dogs, used to open air passages in the lungs by relaxing the muscles in the lungs and chest. It has helped Yogi tremendously as long as I don’t skip any doses. He may have only a few episodes now and then. Online at Dr. Foster and Smith it is .25 per pill in 2014. The vets charge a lot more. Also, If you want to discuss the episodes with your vet take a video with your phone or camera so you can show them exactly what your pommie is doing.
I thought for years the vet was trying to comfort my fears by telling me it was a inverted sneeze, thats to your site I am profoundly relieved!! THANK YOU SO MUCH.
My pom was just reverse sneezing for about five minutes. On and off. I read the honey on top of nose comment so I used my drink on hand. Quick dip in an dab on top of nose. He did a couple big licks. And omg he stopped instantly. Thankyou so much. Was getting worried.
My pom was just reverse sneezing for about five minutes. On and off. I read the honey on top of nose comment so I used my drink on hand. Quick dip in an dab on top of nose. He did a couple big licks. And omg he stopped instantly. Thankyou so much. Was getting worried.
yes, sadly always check for heart failure with the vet and do not let them dismiss this hacking, coughing, and gagging if it occurs acutely or chronically. Many diagnoses of congestive heart failure could be caught earlier if tested and not dismissed as just reverse sneezing.
yes, sadly always check for heart failure with the vet and do not let them dismiss this hacking, coughing, and gagging if it occurs acutely or chronically. Many diagnoses of congestive heart failure could be caught earlier if tested and not dismissed as just reverse sneezing.
Could the reverse sneeze cause them to throw up?
I have a pom that coughs then gags like he is trying to cough up a hair ball. Been doing it more recently. I had another pom that was coughing when excited, or in warmer weather – sounds like cough, blowing air out, no gag at end of coughing – this pom, much to my shock and sadness died unexpectedly within a few hours of putting her in a kennel (at vet hospital) – trachea collapse, enlarged heart, i had no idea she had either. They tried but could not save her and she was only 6. In future, I will be having my pom X-ray if I see them repeat coughing to try to find this out sooner. This was one tragedy I never want to have happen again.
Hi, i had my Pomeranian Bear for 2 months shy of 18 years. we lost him 12/31/ 2014. Due to old age & bear had been blind the last 1& 1/2 yrs of his life. We were Very blessed to have that angel , rarely did he have the sneezing. Now we have a new Pomeranian,Gizzy, He has the shorter nose & does the reverse sneezing more often, I learned with my departed bear how to get him & now Gizzy “gizzy” is approximately 7-8 yrs old to Break the cycles of the hacking & snorting etc. I began with the Tip of the nose gently Rubbing Upwards to the Top of their forehead and keep Repeating this in between doing this I’ll gently but firmly pat their upper shoulders and during this procedure saying Stop as a command & this has been working with my New Pomeranian, he knows I’m helping him, Gizzy will seek me out if he is not near me, But rarely is he very far from me i am happy to know that Gizzy has caught on to this so quickly, i stay calm as i’m helping them, otherwise they will become over excited & will make the reverse sneezing worse. Constantly observant of my baby. It may on last a minute or so, personally the sooner i can help the shorter it will last. It’s scary sometimes. Doing this has worked for my fur baby’s without a trip to the vet everytime it has happened.
We have two Poms. The older female Pom is quiet, and subdued, while the younger male Pom is more outgoing, and sociable. One thing to do is to find a great vet. We were lucky to find a great vet in our area; it took us a while, but we kept looking. Our vet told us: For Poms the areas of concern are: joints, teeth, and throat. In relation to this article, both Poms developed both a cough, and hack. Pom throats seem to be sensitive, and susceptible to collapse. Thus, walk your Pom with a harness, and not just a leash. In addition, if you have your Pom groomed, talk to the groomer about another way to keep your Pom settled other than the usual hook, and leash method. Finally, some coughing is normal. For example, our dogs drink, and eat quickly. Thus, sometimes stuff gets into their nose, or they just over indulge, and their little bodies don’t digest the food or water quickly. However, if the situation persists, do have the dog/dogs looked at by a vet. Once we stopped going to a particular groomer, and started using a harness for walks, the coughing was considerably reduced. Oh, and as a side note, our dogs have lots of fur, and can be easily excited. Thus, they sneeze as a reflexive reaction or they are telling you that their fur needs cleaning. Using a good shampoo on a regular basis, and keeping them clean can reduce the sneezing. In addition, calming them down can reassure them, and help them stop a sneezing fit. Lessons learned…lol.
I have a 5 and 8 yr old moms. One being about 3lbs. They both reverse cough. But the bigger pom sounds like he’s dieing lol very hoarse cough. I thought he was sick but I guess it’s normal. My issue with the tiny 3lbs girl is she snorts but mostly blows her sinuses of whiteish clear bubbly mucus which looks like snot. It’s thick. Idk if she needs a vet call or if it’s normal for her size. She’s happy and healthy otherwise. This video is reassuring for the cough and reverse sneezing. Thank you for posting it. My kids sound like kennel cough but now I think it’s normal.
My Pom is only 10 months old and has never done this until today which caused my panic to find this article, it has been very helpful and I’m hoping it’s just a simple change in seasons. I will just continue to watch him closely 🙂
i have two poms.willis 10yrs old,and roxy 7 yrs old,willis my 10 yr old had reverse sneezing off and on for two days,we looked it up that they can have a certain cough medicine that is sold in the chemist,robotussim,it did help but it was just after he had surgery on his tooth,it then went away for months,we have since moved and the weather has turned cold two days ago and it has returned,quite bad this time,and longer,and im guessing it was the cold change in weather,he sounds like a baby with croup and a goose,..i do find there are certain times he does it more,to gain the attention from us over the younger pom………..i find it quite distressing as i think hes in pain…….hes a toy pom so he only weighs 3.8kgs.so im hoping it goes away..as he is a older pom and i have heard of cases where it can lasts for years……..he has been healthy most of his years just a couple of teeth removed,but he will be 11 in october.my 7rd old pom has no health problems,so crossing fingers its just the cold weather and it goes away pretty quickly……..
Although I have read that it is very common and not to worry, my Pom had a reverse sneezing fit which was followed by a mini stroke.
He did not die and was not seriously sick or anything, but shortly after the sneezes his legs stopped working and he kept somersaulting over himself. He couldn’t stand up. 5 minutes later he was completely fine.
I don’t want to alarm anyone but be careful and keep an eye on your babies!!
[…] http://pommymommy.com/when-your-pomeranian-reverse-sneezes/ Luka seems to reverse sneeze at least 2 – 3 times a day. Reverse sneezing in Vet and medical terms is actually something called: mechanosensitive aspiration reflex, inspiratory paroxysmal respiration, and pharyngeal gag reflex. Now if you were to tell me that’s what the problem was I would have a heart attack because it sounds like a very serious problem. I found out that words sound horrible but what is happening isn’t so much. […]