What is wrong? What can I do?
All About Sneezing
Sneezing is a normal dog behavior.
Dogs expel air to remove irritants and debris from their nasal cavity.
Some dogs even experience reverse sneezing which may sound like wheezing.
Reverse sneezing occurs when air is brought into the nose removing irritants from the area up behind the nose near the roof of the dog’s mouth.
Gagging often occurs, causing the dog to swallow and eliminate the irritant.
What Causes Sneezing?
The main causes of sneezing and runny nose in dogs are:
- Allergies
- Blockage
- Infection
- Tumors, polyps, or cancer
- Nostril genetic form or deformities
- Diseases like Distemper or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
- Cleft Palate or Fistula
If your dog experiences chronic coughing, sneezing, gagging, and runny nose, you should have him checked by a veterinarian to rule out diseases, tumors, polyps, or cancer.
In our hospital, the most common cause of dog sneezing and runny nose is dog allergies.
Dogs Experience Our Symptoms
Here is an interesting thought:
A dog with allergies has the exact same symptoms as a person who is allergic to dogs!
Common symptoms of dog allergies are:
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Wheezing
- Watery eyes
- Runny nose
- Gagging
- Itching
- Chronic ear infections
So what can you do?
Your ultimate goal is to alleviate the symptoms of dog allergies while at the same time addressing the cause of the allergies.
Alleviate Symptoms With Pharmaceuticals or Herbs
Alleviating the symptoms of an allergy is usually done with pharmaceuticals or herbs and will make your dog feel better right away by controlling the coughing, constant sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes, runny nose, and gagging.
The medication may even totally stop these symptoms.
But for the best treatment, don’t stop here!
You also need to identify what allergens are causing the reaction in your dog so you can do your best to eliminate these allergens from your dog’s environment.
This can be a daunting task!
But, just do your best!
Powerful Tools for Overcoming Dog Allergy Challenges
There are many quick and easy changes you can make at home to help you give your dog an edge on easing allergy challenges.
- Learn more about dog allergies.
- Switch to a Limited Ingredient Diet. PET | TAO Limited Ingredient Diet is naturally low in foods that stimulate an allergic response.
- Supplement with medicinal mushrooms. PET | TAO Complement Immune Mushroom Blend eases inflammatory response and allergy symptoms.
- Try digestive enzymes and probiotics. PET | TAO Harmonize boosts gut health and combats food allergens.
- Feed Freeze Dried Lung Treats. According to TCVM, Lung is on the same meridian as the skin. Therefore, lung treats help both breathing and skin allergies. Lung treats support lung and skin similar to a glandular supplement in a “like treats like” fashion.
- Learn more about TCVM Herbal Remedies. Chinese medicine offers many amazing natural solutions for dog allergies Some good examples are:
Get A Phone Consultation with One of Our TCVM Veterinarians
