Please help me feel better about our dog... (long)

[BC]

We have 2 dachshunds that we have kenneled several times and they did great. They crate together so that helps them not be so anxious. I always feel bad leaving them, but know they will be in good hands. However, this time, one of them. Jake, has not been feeling well and I am ready to cancel my trip. He has been making a stange sound occasionally like he is having trouble breathing. It is like real deep breaths one behind the other and last from a few seconds to a few minutes. We took him to the vet and he told us it sounded like the beginning of congestive heart failure. He is 10 years old and he said sometimes they get it about that age. He did not do any test, but gave us Lasix for fluid. We were devastated! Well, we gave it to him and it did not do any good so after 4 days, we took him to another vet for a second opinion. This time this vet kept him and did xrays and all. We were thrilled when he told us there was no sign of congestive heart failure, but he thought he had allergies. He heard Jake do it in the office and reassured us he had heard it many times and was sure it was something to do with his sinus/nasal. He gave us Benadryl and we have been giving it to him 4 days and he just had 3 bad spells tonight. I am so worried about him. I just wondered if anyone else knows if it takes a while for the medicine to help with something like that. I will call the vet back Monday, but am just so scared. When he told us it was a reversed sneeze he was having and nothing to worry about, I felt better about leaving him at the kennel for our trip Dec 11th, but now I am ready to cancel again. If any of you have had dogs do this, please let me know what it was. Thanks!

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Im sorry to hear about your dogs

 

[Donna]

My 11 yr old cocker spaniel started breathing like this too. she sleeps deep and breaths heavy, like a snoring. i am starting to get anxious about leaving her (she boards with our golden retriever). It really does help having them together. My previous cocker spaniel lived to be 17 and she was boarded once or twice a year. they say they have no concept of time. If your dog is eating and drinking normally, i would not worry.
I am like you, i'd cancel in a heartbeat if something was wrong with my dogs. Since you've been to two different vets and had thorough exams, i would continue the meds but make sure the kennel knows exactly how much to give. Make sure to call the kennel every day. I do that no matter what. Try to relax and not worry and enjoy your time at disney. I leave on tuesday!

 

[Antonia]

I have had 2 senior citizen dogs - one lived to be 17 (got him from the pound and he lived 17 more years with us) and the other is still living and we have had her nearly 14 years. She was a stray. She has only a few teeth and many times she has these very stange breathing episodes. She has had them for a couple of years and I think they are allergies. It has nothing to do with snoring while she sleeps - she does snore. But these episodes happen mostly while she is awake and sound a lot like what you are describing. She has done this for a couple of years.
I would not cancel your trip, because if your dog is like mine, it could still be happening two years from now and you will regret having cancelled the trip.

 

[BC]

It really does help to have words of encouragement. I always call the kennel regularly when we are gone. My husband teases me that the kennel is not going to tell me anything but good stuff as long as everything is going OK. I don't care, I still call. I give them all our numbers and leave my cell on all the time. I have read alot about this reverse sneezing and everything seems to say it is not life threatening. It will surely put a damper on my long awaited trip, but like I said, I would not hesitate to lose all my deposits if it meant the dogs needed me!

 

[BC]

Thanks for your response! I just wondered how often this happens to your dog. Ours is doing it 1-4 times a day now. I hope the Benadryl is the answer!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have no thoughts to help, BC, but did want you to know I am hoping Jake improves and feels better soon.

 

[KathyFP]

I hope that Jake feels better

Pixie Dust coming your way

 

[Kim in TN]

I would recommend talking to either of the vets that had seen him and see if they offer any boarding services, then he would be at the hospital under the watchful eyes of trained veterinarians and technicians. I work at an animal hospital and we board pets more than the local boarding facilities because people feel more comfortable with them being at the vets office "just in case"

Also our 9 year old dachsie, Marcus was thought to be having heart trouble, and my vet after suspious xrays sent him to a referral facility for an ultrasound of his heart (we also did an EKG) although it was fairly pricey, we found out he was fine, no problems at all, but even if there was, I felt like at least we would know and know how to treat him to give him the best quality of life....he's my baby.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions!
marcusplus4@charter.net

Kim

 

[jsmith]

Two things may help-
If he is really reverse sneezing-this is fairly common in some dogs (beagles) and apparently doxies-our beagle did it for most of his life (22 years). Usually it was most common when the barometer was dropping-we never gave him anything, it never seemed to be a problem and eventually became something we were not concerned about.

Now about the kenneling-last winter, about 2 weeks before Christmas our elderly St. Bernard mix tore both the ACL and MCL in his hind leg. Our vet was closed when I came home and found him, so we took him to a very good young vet-he took x rays, and looked at all of Mooses joints-then told us that we could take him home and make hime comfortable but he would not recover completely and we would have to put him down. We waited, so our vet could give a second opinion-he said to do nothing for two weeks and see what happened-in the middle of all this we had a Christmas trip to see our families planned and the dog was schedule to be kenneled-I called the kennel and asked about leaving him-they promised to take good and careful care-we found out later that they brought him each day into the groomers shop where he would be warm and quiet and gave him lots of TLC. When we picked him up he was barely limping and today he goes sound on all fours except when it is very cold out.-Talk to your kennel-a kennel he is familiar with will be less stressful than the vet he may not be familiar with and that he will likely associate with unpleasantness and they are usually very good at taking care of dogs with problems (Moose has been boarded three times this year and they always ask about his injuries and take extra care with him)

 

[BC]

I had already thought about Jake feeling better at the kennel rather than the vet. The vet's office only takes them out 2 times a day and the kennel does much better than that. Also, at the kennel they let them wander around the office some during the day. They seem to really like our dogs and always act sad when we pick them up. As of now, I am still planning our trip so keep your fingers crossed that he will be all right!

 

[orrnluvswdw]

Hi All:

I don't post often, mostly lurker However, this subject is near & dear to my heart. I'm proudly owned by five spoiled rotten dachshunds What your describing is what we in "weiner world" call reverse sneezing.

Don't fret, it's not that bad. This is a misnomer, for it has nothing to do with actual sneezing. However, it is a popular term for something that appears to be worse than it actually is. When this occurs, your dog will appear to be snorting or choking. The posture will be one of the neck extended with the chest expanded, as the dog struggles to take in air. The actual physiology is that the trachea has narrowed and the normal amount of air is not able to enter the lungs. The triggering mechanisms are usually excitement or stress. If this is happening to your dog, do not panic. You can help your dog by soothingly stroking the upper throat area to encourage relaxation and dilation of the trachea. If things do not resolve soon, and the dog is really having a continued hard time, you can try depressing the tongue to open up the oral cavity for the passage of much needed air into the lungs. The predisposition to this is thought to be hereditary, particularly in smaller breeds because of the decreased diameter of their tracheas. If your dog occasionally has this, do not worry that you need to be there to help each time it happens. A dog is able to come out of an attack of reverse sneezing without help and will not suffer permanent damage.

Several of mine do this daily....I just calm them down by rubbing their throat & "sweet talking" them They LOVE that! I'm a former vet. tech who turned RN....everyone that knows me likes to say that I went from working on 4 legged creatures to 2 legged creatures I've got a nice mixed knowledge base of medicine that really helps. I'm also active in dachshund rescue...that's why I'm blessed with the five that live with hubby & I

BC: as long as YOUR comfortable with your "kids" living arrangements while your away, that's half the battle. Make sure you give them something of "yours" that has your sent on it, something they could snuggle in Checking in on them will really make you feel better, do it often.

Enjoy yourself! You'll know your kids are in safe hands!

 

[mrsstats]

I know how you feel. I had to leave my dog last March while on vacation. I was going to leave her at the vet as she had been sick but she seemed to be better so I was able to keep her home with family members. She got worse while we were gone, wasn't eating but they were able to get her to eat some things by hand feeding. We had to have her put to sleep in April. It was hard being away but all plans were made and she was in good hands. As long as you are comfortable with the people she is staying with, I would go on with my trip.

 

[BC]

for taking the time to send some encouraging words. I called the kennel today and she knew exactly what "reverse sneezing" was and told me she had no problem with keeping him. He has not done it this afternoon so I am hoping it is subsiding with his Benadryl. Does anyone know how long he can take it? It sounds like most of you that have dogs doing it don't give them anything. I do OK thinking about leaving him until nighttime comes around. He likes to get on our bed for a while before we go to sleep and I sure will miss him!