Sneezing

[GoEmGo]

Hello all.

Since our epic snowfall in Derbyshire around a week ago, Monty has been sneezing like a trooper. He's not a sneezy dog at all usually. As it was Monty's first experience of snow, he loved it - bounding around, leaping in the six inches, and eating a little bit of the white stuff. When we took him for walks, he was wearing his Equafleece to keep him warm.

His sneezing comes in fits - maybe five or six in a row and maybe six times a day. He still sleeps soundly and the sneezing doesn't wake him. And he doesn't seem overly fazed by it. I'm wondering if dogs can catch colds or get a chill. Just seems a coincidence this has happened after the snowfall and cold weather. Or maybe there was a hidden nasty in the snow that he's sniffed? He is absolutely fine otherwise, no cough or eye discharge, eating like a horse and very happy to play.

I don't want to take him to the vet to be prodded and poked if I don't have to. He's been sneezing for about 5 days now. Has anyone experienced this with their minis? Thank you for any advice in advance.

[zeta1454]

This is a difficult one to advise and probably a vet visit would be best if you do want to try and find out for certain. However if Monty is fine in every other way then you might want to monitor it for a bit longer in case it clears up of itself.

The usual causes of sneezing can be something in the dog’s nose that they have inhaled - usually more common in the summer e.g. a grass seed; a reaction to something he is breathing in which is irritating his airways e.g. a strong smell from something in the home or outside; or a substance that has been sprayed in the outside environment such as anti-freeze products. There are other more serious issues which can also cause sneezing in dogs but usually there are other signs that the dog is unwell. I would not think it was that he had caught a chill especially if Monty is not shivering or showing other signs of a viral infection as dogs are pretty hardy when it comes to playing in the snow for short periods and he was well wrapped up.

[Oscar 12345]

I am just amazed that dogs don't constantly get grit or stuff up their noses judging by the intensity of their sniffing. Isn't it a pity you can't get them to blow their noses. Hopefully one of the sneezes manages to dislodge something and eject it. You want him to do one of those enormous head and body shaking sneezes that they sometimes do.

[GoEmGo]

Thank you. I will make an appointment with the vet on Monday.

It's so strange. It's very obvious now that he sneezes outside mainly. We went for a walk this morning and the moment he set foot out of the porch he sneezed half a dozen times in succession, looked at me for some fuss, and then went on his merry way. This happened four times on the walk. Got back home and had some play time before snoozing on me while I type this. No sneezing at all indoors today. It's so odd. It's like he is suddenly averse to cold temperatures and wind. I can't see how it's allergies. But I'll see what the vet says.

[Oscar 12345]

Good idea. You might well find that it is because when he steps outside he immediately starts with the sniffing of the air so is irritated by something in the nose, inside he doesn't do the sniffing. I wonder if you can test it by do a "go find it" exercise for food around the room. If it is something inhaled then he should in theory sneeze whilst trying to find it.

[GoEmGo]

We ended up using a free service that our pet insurance has which is a video call with a vet yesterday. I was very dubious about the whole thing but to my surprise it was very reassuring. A lovely vet called us and helped us do some sinus and breathing tests at home. She saw how bouncy and lively he was. She seemed to think it was irritation in the nasal passages or a bit of kennel cough but presenting without the cough bit as she had seen this in mini schnauzers before.

I wouldn't use this service if Monty was exhibiting signs of being poorly like not eating or being really off colour. But for this ailment it was OK I think. She then emailed a comprehensive report to us with some recommendations. If he is still sneezing and snorting after another 48 hours we will take him to our vet. However, this morning it already seems better as the air outside isn't as cold. We had one snuffle and a sneeze instead of the usual half a dozen when we ventured out the door for his walk. The colder temperatures were definitely making him sneeze more. The added bonus that this video vet call service was free and doesn't affect his insurance premium impressed me a lot. Fingers crossed he keeps sneezing less!

[Dawnspell]

Good news fingers crossed hes on the mend. Makes a change for something to be free at the vets

[Schnauzerluv]

Hi I hope Monty is doing ok. I just had to write, I'm in Canada and it's very cold here atm. The cold honestly makes my nose hurt to breathe in. And I'm all congested and need to blow my nose every time after being outside. I could understand if the cold was bothering him especially if he's not used to it. Hopefully the temps will get back to a more normal for him soon.

Not saying it IS the cold, I think it's a good idea to check with the vet if it continues, but I wouldn't be surprised if it bothers his sinuses.

Ozzy wears a padded harness vest for walks and boots with legwarmers that I sewed in to keep warm in this weather. He has a raincoat with integrated boots (sewed them) for when it's a bit wet (not as stupid cold) but I need to keep him dry because of snowballs and he's just very uncomfortable and cold if he gets wet in that weather. But they don't protect against breathing in that cold.