The dog choked: what to do, coughing and choking, how to help. The dog grunts when breathing: a sign of serious illness

Dogs are quite emotional pets that can make a lot of sounds. They bark, squeal, grunt, growl, whine, howl ... In a dream, a dog can snore impressively, and when awake, grunt. The latter property is often associated with the physiological characteristics of the animal, but sometimes occurs against the background of a disease. Therefore, if the dog grunts when breathing, it is worth taking your four-legged friend to the veterinarian, he will help find out the cause and solve the problem, if any.

Dogs with short muzzles are called brachycephals - this fairly large group includes:

• pugs;
• bulldogs;
• Pekingese;
• griffins;
• sharpei;
• mastiffs;
• shih tzu;
• Lhasa Apso;
• Japanese chins;
• boxers;
• chihuahua;
• dogue de bordeaux;
• pomeranian spitz.

As you can see, among the listed breeds there are many popular ones, which is not surprising - thanks to the brachycephalic syndrome, dogs have large, expressive eyes and a cute, and sometimes funny, flattened muzzle.

However, such a peculiar appearance also has an unpleasant feature - due to the anatomical structure of the canine skull, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe nasal cavity is less than normal, so there is not enough space to fully cool the incoming air. As a result, all short-faced dogs sniff heavily and grunt while breathing.

Experts consider this phenomenon to be natural, not harming the animal and not threatening health. But it should be borne in mind that such dogs do not have enough cooling surfaces, so they are very difficult to tolerate heat and stuffiness. In this case, the pet will not only grunt, but choke on its own salivary fluid. Since the air cannot be cooled in time, there is a risk of developing heat stroke.

It is not uncommon for brachycephalic dogs to simply lose consciousness, fainting. This condition can last for a long time, if the animal is not helped, it can die from acute pulmonary insufficiency.

However, not all dogs with this feature have such dangerous cases. For example, in some bulldogs, the tissue covering the upper palate is so developed that it is able to overlap the surface of the respiratory lumen.

Although it is desirable for owners to be aware of the existing risks arising from the anatomical structure of the pet's face, it is not worth constantly worrying about this issue. Such pets already from puppyhood begin to grunt and snore heavily, to which the owner quickly gets used.

But with age-related changes in a dog, palatal tissues may fall off, which will lead to a violation of normal breathing. It is impossible to do without professional veterinary care. Surgery is required, in which excess tissue is removed - the dog begins to breathe normally, and can also get rid of snoring and grunting.

The same operation is recommended for people who snore heavily in their sleep. They have an apnea attack - a stoppage of motor movements, it can be so strong that a person can die during an unsuccessful rollover on his back at night.

There are no such documented cases in dogs, however, breathing problems can cause serious pathological processes in the heart muscle, lungs, and blood vessels, which also cannot be called positive consequences.

Penetration of foreign objects into the respiratory system

Veterinary practice shows that this is the most common cause of strange breathing sounds in dogs. During walks, almost all dogs actively explore everything that surrounds them with their nose, and there is always a chance that they can inhale a blade of grass, a piece of paper or other debris.

This negatively affects the passage of air, and unusual sounds begin to appear in the breath - whistling, sniffing, grunting. But the danger lies not in them, but in the fact that the animal is not able to breathe normally.

How can the owner understand that something extraneous has entered the pet's respiratory tract?

1. First of all, it is worth focusing on the sounds, especially if this has not been observed for the pet before.
2. The dog is tormented by a paroxysmal cough, up to vomiting.
3. Similar signs appeared immediately after walking.
4. The pet begins to wheeze, breathe heavily, grunting and holding its mouth open.

If you have certain medical or veterinary skills, you can help the dog yourself. You should take a flashlight and elongated tweezers, open the dog's mouth and examine it carefully, looking into the throat. If a large foreign object has penetrated into the lumen, then it will be visible already during a visual inspection.

To try to remove a foreign body, it is necessary that someone hold the animal, fixing it in a position convenient for the procedure, since it is unlikely that he will like such manipulation. Remove the object with tweezers very carefully so as not to damage the mucous membranes and not push it deep into. If the owner does not know how to do this, it is better to seek professional help without aggravating the situation.

Might be a tumor

Dogs can also develop oncological neoplasms in the body, including in the respiratory tract. In this case, the tumor acts as a foreign body that blocks breathing. In the following cases, the pet requires a diagnostic examination:

• strange breathing sounds appear gradually, this can occur over several months and even years;
• with the intensification of these symptoms, problems with respiratory processes appear, the dog often coughs;
• the general condition of the dog is deteriorating - the dog is lethargic, apathetic, not interested in surrounding events, refuses food;
• a runny nose occurs, in which bloody mucus and particles of destroyed tissue appear in the usual exudate.

These symptoms should alarm the dog owner and are a good reason to visit the veterinarian.

With an increase in the colony of worms, the breathing of a dog, especially a puppy, will worsen, since the circulation of air masses is defective. Again, the danger lies not in grunting or hissing, but in the fact that there have been cases when puppies died, literally choking. With progressive helminthic invasion, there is a risk that all offspring will die!

When the dog breathes, gurgling, wheezing sounds are heard, he begins to grunt, sniff, trying to push air into the lungs with irritated and inflamed walls. If the helminthic invasion has developed to a similar clinical picture, a doctor's consultation is required, since if the dog is delayed, pneumonia or inflammation of the bronchi in severe form will develop.

Tracheal collapse

One of the unpleasant pathological processes, characterized by sudden and unpredictable development. With tracheal collapse, the trachea begins to shrink, decreases in size, in some cases to such a size that it becomes completely obstructed. With a decrease in its clearance, the dog grunts, wheezes, wheezes and even “quacks”.

But such symptoms are far from funny, as the dog feels bad, suffocates, keeps his mouth constantly open. On examination, it can be found that its mucosa becomes cyanotic or plum-colored, which indicates severe oxygen deficiency. If this condition persists for some time (from several minutes, and sometimes even hours), the dog may fall into a coma or, after being cured, it will be tormented by periodic seizures.

Delaying medical attention is not recommended, as if the condition worsens, the pet may need a tracheostomy, otherwise he will not have a chance to survive. In this case, the surgeon makes a neat incision in the walls of the trachea, after which he inserts a special tube into the resulting lumen. This procedure is called intubation, after which the animal is able to fully breathe and avoid the risk of suffocation.

But if the development of tracheal collapse is associated with any serious pathology, and the tracheal rings are severely damaged, the surgeon performs a more complex surgical intervention. During this operation, worn areas are replaced with implants made of synthetic materials. They will last a long time, and the dog will not experience difficulty breathing.

In the practice of foreign veterinarians, there are already several successfully performed operations to completely replace the damaged trachea with an artificial analogue. Such treatment is recommended for dogs in which the disease is caused by a strong hereditary predisposition or autoimmune pathology. In such situations, the replacement of individual rings is only a temporary measure, since the remaining part of one's own organ will still be attacked by the immune system and will be destroyed.

Syndrome of paroxysmal or reverse breathing

This pathology is attributed to the characteristic disorders that occur specifically in dogs. During an attack, a dog can make a variety of sounds - grunting, cooing, gurgling, sniffing or wheezing. But such a condition is not dangerous for the animal itself, although it causes concern among the owners.

In some cases, the attack is accompanied by symptoms similar to suffocation, and the owners in a panic turn to the veterinary clinic, which, in fact, is not surprising. In this state, the pet, in addition to strange sounds, has the following manifestations:

• the dog takes an unusual pose - his limbs are widely spaced, and his back arches inward;
• eyes bulging, turning red;
• the dog begins to actively shake its head from side to side, while its saliva flies in different directions.

With such a pronounced attack, a strongly drawn air stream can irritate the palate, provoking vomiting. All the time the animal continues to nasally, grunt, intensively drawing in air, and vomit flows into the lumens of the respiratory organs. This is a dangerous phenomenon leading to the development of aspiration pneumonia. Despite the fact that veterinary medicine is constantly developing, this disease in more than a third of cases leads to the death of the animal.

Video about why dogs grunt

Why Reverse Sneeze Attacks Occur

Experts have not yet been able to find out the exact cause of this pathological condition. But its occurrence is associated with a sharp paroxysmal spasm of the tissue of the soft palate. Based on the fact that reverse sneezing in 93% of cases occurs in representatives of brachycephalic breeds, doctors believe that heredity is among the main disposing factors. Although is it possible to talk about a predisposition, if almost all dogs with a shortened muzzle suffer from this disorder?

Veterinarians advise owners not to panic if the seizure lasts a few seconds and does not cause severe symptoms. But it is necessary to contact the clinic if the general condition of the pet during the reverse sneezing noticeably worsens. You can help your pet on the spot in the following ways:

• gently rub the nose;
• massage the surface of the throat;
• when the dog catches his breath, you should give him a drink of warm water and leave it alone.

You need to do everything calmly, without sudden movements and panic, you should not make the dog nervous. Usually, experienced owners of brachycephalic dogs have experience with a four-legged friend and are not lost if a similar situation arises. And beginners should get advice from an experienced breeder or veterinarian who will tell you when grunting is really alarming. He will also give advice on caring for such a specific pet.

A grunting dog is a rather funny sight if it is a bulldog, pug or other dog with an original flattened muzzle, and when he does this without being distracted from everyday affairs. But such sounds can turn out to be a sign of illness, which means that they are not a reason for fun, but for contacting a medical facility. It is worth paying more attention to the well-being of a four-legged friend and not ignoring such manifestations.

There can be many reasons why a dog wheezes, and they will not always be negative, but you still should not ignore such a state of the pet. The type of wheezing will help determine the disease itself, the degree and causes. Depending on the source of the disease, it can be the bronchi, trachea and lungs, emit wet and dry wheezing.

Why is the dog wheezing

Laryngospasm or laryngeal edema. The causes of its occurrence may be various allergies or the penetration of foreign bodies into the pet's throat. An attack is sometimes triggered by tightening the collar. At the same time, the dog begins to wheeze, as if choking, and on the onset of the attack itself, it looks furious and tries to capture as much air as possible with its mouth. In the process, the mucous membranes of the dog may acquire a bluish tint. In most cases, with a timely visit to the veterinarian, laryngospasm is treated without subsequent possible complications.

brachycephalic syndrome. Dogs with a small and round skull and a flattened nose (Pekingese, pugs, and bulldogs) are susceptible to this disease. The development of the disease for these breeds is a normal biological phenomenon due to the peculiar structure of the skull. You can diagnose the disease by the following signs: narrowing of the nasal passages, swelling of the soft palate and a change in the shape of the larynx. At the same time, the dog snores, breathes heavily, inhaling, clearly sniffs, and you can notice blue mucous membranes in her.

The appearance of tumors of the respiratory system. If the dog also coughs, this may be a signal of the presence of benign or malignant tumors. Bronchitis or pneumonia. During diseases of this kind, the dog very often coughs and constantly wheezes when breathing. There is a misconception that dogs are not prone to these ailments, but they occur in 50% of 100 possible.

Types of wheezing

Dry wheezing is caused by a narrowing of the distance between the bronchi, abundant secretion or obstruction of the airways. Exhaling, the animal wheezes much louder. Moist wheezing in a dog is a consequence of the accumulation of blood or other fluids in the lungs, as this slows down the air permeability.

Wheezing, more like a crunch or crackling, is called crepitus and occurs when the alveoli swell. Such wheezing can be with pneumonia or fibrosis. Wheezing, similar to whistling, is also due to a decrease in the lumen of the airways. It is found in brachycephaly, paralysis of the vocal cords and penetration of objects into the animal's throat.

Actions of owners in cases when the animal wheezes

Of course, when wheezing occurs in a dog, it must be immediately shown to the veterinarian. As already clear from the above, it is impossible to determine the diagnosis on your own. If the owner notices the increasing nature of wheezing in the dog and strange behavior, similar to an attack, it is necessary:

• Provide oxygen to the animal by opening the windows.
• It is strictly forbidden to touch the dog's chest. Especially if the animal lies in a strange position.

If the dog feels uncritical, it will not be superfluous to examine its mouth for the presence of objects that have fallen there. An animal in such cases can reflexively bite a person.

Treating wheezing in dogs

Proper therapy is prescribed depending on the cause of wheezing. This can be diagnosed using x-rays, bronchoscopy, and other options for viewing the throat. If brachiocephalic pathology, laryngeal paralysis and tracheal collapse, for example, are detected, the dog will undergo surgery to cure.

In situations of swelling of the larynx and laryngospasm, the pet is treated with medication. Sometimes mechanical ventilation is used. The presence of a foreign body in the respiratory organs requires bronchoscopy and removal of the object. You can often hear that you can get rid of the object in the throat of a pet yourself, but this is not always the right decision.

It is possible to get a foreign object from the respiratory tract only in those cases when it is on the surface, that is, it can be carefully removed with tweezers or a hand. But if it is clearly visible that the object is sitting very tightly in the throat, then it is better not to engage in amateur activities, because when you try to get this object, you can seriously damage the animal's throat.

With oncological neoplasms, therapy is built strictly individually, based on the stage of the disease and symptoms. Bronchitis and pneumonia should be treated with antitussives and antibiotics.
With pulmonary edema in an animal, intensive anti-edematous treatment is prescribed. In any case, it is necessary to establish the specific cause of wheezing. This will determine the success of the treatment.

Wheezing in a dog is an unpleasant symptom, both for the pet itself and for its owner, therefore, an appeal to the veterinarian in such cases should be carried out in the near future in order to avoid more serious complications or even death.

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With emphysema, pneumonia and fibrosis, deaf, crackling rales are observed. This happens during the passage of air, which separates the stuck together alveoli. A whistling sound can be observed when a foreign body enters the trachea, paralysis of the glottis.

Some diseases of the respiratory system are inherent in a particular breed. Chihuahuas, toy terriers, and Spitz are prone to tracheal collapse. Initially, a cough appears, then the condition worsens, the dog breathes heavily, suffocates, loses consciousness.

Causes of hoarseness

Treatment of the disease

Strange sounds during breathing may appear as a result of foreign objects entering the respiratory tract. Even dry food can act as such an item. In such situations, bronchoscopy is required to clear the airways.

Neoplasms can also cause wheezing in a beloved pet. In this case, it is necessary to identify the nature of the tumor, the stage of the disease. In the best case, the doctor will prescribe chemotherapy. It also happens that the owner notices the disease in his pet too late, at this stage the disease is already incurable.

Treatment of pulmonary edema will be successful with the correct formulation of the cause of its occurrence. It can be a viral infection, and heart failure. In this case, intensive anti-edematous therapy will be needed.

Signs of respiratory distress:

• unusual sounds (wheezing, whistling)
• unusual posture (stretched neck, spread front legs), restlessness, inability to lie down
• pale or bluish coloration of the gums and lips
• very fast breathing or labored breathing, with a visible effort to inhale or exhale

If the condition of the animal worsens, shortness of breath increases, lips and gums become bluish or purple - emergency assistance is required, the bill can go on for minutes.

How to help at home?

The dog needs to be calm, not to create additional stress on the respiratory system (to avoid overheating, physical exertion, excitement). Provide fresh air (open window). In no case should you try to lay the dog down, give it water to drink - this can be dangerous. There is no need to use any drugs that stimulate breathing - in most cases this is not only pointless, but can be harmful. It is necessary to deliver the animal to the doctor as soon as possible and carefully.

What will the doctor do?

When providing first aid to a patient with difficulty breathing, the main task is to provide the body with oxygen. Sometimes it is enough to place the animal in an oxygen chamber or let it breathe oxygen using a mask, sometimes urgent surgical intervention or mechanical ventilation is required. Simultaneously with the provision of first aid, the doctor will carry out diagnostics, and his further actions will depend on what cause of respiratory failure he will find.

If airway patency is impaired, air does not enter the lungs or does not enter in sufficient quantities. An obstacle to the passage of air can be a foreign object in the upper respiratory tract (bone, ball, etc.), trauma to the upper respiratory tract (for example, with a bite), swelling of the tissues of the neck.

In animals with a flattened nose and a short muzzle, such as pugs, French bulldogs, Pekingese, soft palate tissues may be such an obstacle. Dogs of these breeds often experience some breathing problems in their normal state, but if the load on the respiratory system increases (in heat, or with an inflammatory process in the respiratory tract, with excitement, exercise or pain), difficulties can increase and become dangerous for life.

If the lungs are affected, gas exchange is disturbed, and the blood is not saturated with oxygen. The causes of problems with the lungs can be bruised during injury, inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia), pulmonary edema, etc. In such patients, as a rule, frequent breathing is noted, requiring great effort.

Perhaps the most common pathology of this group is cardiogenic pulmonary edema, and the most common patient of a veterinarian is a middle-aged dachshund who suffered from a cough for a long time, and then began to choke. In this case, the initial problem is not in the lungs, but in the heart, it is not able to adequately pump blood through the vessels, because of this, blood stagnation develops in the vessels of the lungs, and fluid seeps into the lung tissue.

All patients with lung pathology, as a rule, require hospitalization, intensive treatment, sometimes for several days, and in severe cases, mechanical ventilation.

Difficulty breathing can be caused by disorders in the chest area, such as multiple fractures of the ribs, accumulation of fluid or air in the chest cavity. To help such a patient, you need to quickly eliminate the cause of the disease.

For example, a dog that has been hit by a car very often has free air in its chest cavity. It enters the chest cavity from the injured lungs and compresses them, making it difficult to breathe. In such a situation, the doctor needs to remove air from the chest cavity through a puncture of the chest wall. Sometimes it is necessary to install drainage - a special tube through which accumulated air can be effectively removed.

As a rule, such patients also need to be in the hospital under observation.

Of course, what we have described is only a small part of the large number of causes that cause respiratory failure in our pets.
It is important to understand that breathing problems are always serious. There is not a single disease that causes shortness of breath that can be cured at home. It is necessary to deliver the animal to the doctor as soon as possible.
Please be careful!

Orlova Maria Eduardovna
anesthesiologist-resuscitator

When a dog owner sees that his pet starts to wheeze, it can't help but worry. Wheezing is a fairly common phenomenon, so do not immediately worry. But there are times when it indicates problems in the body.

Symptoms of the disease

In order to understand whether it is worth worrying about your pet's wheezing, you need to know if wheezing is a symptom of the disease.

Wheezing is often a symptom of many diseases.

1. Moist rales occur when blood or other substances accumulate in the airways. Breathing is noisy, wheezing is heard both during inhalation and exhalation. This may indicate diseases such as bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, pulmonary edema, pulmonary bleeding.
2. Crackling wheezing is best heard during exhalation. They occur when air spreads stuck together alveoli (this can be a symptom of diseases such as atelectasis, emphysema, pneumonia, and fibrosis).
3. If the dog breathes noisily (this may resemble a whistle), this may indicate the presence of a foreign body in the trachea, paralysis of the glottis, etc.

In order to accurately diagnose a pet, you need to contact your veterinarian.

Causes of wheezing

Wheezing has many causes.

1. brachycephalic syndrome. It manifests itself in brachycephalic dogs - pugs, French, English bulldogs, Pekingese, etc. Due to the shortened muzzle and flattened nose, it is difficult for them to get enough air. Wheezing in such animals is observed almost constantly, perhaps more active wheezing in cases where it is even more difficult to get air (during intense physical exertion, during heat, etc.).
2. Tracheal collapse. Decorative breeds of dogs (Chihuahua, Spitz, Toy Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers and others) are most predisposed to this phenomenon. This may occur after a sharp jerk or in cases where the dog choked and a foreign body got into the trachea.
3. Bronchitis or pneumonia. If these diseases are the cause of wheezing, you need to pay attention to the appearance of shortness of breath. This is one of the main symptoms of bronchitis and pneumonia.

If your pet is wheezing, contact your veterinarian. He will be able to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

If you carefully consider the appearance of wheezing in a dog, you can prevent the development of many serious diseases!