asthma

Question
I have a 1 and a half year old beagle and he has these "spasms" I guess you could say.  It's almost like he's having a hard time breathing. He sucks in large amounts of air through his nose, but at the same time, he can't really catch his breath.  I've been told it could be an animal type of asthma but they haven't really sold me on that one.  Opinion?
thanks,
charlotte

Answer
Hi Charlotte!  Does it sound almost like he's snorting?  Does it only last a minute or so?
If so, your dog is probably experiencing an "Inverted Sneeze".  These are quite commone, and yes, very scarey!
What happens:
Some dogs have a more narrow nasal passage.  This is called Stenotic Nares.  When a dog gets excited, scared, playful, ect., the nasal passage naturally narrows.  In an already narrowed nasal passage, this doesn't leave a lot of room for air!  As the dog tries to suck air in through his nose, it is a bit difficult, which causes a little panic, which causes the nasal passages to even further narrow!  At this point, the dog doesn't realize right away,if he breathes through his mouth, this will cause the nasal walls to relax and all will be well.
What to do:
The next time this happens, place your thumb over your dog's nostrils, open his mouth and gently blow into his mouth.  This will cause him to breath through his mouth immediately, and stop the "inverted sneeze."
I hope I haven't confused you!  My little shih tzu, Charlie gets these quite often, and it really is scarey, but as long as you do what I mentioned above, the episode will end very quickly.
I hope this helps and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Hilary