Rottie mix breathing problems

Question
I have a 2 year old rottie/boxer mix. She is about 70 lbs. She is current on all of her shots. I have noticed over the last year that she snores when she sleeps, and it has gotten progressively worse over the past 3 months or so. Also, sometimes she sounds as if she is having a hard time breathing (but not always). Her breathing sounds labored at times, and other times she sounds as if she has inhaled something and is trying to hack it up, but there is nothing there. I wasn't sure if this is something normal for larger dogs, or if it may be serious and I should take her to the vet?

Answer
Well if she inherited the short nasal passages of the boxer then she will have issues with breathing just like they do.

Combine that with the large lung capacity of a rotty and you will have a dog whose nose might not keep up with her body.

If she isn't on heartworm prevention you need to get her tested for that and make sure she stays on the prevention all year long.

The choking, hacking and such is not really normal so I would take her in and have the vet give her a very thorough respiratory exam.

Then he/she can do some xrays and then get her started on some medication to help clear that up.