Breathing problems

Question
My chihuahua is 8 months old now and is having attacks, not only in the daytime but waking us up in the middle of the night
aswell. In the daytime he will stop what he's doing and start wheezing and have trouble breathing and slowly start walking to one of us, in the middle of the night he"ll come from underneath the sheets ( he sleeps with us ) and do the same thing. I went to a wedding a few weeks ago and had to leave him at a dogsitters place, when I picked him up he did it, and the sitter said that he just started that two days ago. Is it cause of the weather? Or something more then that. I'm getting a little worried.


Answer
Hi Krista...

No, I actually don't think that what your dog is doing has anything to do with the weather.  What you're describing sounds to me like what's called "reverse sneezing" which is very common in the Chihuahua breed.  Take a look at the following links:

http://chihuahuathreads.com/chihuahua-wheezing-problems
http://www.prouxchihuahuas.com/id27.html

Chihuahuas tend to "reverse sneeze" most often when excited or after exerting themselves, but it seems to me that I have heard of them also doing it when at rest.  

Another condition that causes a similar presentation (wheezing, gagging, coughing) is a collapsed trachea. You can google "collapsed trachea" and read about that.  You can also go to YouTube and type in "reverse sneezing" and see videos of dogs displaying reverse sneezing.  While "reverse sneezing" is not a problem at all, a collapsed trachea is a very serious condition which requires veterinary intervention.  If after reading about reverse sneezing and collapsed tracheas, you still are not sure which your dog is doing, you should get him to a veterinarian who has experience specifically with the Chihuahua breed or small breed dogs and get him properly evaluated.

Krista, I want to add here that it's very important to walk your dog on a leash using a halter or harness.  You should never use a collar due to the fact that you can collapse your dog's trachea using one.

I hope the above information is helpful to you and don't hesitate to write me back if I can be of any further help.

Jo Ann