Wet Snoring and Breathing

edited March 2013 in General
You know when the seasons change and you feel that little rattle in the back of your throat? It sounds and feels like liquid or flem in your lungs when you speak, or even breath? How about your dogs?

Sometimes when Sachi is breathing now it sounds 'wet' (but not at any particular time or instance, just occasionally), possibly panting more (but we have been doing more new stuff which could also be pushing her out of her comfort zone) and her snoring which was almost non-existent, has lately increased and gotten louder, has now woken me up out of a cold sleep with that 'wetness' sound in the back of it (she would make many a man proud).

I've been perusing interweb articles but nothing substantive has popped up if this is a vet fix or just allergies or what, does anyone's dogs have seasonal allergies or 'wet' breathing? I plan on calling the vet in the am (her having given a particularly loud rattle just now), but I see them way to often (I've had Sachi almost four months and am already close to a grand in vet bills--stuff happens outside of the assumed costs I get it, it's part of dog ownership, but I can't just shell out another $50 to be told she has allergies) and while I don't think they are intentionally wringing me for every dollar I have, and are good people, they are hesitant to address things over the phone, understandably but frustratingly as well.

Anyways, thoughts? I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks.

Comments

  • Ah! -the word you want is "phlegm"- and I say this not to be an ass, but because it is such a cool-spelling/looking word. :) WordNerd: out!

    I don;t have any health advice though, only to add that seasonal changes in heating at my house seem to affect some of my dogs (Reilly gets a bit dried out with the woodstove and I think my kais get too hot) so consider if there has been a change in humidity or heating lately. A final anecdote- my sister's dog has upper respiratory system allergies and they present as an eye- goop thing. That I only mention because I dont know how much allergies present in the lungs/throat in dogs- I have seen/heard of allergies (even inhalant/environmental allergies like grass and pollen- which youd think were lung things) manifesting as skin problems, ear and feet problems, and as eye/nose problems, so I wonder if it IS more likely an infection/cold than allergies? I am no vet though, I dont even play one on tv, so take two grains of salt with that!

    I hope Brindlebutt feels better! I wish they could tell us how they feel. :/
  • @wrylybrindle Lol thanks, yeah Brindlebutt(hehe) may be alittle phlegmmy then but she has no drainage as far as I can tell and always has had alittle eye goop (like the 'sandman' stuff humans get).

    Though since you bring up infections, today she just started shaking her head again--more than the "hey there is something tickling my brain"-- but doesn't appear touch sensitive about her ears so I'm hoping its not another ear infection (though because two data points isn't enough for a trend or correlation but I can't help but conjecture that she is back on kibble and it cleared up almost entirely on its own last time when she was only on raw though we didn't know that until she was knocked out...so if it is an ear infection going back to all raw might prevent future infections ?) Though that doesn't explain the breathing.
  • edited March 2013
    Stick her in the bathroom with you when you take a shower. Or boil some water, put the pot on the floor, toss a chunk of Vicks vapor rub in it and have Sachi sit by it so she smell it. I put a treat over the pot so that Goro could breath it in while trying to sniff the treat.
  • I've used both methods @Hinata23 suggested depending on how congested my dog sounds. When London was a puppy, we used both for when he was really sick and it worked wonders with his medication after he got to come home (he had kennel cough which turned into pneumonia right when I got him).

    Good luck with her!

    I'd try at-home remedies as long as she's still perky and otherwise "normal" before taking her in to the vet. It could just be allergies. I think TK is going through something similar.
  • i feel like trapping her in a hot and steamy bathroom for 20 minutes might be...damaging, though I dont know to the fixtures or her mental state, how did you pups do coming out of it?
  • Goro went to sleep while I showered. I usually leave the bathroom door open so I can listen to them while I'm showering... in case they get into trouble, so Goro and ChoCho are used to laying in the bathroom while I shower.
  • she only goes into the bathroom to fart when im putting on make up otherwise would much rather play everything in my closet.

    @hinata23 I was thinking of you and Chocho today (context: our apartment complex has a tennis court and I noticed my leash was about as wide as it). I live in an older neighborhood so it has tons of courtyards and "woody" areas so unless we are going to a store or doing outside training I exclusively walk Sachi on a 30ft lead which gives her room to run an explore. If your neighborhood isnt just streets and sidewalks try walking them on 30-50ft leads? often it is more than they need to do little wind sprints.
  • We've tired walking them in the undeveloped part of the city we live in, but their paws get full of grass stickers and ChoCho really dislikes it. It's also kind of swampy... We'll have to figure something out! It wasn't until we moved here that we realized there wasn't a park near by...
  • Several of my dogs have seasonal allergies. Toby, the Shiba, gets a pretty wicked reverse sneeze and wheezing. Leo the Kai is starting to wheeze at too, and they both get it when I do, which is in juniper season. Neither sound phlegmy though...it's more a dry wheezing sort of thing. I give them homeopathic allergan remedy made for our region--I think it helps a little bit. I take it too. If it's really bad, Toby gets zyrtec which I also get, but that doesn't seem to help Leo much. Both also have itching at the same time.

    But my Akita does get infections where he seems phlegmy and drops his head. We usually have to give him antibiotics by that point. :(
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