The dog snores and grunts. Why does a dog snore in his sleep (velum palatine hyperplasia). The dog grunts and gasps
A dog that snores can make life miserable for some owners. Dog snoring, like any other pet, is considered cute and interesting by few people, but it still remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Some dogs snore very early age and throughout their lives, but others begin to snore as they age or gain excess weight.
What is snoring?
Snoring is a low, rattling sound that accompanies breathing during sleep and is caused by partial obstruction of the movement of air through the soft palate and uvula at the back of the throat. This creates vibration, which causes the characteristic sound of snoring. A dog can snore either very quietly, barely perceptible, or very loudly, depending on the degree of obstruction and sleep phase.
Causes of snoring
There are many possible reasons snoring, and sometimes it can be caused by a combination of several factors. Most common physical reasons snoring in dogs are:
- Weak throat muscles, causing it to partially close when the dog sleeps.
- Tight jaw muscles or an incorrect bite.
- Fat folds around the throat.
- Obstructions or blockages in the nasal passages.
- Retraction of the uvula in the throat, which partially obstructs the airways and leads to snoring.
- Sleep apnea - can lead to situations where the dog stops breathing altogether for short periods of time. When the dog begins his next breath, it may appear as if he sudden suffocation, which generates strong snoring sounds.
Determining the root cause of snoring is an important part of diagnosing and treating snoring. It will help determine whether your dog requires treatment or if there is no cause for concern.
Brachycephalic dogs and breathing
It is important to note that almost all brachycephalic dogs snore. These dogs are distinguished by very short muzzles, such as those of German boxers, pugs and many other breeds. Because these dogs have such short muzzles and a very short soft palate, this often results in snoring due to stenotic nostrils, an elongated soft palate, or inverted guttural pouches. Two or even all three causes of snoring can often be found in many brachycephalic dogs.
However, the severity of snoring varies from case to case and rarely requires surgical intervention. Some dogs breathe quite well despite snoring, but those dogs that have difficulty breathing may suffer from both snoring and sleep apnea. In severe cases, veterinary intervention may be required to correct the cause of the problem and make the dog's breathing easier.
Other causes of snoring
If your dog is not brachycephalic, identifying the cause of his snoring may be difficult.
The most common cause of snoring in dogs (especially if snoring begins as the dog ages) is an increase in their weight and a decrease in physical activity. If the dog is overweight, this can lead to snoring, which is caused by obstruction respiratory tract and accumulation of fat around the throat. Therefore, if you find that your dog has begun to snore, or his snoring is getting worse and he is overweight, then the first priority should be to increase the amount of physical activity, which the dog should receive regularly. You will probably find that your snoring goes away on its own as it decreases. overweight dog as a result of an appropriate feeding regimen or an increase in its activity level.
If your dog appears to hold his breath during sleep for ten seconds or more without breathing and then makes a deep gasping noise, he may have sleep apnea. This disorder can be very dangerous because it disrupts natural sleep your dog, so it is important to take him to the vet.
Sometimes even healthy dogs They can snore periodically without any problems if they have a cough or some obstruction of the airways or mucous membranes. Such disorders most often resolve on their own and do not require veterinary care.
Other causes of snoring, such as uneven jaws or weak muscles throats may be more difficult to diagnose and may require some specific diagnostic tests.
Should I be concerned if my dog snores?
Snoring in many dogs is simply a minor problem caused by a minor flaw in their anatomy. Therefore, a dog with snoring can live quite happily without any negative effects on its health. However, if the snoring is very loud, especially with difficulty breathing, then the dog may need to be examined by a veterinarian to determine the cause of the disorder.
Owners of brachycephalic dogs should always take their dog to a veterinarian before purchasing to identify any potential breathing problems.
Dog snores - video
The health and vital activity of the body are integrally linked to the oxygen supply of each cell. Any problem with breathing has a detrimental effect on the entire body and sooner or later results in pathology. If your dog snores, a respiratory problem is suspected, which may indicate a number of dangerous illnesses. However, do not panic, snoring is not a diagnosis, but first things first.
Breeds with deformed faces, brachycephals, have breathing problems due to thinned nasal passages and flat nostrils. Even in full health, a dog snores and grunts in its sleep and this is considered normal. In fact, brachycephals are prone to problems with cardiovascular system, asthma attacks, excess weight, which is directly related to respiratory tract defects.
This is interesting! There is a version that snoring dogs are ideal companions for elderly and lonely people. In a dream, a person hears his pet, which has a positive effect on the psyche.
If you are concerned about why your dog snores in his sleep, we advise you to analyze the situation. Pets run, bark, sniffle and growl in their sleep; snoring is a sign of constriction or relaxation of the respiratory tract, which may be the effect of a dream or an uncomfortable position. Breeders note that dogs who prefer to sleep on their backs or in a ball snore much more often.
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Pets taking sedatives or painkillers may snore due to muscle relaxation. Impressionable pets and dogs that have experienced severe stress snore without apparent reason However, the symptom goes away as soon as the dog finds itself in a safe and calm environment.
This is interesting! Statistically, 21% of dogs snore in their sleep.
Snoring in a dog as a symptom
In brachycephalic dogs, it is necessary to exclude thickening ( hyperplasia) of the soft palate. Pathology can provoke suffocation in a dog during sleep, when the animal’s muscles relax. Most often, pets with flat or upturned nostrils suffer from the disease - Boxers, Japanese Chins, Pugs, Bulldogs. The veterinarian examines the dog and orders a laboratory blood gas test. Together with the medical history, the doctor decides what to do next, and there are only 2 options - observe and perhaps the dog will happily live a full life or operate. If your “flat-nosed friend” sniffles and grunts constantly, without delay, show the dog to a doctor who will determine whether this is normal; most often, the pathology is associated with weight gain and overload of the heart muscle.
If your dog suddenly starts snoring, you should general examination and watch your pet. Most often, in parallel with breathing problems, other symptoms are observed - weakness, pallor of the mucous membranes, depression. The first thing to rule out is swelling of the nasal mucosa due to. Typically, when a pet has a cold, there is sneezing, mucous discharge from the nose, redness of the eyes and tearfulness. Coughing during a cold is an aggravated situation when swelling moves from the nasopharynx to the throat, and then bronchitis and pneumonia develop.
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Due to allergic swelling of the larynx, the dog wheezes and suffocates, which is an acute and dangerous condition. Your task is to relieve swelling with antihistamines and show the animal to the veterinarian. Please note that until you identify the source of the allergen, the dog will be in danger.
The most common cause of inconvenience for owners due to their own ignorance, when a dog snores like a person, sniffles and grunts when walking, is obesity. Few people realize how dangerous a few extra pounds can be for a pet. The joints, heart and all metabolic processes of the body are affected. The dog has difficulty breathing during sleep due to chest compression and swelling of the laryngeal tissue due to slow metabolism.
– one of the reasons for snoring in pets and serious pathology, which can be caused by a number of reasons - unfavorable environmental conditions, inhalation of cigarette smoke, brachycephalic syndrome, allergies, heart failure, etc. Asthma attacks are expressed by obvious suffocation, the dog lowers its head and stretches its neck, opening its mouth, trying to catch air. The pathology must be controlled, including with medication.
Sooner or later it goes into the stage of blockage of the ureters, which leads to displacement internal organs and is accompanied pain syndrome. Disease genitourinary system can cause both snoring and extraneous wheezing when breathing while awake.
A quarter of dogs regularly snore while sleeping. In some cases, this phenomenon is absolutely normal, but sometimes it is a symptom of one of the diseases. In order not to harm your pet and help cope with this phenomenon, you should figure out why your dog snores in his sleep. This will allow you to take the necessary measures to resolve the problem.
Dogs that belong to the brachycephalic variety (, etc.) periodically snore and not only in their sleep. It's connected with anatomical structure their short muzzle, in which the guttural sacs are everted and the soft palate is slightly elongated.
Many dogs are brachycephalic, such as the pug or French Bulldog, snore in their sleep.
With regard to these breeds, snoring during sleep is normal. But even in this case, you need to ensure that the strength of snoring does not increase, because this may be a sign of a disease.
The reasons that cause snoring are related to the characteristics of the respiratory system. And, if in the case of the specified variety of dog breeds respiratory system initially designed in such a way that it makes sounds when breathing, then in the case of other breeds, often only a veterinarian can eliminate breathing problems.
Important: dogs' sense of smell is very sensitive, so it is very important to ensure that the room is always ventilated and does not contain any strong odors.
Before drawing conclusions about the abnormality of snoring, you should observe your pet and understand how snoring is connected to its vital functions. This is very important, because only this approach will help you understand what to do in the current situation.
Perhaps the animal snores only at the moment when it is dreaming or in a certain position. Snoring can often be observed if the dog sleeps on its back or is curled up in a ball. Such manifestations are also normal, but you should also be aware of those that indicate a dog’s illness.
Snoring can be normal, but sometimes it indicates some medical condition. Snoring as a symptom of illness
If there is a suspicion that snoring has become an unnatural manifestation for the animal, then it is better to make sure that there are no diseases. The presence of the disease may be accompanied by depression of the animal, weakness and paleness of the mucous membrane. Why a dog snores may be a symptom of the following list of diseases.
Swelling of the mucous membrane
The mucous membrane swells. This disease can be identified by regular sneezing, nasal discharge, redness of the eyes and the release of tear fluid from the eyes. If your pet also has a cough, then this is an advanced form of the disease.
A cough indicates that swelling is present in the throat, and this is fraught with pneumonia and bronchitis. In such a situation, snoring during sleep will be observed constantly, plus characteristic wheezing will be heard.
You can help your pet with antihistamines that relieve swelling. But after that in mandatory need to visit a veterinarian. You also need to find out what provokes such a reaction.
Obesity
We cannot neglect such a fact as obesity. Even a slight excess of normal weight can become a very big problem for an animal. Excess weight puts unwanted pressure on internal organs.
Excess weight puts unwanted pressure on internal organs, which can lead to snoring. This affects not only the respiratory processes, but also the heart, liver and metabolic processes. Organ tissues swell and lead to snoring. In such a situation, you need to balance the dog’s diet and bring his weight back to normal.
Asthma
The cause of this disease is many factors. This could be regular inhalation of smoke from cigarettes, fragrances, ecology, heart disease and many others. Asthma can be recognized by attacks of suffocation, which manifest themselves as an animal’s attempt to capture a certain amount of air.
At the same time, the dog stretches its neck and tilts its head with its mouth open. This pathology can only be treated with medications that should be prescribed by a veterinarian.
Urolithiasis disease
When, this promises displacement of internal organs. The dog feels pain and also begins to snore not only in his sleep, but also when he is awake. While awake, wheezing may be heard.
The cause of snoring in a dog may be urolithiasis. Helminths
In order to understand how to eliminate snoring in an animal, it is worth knowing in what case it is a pathology.
If your dog snores very heavily and for a long time, it is necessary to have it examined by a veterinarian in order to detect the disease in time. - If the dog's breed belongs to the brachycephalic variety, then alarm signal There will be increased snoring. In some cases, this manifestation may resolve spontaneously.
- If snoring continues for a sufficiently long period, then it is better to contact a veterinarian and analyze all possible provoking causes.
Important: sometimes snoring occurs due to the presence of a foreign body in the nasopharynx.
- In the room where the animal mainly lives, do not smoke or spray air fresheners, perfumes or other strong odors. They can not only cause an allergic reaction in a dog, but also harm the animal’s sense of smell.
- Create a favorable psychological atmosphere and eliminate all kinds of stress factors.
- Follow a specific feeding regimen that will include a balanced amount nutrients. Avoid excess weight.
- It is better to walk the dog where there are no flowering grasses and trees, mold fungi, and as far as possible from highways.
We invite you to watch a video of how a dog snores.
Why does a dog snore? Unfortunately, this question is rarely heard from dog owners, although snoring is a sign of serious problems with the health of the pet.
Natural “snoreers” are dogs with short muzzles; it is they who exhibit the syndrome respiratory failure, or BCS. - is essentially a deformity, carefully fixed genetically by a person because one day someone thought it was funny.
Genetically planned deformity is based on size discrepancy cranium and soft tissues of the head, which leads to narrowing of the lumen of the upper respiratory tract (URT obstruction).
Air obstruction
Hyperplasia of the velum palatine is one of the answer to the question: why does a dog snore? The elongated soft palate in brachycephalics extends beyond the epiglottis, while the entire space of the larynx becomes filled, and airway obstruction occurs.
Important. The soft palate is not only elongated, but also thicker than in ordinary breeds, and therefore almost completely fills the nasopharynx. With constant vibration during breathing, swelling occurs and inflammatory reaction, which further aggravates the breathing process. In some cases, the pathology is accompanied by prolapse of the tonsils.
According to statistics, approximately 21% of dogs suffer from snoring during sleep, while the airways narrow, parts of the pharynx begin to touch and vibrate, which is how sounds arise. Many owners of “snores” find this incredibly touching, but this is a very dangerous condition in which breathing stops for a short time, which limits the flow of oxygen into the body.
Symptoms of hyperplasia soft palate:
· Hoarse breathing and shortness of breath;
· Cough, fever;
· Refusal to eat and general weakness.
If these symptoms occur, it is important to contact a veterinary center.
What activities are needed
Hyperplasia of the velum palatine occurs quite often in the Moscow Region, perhaps this is due to the fashion for brachycephalic dogs. That's why we developed standard circuits treatment, and if you contact the DobroVet VC, the doctor will always prescribe appropriate therapy according to gender, age and general condition pet
Necessary diagnostics:
· General clinical examination;
· Tests (urine, sputum, blood);
· If necessary: x-ray and bronchoscopy.
Treatment will be prescribed based on the results of the examination. It should be remembered that snoring due to hyperplasia of the velum palatine is a dangerous phenomenon and can develop into a complicated form. Therefore, constant monitoring of the pet is necessary.
Other causes of snoring
Why does a dog snore in his sleep? In addition to velum hyperplasia, snoring can occur due to excess weight or inflammation in the nasal passages caused by a cold or allergic factors.
Veterinary center "DobroVet"
A dog snores when the throat muscles are completely relaxed. The contact of these muscles and their vibration from air flow and cause loud snoring during sleep.
Most dog owners turn a blind eye to this, although snoring can be a symptom of a serious illness, and can also be a cause sudden death dogs in their sleep due to respiratory arrest. Others are seriously concerned about why their pet suddenly started snoring.
Snoring in dogs can be caused by breed, namely the short structure of the muzzle. In this case, snoring is natural genetic cause and does not require treatment.
Small dogs with a short muzzle and large ones (Pekingese, Chow Chow, Shih Tzu Boxer, bullmastiff, french and american bulldog) snoring since childhood. Representatives of such breeds as German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Great Dane, begin to snore at a more mature age. Snore large dog similar in range to human snoring and creates severe discomfort for owners and their neighbors. In such cases, you can use anti-snoring nose clips for animals. Such products facilitate the breathing process by increasing the degree of air passage through the nasal passages.
There are a number of other serious reasons
- At restless sleep or supine position.
Choose the most comfortable pillow for your dog. comfortable sleep. Try to walk your pet shortly before bedtime.
- Drug treatment.
Some drugs cause a strong relaxation of the nasopharyngeal muscles, causing the dog to start snoring.
- Allergies or colds.
Conditions such as allergies and colds cause the nasal passages to become swollen, making it difficult for your dog to breathe. Allergies can be caused by anything: chemical components, food, flowering period. It is important to understand why and what your dog is allergic to and eliminate it.
- Passive smoking.
This is another common cause of snoring. When the dog is in the presence of a smoking owner, the dog involuntarily inhales tobacco smoke, which can lead to various diseases lungs. Typically, swelling caused by allergic reaction or colds, can be removed using special aerosols, rinsing and nasal drops.
- Foreign body.
Sometimes the cause of snoring can be a bone or other food, or a small toy stuck in the animal's throat. Signs of presence foreign object are frequent sneezing and vomiting. More often foreign body it comes out on its own, but in some cases it is necessary to contact a veterinarian for bronchoscopy and fluoroscopy and subsequent removal of the object.
- Obesity.
Excess weight can cause bouts of snoring, which can subsequently cause asthma and heart failure. In order to avoid excess weight, try to feed the animal at a strictly allotted time, in portions.
Combine correct mode nutrition with frequent walks and active exercise in the fresh air.
Should snoring be treated?
In some cases, such as allergies, colds, excess weight, snoring certainly lends itself drug treatment. If snoring is caused by an abnormal structure of the nasopharynx, then surgery, which consists of removing excess muscle growths in the nasopharynx area and plastic surgery of the palate.
Under no circumstances should you resort to self-medication or drugs that are used to treat snoring or other diseases in humans. This can lead to irreversible consequences for the animal's health and even death. Always contact a veterinarian who will recommend the best way solve the problem and, if necessary, conduct a course of treatment.
If the causes of snoring in a dog are due to breed characteristics or age-related changes, you just have to accept the inevitability of snoring.
Remember that a dog is a very sensitive animal. Try to treat her sensitively and attentively, and she will answer you a hundredfold.