reverse sneezes

It happens more often with small dogs than large somehow -- and my own personal thot (and I'm not sure how a vet would say it) is that somehow something in the respiratory tract just doesn't lie 'flat' or right.  My old Prissy used to have this,and now Kee Shu has it.  It DOES freak them out because frankly they can't breathe right and it panicks them.
 
Prissy's episodes used to go on SO long and she'd get scared and then the more it scared her the more it would recur later that same day.  So (and this is a *Callie* solution and no vet has ever told me to do this and most people wouldn't be comfortable doing it) with her I would pick her up, while soothing her, and I would put my mouth over her whole mouth/nose while holding her muzzle shut, and just blow very gently and it seemed to dislodge that 'flap' that seemed to be out of place in her nose/throat. 
 
In my own mind, I have always envisioned that somehow the flap that keeps food from going down the trachea somehow makes it so NO air can get down there -- that's my own mental musings, but I could actually hear something 'flap' in her throat, it always fixed it and she seemed so grateful.  It only took me doing it once for her to then run to me EVERY time to 'fix it'. 
 
Kee's episodes don't last long enough for me to even get her up into my lap, and her's almost *always* seem to center around feeding -- particularly iof she's tried to swallow a piece of something that is too big.
 
So, I'm saying that to say I suspect it's something that may be entirely individual to the dog as to exactly what happens. 
 
In honesty, I would ask the vet first -- because I've also heard it say this can signal a trachea that is a bit collapsed (which also happens in small breeds).
 
They seem to thrive on stress ... they truly seem to benefit from you either stroking the throat and settling them down.  DON'T let yourself get scared ... if you are scared, it will make them *more* scared and that will make it last longer and it will make them recur.  But since this is the first you've heard it, I would most defintiely have the vet look -- don't just assume anything.

Oh, my gosh!  That happens to Romy, too!  I never really had a name for it, but "reverse sneeze" is about right.

Dancer has been a reverse sneezer for a lot of years now.  She does it less as she gets ancient (16+).  But, I always had success if I sat on the floor with her and gently cupped her nose with my hands, sort of the same thing as if you helped a human that was hyperventilating with the old paper bag routine.

Thank you for the great advice. I got really scared because she couldn't catch her breath.
Callie, when she goes in for her check-up, I'll let the Dr. know she is doing this.

I used to have a dog that reverse sneezed a lot.  When it first started happening it used to totally freak me out and him too.  I find that just sitting quietly with them helps.  You can also put your hands over the end of their muzzle and sharply blow air into their nostrils.  It's supposed to stop the sneezing.  I've found that it does sometimes work.

Yes, it works even better if you've eaten a LOT of garlic first! [sm=rofl.gif]

I blow in their nose as Callie suggested OR i put my finger in their mouth,inbetween their back teeth so they have to take a gasp of air through their mouth,this stops them also.

Not sure if I am talking about the same thing, but my vet said it was a sinus issue. The first time Reese did it I freaked out, I had no idea what was going on. What seems to work for me (not sure if I am actually "doing" anything, or if the episode just stops on its own) but I gently stroke the top of my dog's nose. Like when I have sinus pain I will sometimes massage the bridge of my nose and it seems to give some relief. Like I said, not sure if I am actually helping or if the episode just stops on its own. [8|]

But you are right, it is scary!!

Ohh Ozzie GOOD IDEA - finger in mouth.  Easier in this case, cos this little gal I'm fostering is hard to pick up (she's a wee bit skittish) and I don't want to freak her more.

My older dog, a 1.5 year old pomeranian, is a reverse sneezer. When she was a puppy, around 4 months old, she began to do it every day. I tried all the hand in mouth stuff, but it just seem to stop the episode, but it didnt really stop it all together how I wanted it to. When I took her to the vet for her last set of shots and everything, I asked the vet about it. He recommended that I give her Children's Benadryl. The formula he game me was 2mg per pound, every 8 hours. And if it seemed too much, he recommended splitting half the dosage every 4 hours. (Real quick, it was easier for me more then others because she was only 4 pounds and now she is 4.5.) I ended up doing this for about 2 months, and slowly but surely, she stopped practically all together. After those 2 months, I haven't given her benadryl since then, and she now has an episode maybe once every month, but for the past 2 months, I can't recall a single incident. I know this might have been a single incident, but it can't hurt to look into. I am just trying to pass on information that came to me and helped me greatly.
Also, if you don't want to try this way, I found that honey or a little bit of honey or peanut butter on either the end of the nose or the roof of the mouth works wonders really fast. Hope this helps a bit.