In one of our recent blog posts, we introduced the dreaded inverted sneeze. This is another, somewhat more official name for the snorting you may hear from your Boston Terrier. While inverted sneezing is incurable, you do have a few things you can try to stop it. What are these?
To curtail an episode of snorting or inverted sneezing in your Boston Terrier, try the following methods:
• Don’t panic • Talk to your Terrier calmly • Give them something small to eat, like a treat • Take them outside • Open your dog’s mouth and push down gently on their tongue • Apply pressure to the nostrils • Blow air in their face • Rub their throat
Do the above methods really all work? What should you do if these suggestions don’t slow your Boston Terrier’s inverted sneezing? Keep reading, as we’ll talk about all that and more in this article. You won’t want to miss it!
What Is Snorting in Boston Terriers, Anyway?
Before we dive deeper into the methods for stopping your Boston Terrier’s snorting, we have to discuss in more detail what this snorting is. If you missed our post about the topic, here’s a recap.
Snorting is another name for reverse sneezing, which is also referred to as inverted sneezing, the pharyngeal gag reflex, or inspiratory paroxysmal respiration. The small palate in the Boston Terrier’s throat spasms, causing your dog to make honking or snorting sounds.
Since the Boston Terrier is considered brachycephalic, there’s no way to completely prevent inverted sneezing. You should be aware of triggers, as knowing and avoiding these may prevent recurrent episodes.
Some causes of snorting in Boston Terriers and other brachycephalic dogs include:
• Post-nasal drip • Allergies • Inhaling foreign objects • Smelling perfume, cologne, or other strong odors • Breathing in pollen • Exposure to mites • Fast drinking • Speedy eating • Exercise if your dog has an intolerance • Tugging too hard on their leash during a walk
8 Ways to Stop Boston Terrier Snorting
In many cases, a bout of snorting is not considered a medical emergency, but it’s also not something that should go on needlessly, either. Besides paying attention to triggers and making lifestyle changes, here are the methods we touched in in the intro for stopping a case of reverse sneezing in your Boston Terrier.
Don’t Freak Out
Your dog isn’t necessarily panicked when they begin snorting, but they can become so if you are. While it’s natural to get upset the first time your sweet Boston Terrier starts reverse sneezing, try to stay as calm as possible. It may help the snorting stop faster.
Talk in a Calm Voice
On that note, avoid raising your voice. Stay close to your Terrier and reassure them in a soft tone. If you have kids or other family members that would make things hectic, try to keep them out of the room for the duration of the inverted sneezing episode.
What should you say to your dog? That’s up to you. You may tell them they’re going to be okay, the moment will pass, or let them know how much you love them. Add in what a good boy or girl they’re being, too.
Before you know it, the snorting may be over.
Offer a Treat or Other Food
While your Boston Terrier can barely breathe, you might not think now is the appropriate time to try feeding them. As a matter of fact, it’s the perfect time. When your dog swallows, there’s a chance the soft palate in their throat can become realigned so they can breathe more easily. This will stop the reverse sneezing.
You don’t want to give them a lot of food, so avoid full meals here. Instead, a small treat, preferably a favorite of your Terrier’s, might incline them to take a bite. If your dog shows no interest in even treats, don’t push the matter.
Give Your Terrier Some Fresh Air
Depending on what caused the snorting, you might be able to stop it by moving your Boston Terrier to an environment with fresher air. As a word of caution, you do want to make sure your dog doesn’t have outdoor allergies to pollen, mites, or the like. If they do, then please don’t take them outside when they already can’t breathe. You might make their inverted sneezing worse.
This tip is more for when your home is full of odors like perfume or smoke, or even if things get a little dusty, such as after cleaning house.
If you call your Terrier to go outside and they stand still, they’re not doing this on purpose. When snorting, it may be hard for your dog to move. Make sure you pick them up carefully and then put them somewhere on the lawn. Once they’re feeling better, they can come back in of their own accord.
Press on Their Tongue
Another option you have for calming them down is to access your Boston Terrier’s tongue. There’s often no need to pry your dog’s mouth open, as it should already be in that state as they try to breathe.
With your index and middle fingers, press on the tongue, but only the bottom half of it. Do this incredibly gently, as if you hurt your dog, they might nip or bite. When you position their tongue this way, your Boston Terrier’s breathing passage opens up so they can breathe more easily.
If your dog has any history of aggression, then this is a method we wouldn’t recommend. You don’t want to get bit.
Briefly Close the Nostrils
You may instead put your fingers on your dog’s nostrils. By pinching them for a second at a time, you make your Terrier swallow. Like with the treats suggestion, swallowing can sort of reset the throat’s soft palate so the inverted sneezing ends.
Use your thumb and index finger for this, applying firm yet soft pressure. If you squeeze or press too hard, you could hurt your dog, who may try to bite you.
Just to reiterate, please don’t close your dog’s nostrils for more than a second at a time. If they can’t breathe out of their mouths and now their noses, too, they could pass out.
Blow Air Towards Your Terrier
This may sound like a strange trick, but it’s one we advocate for. As we wrote about in our initial post on Boston Terrier snorting, by sending gusts of air towards your dog’s face, they may stop inhaling so quickly.
While repetitive puffs are okay, harder is not better here. Blow air lightly. Also, make sure you’re not too close to your dog’s face. You want to distance yourself at least six inches away.
Rub Their Throat
You can also try soothing your Terrier’s throat at the source. With your whole hand open, press your fingers softly over your dog’s throat and begin rubbing up and down. If your Terrier seems upset, talk to them while you do this, reassuring them.
The breathing passages may become less irritated by this repetitive motion, which could put your Boston Terrier’s reverse sneezing to an end for now.
When Should You Bring Your Terrier to the Vet for Snorting?
One or more of the above methods may have shortened the duration of your Boston Terrier’s inverted sneezing. However, if nothing works, then waiting it out is your best course of action. After all, most snorting episodes last 20 seconds at the longest, sometimes upwards of a minute. It can seem like an agonizingly long time when you’re in the thick of it, but it isn’t.
As we said before, given that reverse sneezing is not an emergency, you don’t have to rush your Terrier to the vet every time they can’t breathe. If anything, all the distress of riding in the car and going to the vet may make them feel worse. If not, then by the time you get to the vet’s office, the reverse sneezing could have ceased.
Some cases of inverted sneezing do warrant veterinary intervention, such as the following.
You’re Not Sure What’s Causing the Reverse Sneezing
It’s hard to create the kind of lifestyle changes that will prevent inverted sneezing in your Boston Terrier if you don’t know what’s causing the snorting in the first place. Luckily, your vet can run a series of tests to narrow down the culprit.
If your dog has allergies, then the vet may prescribe an antihistamine. In other cases, medication can help, like a decongestant for clearer breathing passages or an anti-inflammatory to calm down all the irritation and swelling in the throat.
The Snorting Happens Nearly Daily
Just because snorting is unavoidable in brachycephalic dogs doesn’t mean your dog should reverse sneeze super often, like every single day or close to it. If your pup is having breathing trouble that often, a vet appointment is a good idea.
Again, you may get a prescription like those above or even lifestyle tips from your vet. For example, sometimes by switching to a softer leash, the inverted sneezing lessens. The same is true if you train your Boston Terrier to eat more slowly.
The Episodes Last a While
The next time your Terrier has a long bout of inverted sneezing, try recording it on your smartphone. If you’re not comfortable doing this, then ask a family member to take care of it instead.
Your vet can tell you whether the episode is concerningly long or just about in line for what to expect of the breed. If it’s the former, the vet will offer a treatment, and if’s the latter, rely on the tips above to control the inverted sneezing.
Conclusion
Snorting, also known as inverted or reverse sneezing, happens often in Boston Terriers. Their smaller head and compressed facial features make breathing hard at times. With the methods we laid out in this article, the next time your Terrier begins snorting, you can hopefully control it. Best of luck!
Author Nicole Malczan