Tips for Treating Dog Sneezing Problems
Dog sneezing is usually caused by irritated nasal cavities. There are a number of things that can cause nasal irritation in dogs, including an object that has gotten lodged in the nasal cavity, an infection, and there may even be a problem with dog sneezing if the dog has a nervous condition.
In some cases it might be necessary to talk with your dog’s vet to determine the cause, as well as the best course of treatment for dog sneezing. Most of the time you can treat the sneezing with medication or simply training your dog, but in some instances it may be necessary to have a procedure done that can help with the sneezing.
Due to the fact that dog sneezing can be an indication of a number of different problems it is important that your vet evaluate your dog to determine the cause of the sneezing before you try to treat your pet. Sneezing is a symptom that is usually caused by some underlying issue, and to successfully treat dog sneezing you need to also treat the cause of the sneezing.
If your pet only sneezes occasionally there is likely not a problem, as he or she is probably just suffering from a reaction to pollutants or dust, but if the dog sneezing becomes more constant or gets severe you will want to call your vet. The vet is really the best person to determine what is causing your dog to sneeze.
With dog sneezing one of the most common causes is that something is caught in the nasal cavity and quite often this happens to be foxtail grass. If your dog is sneezing and you live in a region of the country where there is foxtail grass, this is likely what is causing your dog to sneeze. To treat this problem the vet will have to sedate your dog and remove the problem object. It is important to remember that if you do not have the object removed; it can lead to serious damage of the nasal cavity.
Another problem that can cause dog sneezing is an infection of the upper airway and to treat this, the vet will have to put your dog on antibiotics to help him or her fight the infection. An infection in the airway can be caused by objects lodged in the sinus cavity that turned into an infection, but it can also be caused by a bacteria or virus picked up from another animal.
Just like people, dogs can also suffer from allergies and this can cause dog sneezing. One way to tell if your dog is suffering from allergies is to pay attention to when they begin to sneeze. If they only seem to have a sneezing problem when they are in a particular area, there is a chance that the dog is allergic to something in that area. Treating allergies in dos is about the same as treating allergies in humans; an antihistamine is usually your best option. You can simply use the same antihistamine medications that you do for human allergies, but ask your vet how much you should give your dog before you begin treatment.
If you cannot find a physical cause for the sneezing it is possible that it is the result of nerves and has become a nervous habit. In this case the vet may prescribe a mild sedative to help calm the dog’s nerves. Before coming to the conclusion that the dog sneezing is the result of nerves the vet will want to rule out any other possible causes first.