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My Dog Is Sneezing A Lot

Submitted by Michael Adams on July 20, 2010

Both dogs and cats have complex structures in their nose, which give them an extremely sensitive olfactory sense. If you have observed your dog closely you will have seen that it sniffs other people a lot. However, there are times when your dog may unknowingly sniff something that it wasn’t supposed to and this causes sneezing.

Anything that enters the dog’s nasal passage and irritates the sinuses may cause sneezing.
Some of the other common causes of dog excessive sneezing are dust, pollen, and smoke. These are the same allergens that can cause a runny nose and other nasal problems in humans.

They affect our pets too. If your dog keeps sneezing there are a number of reasons that could be behind it. If your dog keeps sneezing and shaking its head vigorously, or if it has been pawing its nose ever too often, it can be a sign that there is something irritating the nasal cavity. Mostly, repetitive sneezing will allow the dog to expel the object stuck in the cavity. As soon as the object is out, the dog will stop sneezing on its own.

However, there are often other reasons why a dog might sneeze.
Just like humans, most cats and dogs sneeze when they have a cold or the flu. Dogs are prone to developing respiratory infections and kennel cough. If your dog’s sneezing is accompanied by a runny nose and dog coughing, it is most likely due to a viral infection. In a very rare case, the dog may have developed a polyp or a benign tumor in the nasal cavity which keeps irritating the sinuses and causes the excessive sneezing. Only in rare cases can excessive sneezing be due to a serious problem. In some cases, the sneezing could be a side effect of a dental infection which may have spread to the gums. Though the sneezing may not really be because of any severe disorder, there are times when the dog sneezes for so long that the inner lining of the nose gets damaged. The nasal cavity may become swollen and congested. In such a case, subsequent sneezing may finally result in nosebleeds.

If your pet has been experiencing nosebleeds and has fever accompanying the sneezing you should immediately visit your vet. Some other signs to look out for are excessive panting dogs, pawing of the nose, a change in your dog’s voice, and gagging and wheezing accompanied by sneezing.

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