Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by michelle

Does anyone else have a maltese that snorts? Is it normal or common? Chloe will snort at least 10 times a day.

DISCUSSION:

Not sure what you mean by snort. When I put on perfume or use hair spray they will make a snort-sneeze sound. Also when my two males decide they are going to fight they move around each other and do a sneeze-snort sound, until they see me looking at them.

Bubba has asthma, so when he has an attack, he makes an extreme snorting sound that lasts a few minutes. He also looks frozen and does not move at all. If it is the first, no problem, it is like us sneezing when something irrates our nose. Bubba's problem requires testing and medication.
-Marsha A.

It does sound strange but I literally mean snort( like a pig - or if you watch tv like Steve Urkil in Family Matters.
-michelle

Dogs have a habit called reverse sneezing; it's a kind of snorting attack during which they inhale very rapidly. It usually lasts for about 10 minutes, and it may come on about once or twice a week. Reverse sneezing may be caused by postnasal drip. This is just a way of clearing the nasal passages and throat.
-Vicki

Hi Michelle, My dog also snorted, it was just like Felix Unjar. The vet guessed that it was because she is so close to the ground, and dust & pollen would bother her more than large dogs. There are some posts in the archives that address this. I did notice that it happen ed less if I vaccumed everyday, but even then it still happened. Let me know what you find out.
-sally

My Maltese snorts (like a little piglet), however, it usually occurs when he is playing and is very wound up. At first I thought this might be related to his age (1 year), but we've recently adopted an older Maltese and she does the same thing. In both situations it happens while playing.
-Mary Ellen

I do not know if we are talking about the same thing but when, Charles (Chuck), my 1 year old does this snorting he stands very still. He does not do this snorting fast, it is slow and he appears to be struggling to breath. Sometimes, he will even "Up Chuck", no pun intended, alright....yeah there was. It tends to scare me but I try to stay calm. He does this when he is excited, playing or after drinking. My Grandson, 9 years old, showed me how to stop it! Take a handful of loose skin on the back of Chucks neck and gently pull. This pulls the skin tight around his neck. A couple more gasps and he will usually stop. This helps but I would like to know what causes it! I do not want to loose the best friend my 5 grandsons, daughter (grandsons Mother), two nieghbor dogs, Husband and I have ever had the pleasure of sharing our lives with. If you can help me understand this "snorting/choking", please let me know. Thank You. They might all look pretty much alike but are they all this wonderful??
-Norma Dowda

Here's a funny thing -- Touquet knows he's not allowed to bark in our condo (except alarm barking). So, whenever he gets really excited and is itching to bark, he snorts instead! He makes us laugh with his antics, and sometimes we can't resist snorting back at him! A kind of doggy play communication...
-Barbara

Our two Maltese both do that snorting when excited. However, our older one, Millie, has had a different sort of episode since Sunday afternoon (about 48 hours ago). I thought she had a piece of grass caught in her throat because she started it when I was out gardening. It really scared me because she kept her mouth closed, her eyes had that blue-ish tinge to them that says "help me, please". She was not taking water, except off my fingers forced into her mouth. She appeared to stop breathing Monday so I rushed her to the vet. They said she has a flap in the top of her mouth that gets reversed and stuck, to hold her nose when it happens, and to give her a half-dose of Benadryl (sp?) if I want. Does that sound right to you folks?
-Kathleen

Hey Barbara, How did you teach Touquet not to bark except if you have visitors?
-Ruth

Hi, Ruth! When Touquet came to us as a puppy he used to bark at us for attention, to play, for food and anything else you can think of! Of course this did not sit well with our neighbours! We did a couple of things to correct the behaviour. We taught him basic obedience commands right away (he has now completed Novice level). When he wanted something, we would make him say please by asking him to sit, or down, etc. As soon as he complied, he got what he wanted. That way he was never rewarded for the barking, but for doing as we asked. Secondly, after he had barked more than once we would tell him calmly to be quiet. If he continued to bark at us, we would squirt plain water (from a plant sprayer) at him. This always made him stop. After he was quiet for a few seconds, we would praise and/or reward him. We gradually extended the amount of time he had to remain quiet before getting a reward. Touquet rarely barks in the condo now. He has discovered lots of innovative ways to communicate his needs to us. He tells us he's hungry by licking his lips, that he wants to go out on the balcony by sitting at the door, that he wants a treat by sitting pretty, etc. I was really surprised a couple of weeks ago when he saw that I was getting ready to go out, and he went and picked up his leash and brought it to me, wagging his tail! It was too cute for words. I must admit that we're still working on barking at other dogs on the street though!
-Barbara

Thanks for the tips, Barbara. Herald doesn't bark as much as he used to. I run a business from our house, though, and it seems like every time I am on the phone trying to sound professional, he starts to bark and gives me away. He usually barks whenever he hears any unusual noises ( and with two little boys in the house, you can bet he hears that alot) and when I let him out into the back yard he just won't stop. I tell him no but he just keeps going. The basic obedience would probably help alot. He knows how to sit and not to pull on the leash when he is out for a walk, and of course he is housebroken, but I really need to teach him the rest of the "course". Thanks again for the suggestions.
-Ruth

I have three Maltese, and the female (Scarlett) snorts like a little pig, especially after being fed treats. She walks around the room with her nose to the ground snorting like a hog in the mud. The two boys (Rhett and Beau) don't seem to do this at all. Beau however, does do that reverse sneeze mentioned by one of the earlier postings.
-Cheryl