Why Is My Dog Sneezing? – Why Is My Cat Sneezing
Upper Respiratory Tract Problems In Your Dog Or Your Cat
Ron Hines DVM PhD
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Pets and people usually sneeze for one of two reasons: Either the membranes that line their nose are inflamed or a foreign material of some sort is present in their nostrils.
Nasal membranes become inflamed if your pet was exposed to an irritant or when it has contracted an upper respiratory tract infection.
When young dogs sneeze, it is usually due to an upper respiratory tract infection. When young cats sneeze, several common upper respiratory tract pathogens are often involved. When middle-aged cats sneeze, it is usually due to the Herpes 1 virus of cats. When older pets develop sneezing problems, the causes are more varied. When older pets also experience drainage from only one nostril, nasal polyps and intranasal tumors are often the cause.
Most of the sneezing dog that veterinarians examine have contracted an upper respiratory tract infections. Often, the only symptom of these mild infections is the sneezing. Kittens are often adopted during their first bout with the feline Herpes 1 virus (aka rhinotracheitis virus). You can read my article on that common stubborn cat virus here. Like children in kindergarden, pets commonly get exposed to these organisms at grooming salons, doggy parks, feral cat colonies, kennels or any other location where many animals are gathered in close proximity. In people, we would call it a cold, and it moves from person to person in the same way our colds do. Dogs and cats invariably sniff new objects so the chances of them becoming infected are large. These pet “colds” are caused by airborne virus and bacteria. The virus that cause them do not jump from dogs to cats or vice-versa, but the bacteria involved do.
Its not just the organisms I’ve mentioned up till now. Other oportunistic bacteria and mycoplasma can participate as well in transient coughing/sneezing episodes. Both cats and dogs are susceptible to bacterial upper respiratory tract infections involving Pasteurella, Bordetella, Streptococci, Chlamydia, mycoplasma and pseudomonad bacteria. Alone or combined with the Adeno-2 virus, they are often partly responsible for the symptoms seen in kennel cough. Many of these oportunist respiratory tract bacteria are not vary particular about whose nose or eyes they dwell in. So be hygenic. (read here & here)
When this virus attacks cats repeatedly when it re-emerges from the cat’s nervous system where it lays dormant. It sometimes causes irreversible erosions and changes in linings of the nasal passages (nasoturbinate bones) that can be helped – but never entirely cured. As I mentioned, this virus persists in cats throughout their lifetime – but usually in a dormant form similar to shingles in humans. Low stress, good nutrition, vitamin A (in non-toxic amounts) and antibiotics to combat secondary bacterial infections usually cause the disease to go back into remission.
If that treatment does not cure the cat’s sneezing in a few weeks, Medications like trifluridine (Viroptic®) or idoxuridine ophthalmic drops administered in their nose up to four times a day sometimes will. Steam administration, nebulization, or taking the pet with you into a hot shower area (don’t get it wet) will helps cleanse its nose of exudates and open its nasal passages. Some veterinarians give acyclovir, but I have not found it much help.
The amino acid, l-lysine, seems to help many cases of herpes1/rhinotracheitis resolve. This amino acid is thought to reduce the amount of another amino acid, arginine, that is present in the cat’s body. Arginine is thought to be necessary for herpes virus to reproduce. The suggested lysine dose is 250-500 mg per day sprinkled on canned cat food. Some give this supplement until the acute flare-up has resolved. But many cat owners continue the supplement indefinitely. Lysine can be purchased at health food stores. Pick a brand that is propylene glycol-free.
Some say that the herpes1/rhinotracheitis virus is the cause of over two-thirds of the sneezing cats most veterinarians see in their practices. The incubation period after exposure to this virus is thought to be about 2-6 days. Relapses are common and cats that harbor this virus are usually infected for life. Only a few of them, however, ever show signs of this virus again. But much like the cold sore virus in us humans, stresses of any sort will cause a few cats to resume shedding the virus and show nasal signs, ocular (eye) signs and/or sneezing. It is the great annoyance of catteries, animal shelters and ferral cat colonies alike that they must live with it since there is no known cure or prevention other than a lower stress environment. Sneezing usually subsides in cat 5-10 days after it begins – with or without treatment. Have your vet run an in-office test for the FIV and FLV viruses – common causes of a weak protective immune system.
The same household products that cause you to sneeze can cause your pet to sneeze. The most common culprit for cats is dusty cat litter containing small spicules (sharp crystals) of silica. Perfumes, cigarette smoke, household cleaners, fiberglass, bug spray and deodorants are only a few of the products that can cause your pet to sneeze.
Although most pet allergies cause itching or wheezing, some pets sneeze due to pollens and mold in the air. If the problem occurs only seasonally, antihistamines might be of help. However, inhalant allergies in dogs and cats are much more likely to cause generalized itching and food allergies, when they occur, generally cause diarrhea.
It is not uncommon for pets to poke their nose into grassy or dusty areas and come away with a small portion of grass or seedpods lodges in their nostril. Any nasal drainage of this sort will be confined to the side that has the object. Most pets eventually sneeze these objects out but some of them must be physically removed. These lodged objects will also cause drainage from the affected side of their nose. When this occurs in older dogs and cat, the cause is usually something else. These older pets are subject to nasal polyps, tumors and degenerative changes in their airways. As with foreign objects, the problem is usually confined to one nostril.
In both dogs and cats the third upper premolar tooth has roots that penetrate close to the nasal passages. If this tooth, or the ones adjacent to it, becomes infected, sneezing and nasal drainage may occur. You can read more about that problem here.
Certain breeds of dogs and cats have compressed nasal passages due to the shape of their head. These are called brachycephalic breeds. Persian cats and other cats with a flat face are more likely to sneeze due to infection or irritating products and to sneeze longer. Any of the dogs breed that snore (Pekingese, pugs, bulldogs, Lhasa Apsos, Shia Tzu etc.) share this problem.
Veterinarians try to prevent upper respiratory tract infections in dogs and cats by vaccinating against the organisms that are commonly involved. However, most cats have already acquired the herpes 1 virus before their first kitten-hood vaccination and vaccine immunity to most upper-respiratory pathogens in dogs and cats is short-lived. So keeping your pets isolated from infected and carrier animals or places where they frequent is a much better approach. That goes for crowded veterinary waiting rooms and vaccination clinics as well.
In veterinary school long ago, my microbiology professor told our class that sneezing, left untreated lasts about 2 weeks. But when properly treated it passes in 14 days. This has a basis in fact so sneezing pets rarely warrant antibiotics. But it is not always so – sometimes sneezing is only the first sign of a more serious respiratory tract infection. This is particularly so when your pet’s activity level and appetite are also diminished. One helpful way to tell if the problem is minor or more major is to take your pet’s temperature with a rectal thermometer. (Don’t bother to see if its nose is warm or cold – that never works) If your pet’s temperature or its appetite, respiratory rate or activity level has changed significantly, or if there is blood or mucus in the material that is sneezed out, seek advice from you local veterinarian.
Sometimes, nasal corticosteroid spray (such as Nasocort® that contains triamcinolone) are helpful to dogs and cats with chronic nasal problems that lead to sneezing (chronic rhinitis). Be cautious when using these over the counter products without the council of your veterinarian. Placing a few drops of an ophthalmic or nasal saline rinse into the pet’s nostrils three times a day might also help if your pet will put up with that. Some owners find antihistamines like North American-formulated Benadryl® (diphenhydramine) help. Remember to only give pets doses that are appropriate for their weight. Also, the UK/European Benadryl® formula is not the same as the one sold in America. I am only acquainted with the North American formula. (read here)
Yes,
Within the last few years, veterinarians have been given a tremendous tool for sorting out the various bacteria and virus that cause chronic sneezing in pets. These are the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Tests (RT-PCR) that identify minute amounts of pathogen genetic material without having to grow the organisms in their laboratory. One of my favorite is the Taqman lab at the veterinary labs of UC Davis. They use RT-PCR to look for six of the most common causes of upper respiratory, nasal and/or chronic eye problems in cats (e.g. bordetella, chlamydia, calicivirus, herpes 1,influenza and mycoplasma). Similar panels are available for dogs. If your kitty has persistent sneezing, some of these organisms are not the likely cause; but the panels often test for all of them. The test’s limitation is that the most common cause of sneezing, the Herpes-1 virus, is so stealthy that it can avoid detection with the PCR test when the cat is not experiencing a virus flare-up. So if the PCR test is positive for herpes-1, your cat is definitely a carrier of this virus. But if it is negative, the virus might still be sleeping somewhere deep in the cat’s nerve cells. It is best run during a flare-up.
