Coughing, hacking and honking

Let's discuss our experiences of the joyous subject of pug honking.

A subject close to my heart right now, as poor Toddy is just getting over a bout of kennel cough.

For anyone reading this who has a pug hacking and honking like a goose the first piece of advice I would give is "DON'T PANIC!".

Pugs do a thing commonly called a reverse sneeze where they make a weird noise and either look like they are trying to cough something up but nothing is coming or that they are trying to catch their breath. Generally speaking it is nothing to worry about, though it is scary to watch. Various people have tried different things to help their pugs through these episodes. Have you found anything that helps? (In our case the boys want to be in the room with me but don't welcome being touched.)

So if honking can be regarded as normal - when should you start to worry? Any thoughts?

Good question Bella! If it was something I witnessed on a daily basis I think I would get a little concerned. As I've never had a Pug that does it enough to worry about, I've never discussed it with my vet. I don't even know what causes it - mucous caught in their nasal passages? I wonder if it can be a seasonal thing like hayfever?

I think general "honking" or reverse sneezing is part of owning a pug, but where I get concerned is when I am feeding Co-Pilot. She eats pretty fast and has almost choked a couple of times, for this reason I NEVER feed her or give her any food or treat unattended, for her safety and my sanity.

I think if an owner is concerned about their pug, it certainly something worth discussing with their breeder, or experienced vet to be sure it's not something more than the "normal" pug noises.

Gotta love these little creatures!

Angel is my honker, especially now. The coughing was easy to be concerned about - it was really a cough, and benadryl didn't help (meaning it wasn't 100% allergies). It also didn't subside in a couple of days.

She was hocking up a lugey too - choking on it from time to time.

She also tended to gobble her food, and would start the reverse sneezing then.

When we did the work up on her, the x-ray showed that she had a narrowed trachea. It wasn't narrowed enough to be diagnosed as collapsed, or to require a stent. But it explained the honking after eating, and some of the coughing (once irritated, it was harder for her to stop coughing).

Along with the meds to help relieve the fluid in her lungs, and her allergies (which started all of this), I started feeding her 1/3 portions at a time. I'd pour a few kibbles into her bowl, let her gobble those down, wait for her to put her head up and take a few normal breaths before adding more. This really seemed to cut down on the reverse sneezes (which were really the food choking off her air supply).

Now Dre also reverse sneezes, and I've noticed it's more prevalent if she's wolfed down her food especially quickly. (yes Sarina, Dre is a food hog now.) I'm thinking it's similar - she's eating so fast and holding her breath while she's doing it.

Now, all of this is definitely different from a cough related to kennel cough where there's also runny nose and gunky eyes more than likely.

So how do you know? For me it's instinct. I know how my pugs act normally, and when something isn't quite right, I'll usually keep an eye on it for 24-48 hours (depending on what it is). before rushing off to the vet.

I remember when we got Hoover (our first pug) and he did a reverse sneeze for the first time as a puppy, I freaked! Looking back now, I can laugh at myself but I certainly worried then. Live and learn!

TxAllieGrl wrote:She was hocking up a lugey too - choking on it from time to time.

Lovely image Allie. Thanks! I've never had a chronic cougher or had to deal with kennel cough, but I do know that the reverse sneezes scared the daylights out of me when I 1st saw them!

I guess that I have 3 categories:
Reverse sneeze-happens occassionally and can usually be traced/related to eating too fast, getting too excited, etc. Pug goes back to acting like nothing every happened.

Wet Cough-this would be your kennel cough with a multitude of additional symptoms of runny eyes & nose. Is cleared up with a round of antibiotics.

Honk-sounds like a goose honk. Just imagine a dry cough. Happens more and more frequently. It could be Collasping Trachea. This can be serious and life threatening. Baby Girl was Grade IV (greater than >75% collapsed). She received a stent last year and is doing great, but she does still cough, just not as much as before!

GingerSnap wrote:

TxAllieGrl wrote:She was hocking up a lugey too - choking on it from time to time.

Lovely image Allie. Thanks!

Seriously - if I didn't feel so sorry for her, I'd be cracking up!

papaspugs wrote:I guess that I have 3 categories:
Reverse sneeze-happens occassionally and can usually be traced/related to eating too fast, getting too excited, etc.

Wet Cough-this would be your kennel cough with a multitude of additional symptoms of runny eyes & nose.

Honk-sounds like a goose honk. Just imagine a dry cough. Happens more and more frequently. It could be Collasping Trachea. This can be serious and life threatening. Baby Girl was Grade IV (greater than >75% collapsed). She received a stent last year and is doing great, but she does still cough, just not as much as before!

Jana - you described it beautifully!!!!!!