Seeing your dog huffing suddenly for no rhyme or reason will undoubtedly be problematic. When the dog gasps, the outcome is a weird sound that seems as if he is in distress or discomfort. It might even indicate that he desires to communicate as well. The huff is only sometimes a cause for concern and might disappear quickly. If it persists for long, in case your dog shows signs of physical discomfort. Then, it could be a cause for concern. Read on to know the different reasons why your dog may huff suddenly. Also, learn about how you may find a solution to the same.
What is a Huffing Sound in Dogs?
A huffing sound is mainly produced when dogs expel the air forcefully. Sometimes the dogs may even yelp or bark a little alongside the huffing. They may even create a huffing sound through their nose if they have reverse sneezing. As the name suggests, it is the reverse of sneezing. They would inhale when sneezing instead of exhaling the air out.
Why Does Your Dog Huff Suddenly? 7 Possible Reasons
When your dog suddenly begins huffing, the cause could be minor, like stress or anxiety. It could even point toward a severe health problem. It is always essential to identify the root cause to solve it as soon as possible.
1. Your Dog is Anxious or Stressed
What do you do if you are anxious and worried about something? Let out a deep breath, correct? Your dog does the same when something bothers or stresses him out. He would react in several ways. One of them is that he would rapidly exhale some air, which may be a huffing sound.
2. He is Happy and Contended
While stress is one of the reasons for huffing, happiness and contentment is the other cause as well. Say, you have a treat in hand. You show it to your dog and ask him to come forward to take it. As a reaction, he would come running at top speed to get the treat. In doing the same your dog runs out of breath and huffs. The next instance could be that you are engaged in a game with your pooch in the yard. He is excited and is enjoying the play session to the core. To let you know of his pleasure, he could bring out several noises – a combination of whines and huffs.
3. He is Angry
Say, your dog does not like a bath or detests when he has to trim his nails. The outcome would be an angry reaction. It could even convert to aggression if not controlled immediately. The result would be enraged huffs and growls.
4. He is Drinking or Eating Too Fast
If your dog is eating or drinking too fast, perhaps in a hurry, there are chances that food or water may have gotten stuck in his throat. The outcome may be coughing along with spasms and huffing. The effect could be mild or severe depending on how fast your dog ate and how much food and water got stuck.
5. Your Dog May Face Shortness of Breath Due to Over exercise
Your dog has just come from a long walk and indulges in a game of fetch in your garden when he sees your kids playing. It would for sure make him happy but tire him to the core. The result could be panting and inhaling and exhaling air way too fast. It may even result in a huffing sound, as your dog is desperate to catch some breath.
6. The Case of Reverse Sneezing
When your dog huffs through his nose, the culprit is reverse sneezing. It gets triggered when the dog inhales airborne allergens like dust particles, cleaning sprays, or perfume. As a result, your dog would have an episode of reverse sneezing while trying to remove the foreign particles stuck in his upper airways. Some breeds, like the Pug and Boxer, have an elongated soft palate. It makes them more prone to reverse sneezing. As the name suggests, the dog pulls it in instead of pushing the air out, which usually happens in sneezing. It leads to huffing as an immediate reaction.
7. One of the Regular Spasms
If your dog has little spasms coming in the way of effective breathing, he will do his best to clear them. His windpipe could be blocked due to some reason. Perhaps your dog is facing trouble breathing or other discomforts due to this reason. Your dog might emit a huffing sound to allow unrestricted airflow.
What are the Solutions to Stop Your Dog From Huffing?
Though huffing is natural in animals when it runs, play or jumps; however, as a dog owner, seeing your dog huffing and gasping for air in an extreme way could be worrisome. Here we have mentioned some of the solutions for huffing.
1. Identify the Reasons that Are Stressing Out Your Dog
It is crucial to identify why your dog appears stressed. When a dog is stressed, it would not just huff. It will also display several symptoms. These include pacing in circles, barking, drooling, yawning, or even licking. Visiting a new dog park out of his domain could cause your dog worry.
The other instance could be that you have brought another pet home. It makes your dog worried, the outcome being a stressful reaction. Moreover, training your dog on obedience and socialization from when he is a puppy would help him adapt to new situations and people.
2. Slow Down Your Dog If He Eats or Drinks too Fast
Your dog could eat fast due to several reasons. It may have competition at home with other dogs. It may feel that their food may be snatched if they eat or drink slowly. If you have adopted a dog from a shelter, he will likely display such behavior. Perhaps in his previous home, he wasn’t fed well. So, your dog should make the best of whatever he gets at that moment. Behavioral issues could be addressed by training them on obedience and socialization as early as possible. However, you would have to rule out any physical cause. An increased appetite is often a sign of diabetes and Cushing’s disease.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if your dog huffs after a meal, it shouldn’t last more than 30 seconds. If it continues more than that and your dog always huffs after a meal, then a vet’s intervention is the need of the hour. There might be a problem with his esophagus.
3. Make Sure He Isn’t Over Exhausted
The amount of exercise a dog should get depends on many things, like his size, body stature, and energy level. If your dog exercises more than he should, it could take a toll on his muscles and affect his overall health. Flat-faced dogs like the Pug and French Bulldog should never be overexercised. It could cause them to overheat and lead to breathing difficulties as well. Fix an exercise regime, and give your dog some rest when you notice he is getting tired. In this way, he wouldn’t huff or pant a lot.
4. Try Controlling Episodes of Reverse Sneezing
Find out the reason why your dog is reverse sneezing. If It’s doing that too often, contact a vet. He could be allergic to certain things—continuous exposure to the same leads to reverse sneezing. Identifying what your dog is allergic to and eliminating the triggers may help control reverse sneezing in the future. However, if he has had an episode of reverse sneezing, you could do a few things at home to relieve him. Hold his nostrils gently for about a second. At the same time, massage his throat. It would help to keep him calm.
5. Find Out the Triggers that Make Him Angry
We all experience anger for different reasons. But, it is essential to find ways to control and manage our anger so that it may not impact our health. The same goes for your dog. If he’s getting angry quite often, and if that anger results in aggression. Then it is a matter to worry about. Early training is one of the best solutions to help them correct their behavior. Besides this, try finding the cause that is making them angry. Then, try ways to eliminate that cause or present it so that it no longer angers your dog. For example, your dog doesn’t like it each time your trim its nails. So, never force him. Be gentle. Introduce the positive reinforcement technique. When you take the nail clippers in your hand, and your dog reacts positively, reward him. He may even react the same if you try to make him wear a leash. It could get corrected by leash training from the time it’s a puppy. In this way, you can control his anger and aggression.
FAQ’s
Is huffing bad for dogs?
Huffing is okay for dogs unless it happens too often or continues for an extended interval. Moreover, the problem causing huffing should be controlled at once, lest it affects your dog’s overall well-being.
Do dogs huff through their nose?
Only sometimes. Huffing through the nose mainly occurs because of reverse sneezing. Sometimes dogs would huff through their mouth as well.
When to contact a veterinarian?
Your dog is showing other signs of discomfort besides huffing. If it goes on huffing occasionally, or the huffing triggers breathing and other physical problems. In all these cases getting in touch with a vet is of utmost importance.
conclusion
Your dog huffing a little out of tiredness, happiness, excitement, or anger isn’t a cause for concern. However, too much of anything is bad. So is your dog’s huffing. Seek medical help when you feel that something is not going right with how your dog is huffing. The sooner you diagnose the issue, the faster you can deal with it.
Elena Gherman is a highly skilled and knowledgeable animal care expert. At the start of her career, she gained practical expertise with multiple animals. In addition to that, she works as a DVM veterinary editor for Joy Pet Products, which focuses on offering reliable information on pet health and wellbeing. She meticulously reviews each piece of writing before it is published to make sure pet owners get the most precise and updated information possible.