Sneezing, Hacking, Wheezing

A week or so back, the week after his kennel stay, we noticed Nero giving lots of small sneezes, especially when he went for his walks. Not big ones, just small, continuous ones like he was trying to dislodge something.

Now for the last couple of days, both hubby and I noticed bouts of hacking and wheezing, like he's trying to throw up or is choking!! I saw it last evening on our walk, where he did it twice. Hubby had noticed it earlier one or two times. Then this morning, before his walk, he was doing the same thing again.

Yesterday evening, I looked it up on the internet, and we think it is reverse sneezing. But we're not sure, so tomorrow, we're taking him to the vet. 

Trying the list causes when I saw him do this. The first time was when I was taking him for a walk. He had been sleeping the whole day, stretched around a bit as checked on the house and was pulling on his leash when I was locking up the house. The second time, it was generally while he was on the walk...there didnt seem any one trigger.

As I write this, he has had the hacking fit again. Its almost like a snorting, hacking, can't-catch-my-breath kind of fit. He was lying on the bed against the cushions when he suddenly started hacking and sat up. I tried rubbing the sides of his face and blowing on his snout as some of the websites suggest. I don't really know how much it helped, but he subsided within a few seconds or so. Poor boy, he had such a woebegone, whats-happening-to-me face during the whole fit :( Then, the doorbell rang, and he leapt off the bed, raced to the door, barking his head off to see who it was....completely normal, seemed as right as rain.

The websites I read said reverse sneezing (if that is what this is) is fairly common in dogs, not harmful by itself (unless accompanied by fever, loss of appetite etc. where it might be better to check it out) and the cause for it is unknown. It is also supposed to affect small dogs more, though that isn't the case here. 

My other fear was he picked up something at the kennel, but the sneezing started almost a week later, and these new fits just a couple of days back. When it was just sneezing, I thought it might be some allergy. Maybe its the change in weather...its been getting warmer. 

Whatever it is, its vet time for Nero tomorrow. I hope we dont have to put him on antibiotics, he just finished a course in December for a skin infection. Aww baby...whats happening with you!