Why is my dog snoring?

What does it mean if a dog starts to snore after she recently comes back from a kennel? My dog just recently came back from a kennel. She is a five year old Maltese and weighs 6 pounds. She has never snored before, but now she cannot stop snoring when she sleeps. I think she has respiratory problems but I'm not sure what is wrong with her. When I put my ear against her body she sounds like she is wheezing and is having trouble breathing. How worried should I be?

  • Vetinfo

    By: Kara McCarty El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    How is your dog feeling otherwise? Is she eating, drinking, eliminating and playing normally? If she is normal in every respect except for her breathing don't be quite so alarmed. It's possible she was exposed to a respiratory virus while she was at the kennel. Respiratory viruses are hard to control as one sick dog coughing and sneezing can infect the whole kennel via air borne droplets. Was your dog up to date on her "Kennel Cough" (infectious tracheobronchitis) vaccine before she went? This is a very contagious, common condition in kennels and if your kennel doesn't require the vaccine you may wish to look for on that does. It causes an upper respiratory infection with a loud honking cough which is more annoying than harmful, most of the time, but can lead to pneumonia. Even if she was vaccinated there are some strains that can still cause an infection. Because you are hearing some wheezing it is advisable to have her seen by her veterinarian to make sure she doesn't have pneumonia. In the meantime you can ease her breathing by bringing her into a bathroom filled with steam from a hot shower and letting her breathe that air for 10 to 15 minutes. -Kara, DVM

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