Dog snoring is one of those things that is sometimes harmless and sometimes a sign that something is wrong. You can usually tell whether it is harmful by what is normal for your dog. If they’ve always snored, it’s probably fine. If they suddenly start doing it, you should discover why, just in case. This post will discuss everything you need to know about dog snoring and how CBD oil can help.
What is Dog Snoring?
This sounds like a silly question, but you may not be 100% sure whether your dog is snoring or you can just hear them breathing and understanding how snoring works may help you better understand whether it’s a sign of a problem or not.
Snoring comes from vibration in the soft tissues of the throat and mouth. It is the result of abnormal airflow, not just louder breathing. You can often hear the vibration.
What Causes Dog Snoring?
Snoring happens whenever there is insufficient room for airflow. This can be because they’re lying on their back and their tongue is in the way, the way their snout is shaped because of their breed, allergies, or because of a health problem.
Snoring can be a sign that the dog has:
- an allergy
- a cold
- a foreign object in their throat
- an abscessed tooth
- hypothyroidism
- obesity
- sleep apnea
- a benign or cancerous growth
You may be able to easily ascertain which of the many causes of dog snoring is the culprit with your pet.
With an allergy, you may notice a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, heavy breathing, panting, digestive upset, or lack of appetite, depending on the allergy. You might be able to quickly determine that they were exposed to something unusual or a particularly large amount of something such as seasonal allergies, a new food, a cat, etc.
If your dog has swallowed something that isn’t large enough to choke them but could obstruct their airway enough to cause snoring, this will likely be accompanied by coughing and you may be aware that the dog was playing with something that they may have swallowed or that part of one of their toys has vanished.
A dog with hypothyroidism will likely also have symptoms like thinning hair, missing hair, a dull coat, scaly skin, lethargy, weight gain, or cold intolerance.
Obesity will be a likely cause if the dog is significantly overweight. Your dog should have a defined waist, the obviousness of this waistline will depend on the breed, but all dogs should have one. If your dog is too thick or downright round, no matter how cute it is, it may be detrimental to their health, and your sanity if snoring develops.
If your dog has sleep apnea, they will not have a restful sleep. You may see them frequently waking up and they will not have the normal energy they should have because they’re constantly running on a sleep deficit.
Some medications can cause a dog to start snoring because it relaxes their throat muscles. You would likely know this was the cause because it would start only after the dog was taking the medication. If this is causing you a problem or you are worried it may impact your dog’s health, you should speak to your vet to see if a change can be made.
Some breeds of dog are more likely to snore, Black Russian Terriers, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Clumber Spaniels, English Bulldogs, Pugs, and Shih Tzus. They were bred to have a short snout, but genetics didn’t catch up on the inside. Short dogs in general are more likely to snore. None of these are guaranteed to snore, but it will take much less to make them do it than a typical dog.
Is Dog Snoring Normal?
To some extent. Some dogs do this most of their lives, particularly the breeds mentioned above, and it means nothing harmful.
If your dog has just developed snoring, it’s disturbingly loud, or there are other signs that something is wrong with the dog, you should take them to the vet.
