breathing question

[Anna]

Okay, so, Darwin is a snorty pugman just like the rest but as he's getting older, and especially in the last year, Nick and I are noticing some changes.  He is having more and more of those reverse sneezing fits, to the point that it's a daily thing, where it used to be a once every couple months sort of thing when he was younger.  (and when he was little we had him checked and his palate and nares were fine) He has also become very wheezy.  When he settles down to sleep at night it sounds like someone is letting the air out of a balloon VERY slowly.  It's comical, but also worrisome.

Darwin is 5 next month, is this just normal pug ageing?  Or could he be developing some sort of airway problem?

[Candace]

He could have airway issues or asthma issues. Mookie is similar. Even though he had his nares and palate done, he still gets wheezy. He is much worse on hot, bad air quality days. The palate is hard to diagnose, until they actually get in there. If they are having a hard time breathing, they can develop everted sacules. He could have a narrow airway or a collapsing larynx. The collapsing larynx is caused when they have been dealing with the other conditions and labouring to breathe. This site covers some of these issues http://www.cavalierhealth.org/brachycephalic.htm
With Mookie, I would stop him from running, if he became wheezy. He also sounds like Darwin, when he breathes.

[LouiseJ]

I'm taking Lizzie in to the vet for a consultation about this same thing on the 14th. She is a very loud snorer and I've noticed that she makes a grinning face sometimes. I looked at her closely when she does that and it looks like she's breathing in air through the corners of her mouth. Poor babe. Hope to get this fixed up for her soon.