Help! Non-stop sneezing fits!!!!

[tmorrow26]

Okay so 4 days ago my 5 month old started going outside and on the second day he was out playing in the grass and suddenly started sneezing uncontrollably and slobbering out of his mouth and nose. He was all over the place and rolling on the carpet. He wasn't in too much distress because he still had time to chase the cat But it was still terrifying! I gave him some children's benadryl and he finally settled down but still had some occasional sneezes. So last night I am at work in the ER on a 24 hour shift and my husband calls me freaking out because Jax was doing it again. He hadn't seen him do it the other day so unfortunately my baby got a high dose of karo syrup because my husband though the was hypoglycemic! So after some coaching on the phone, I got the symptoms out of my husband and he gave him some benadryl again. This morning when I got home I called the vet and I cannot get in until tomorrow. The vet tech told me to not let him go outside today. He is still sneezing very often but thankfully no more 'fits' like before. I gave him some more Benadryl this morning. She told me to give it three times a day. I think its helping but not taking them away completely. Can my baby be allergic to grass? Or could have something have gotten up his nose? I swear he had been outside several times and then bam-uncontrollable sneezing....I am very worried plus I don't want him to have to miss out on being outside because he loves it If he is allergic to grass....are there meds out there that can help with that so he can go outside? He is being a bit playful but he looks like he feels terrible....( just like I do when I have bad allergies) Oh I forgot...3 things that are new for him this week...1. going outside 2. new yorkie sister came home 3. he has been eating her brand of food and his to keep her from getting it. Also my husband just mowed the yard.

[107barney]

Sometimes mine go into sneezing fits and yes it has happened with grass. I usually clean out their nostrils with a pure saline nasal solution. You can also mix a little kosher salt in warm water and use a dropper to flush the pollen out. i usually just use a q-tip and wipe their button noses. It may be wacky, but it's drug free and it's the only thing that works for me in pollen and grass allergy season so why not! I'd rather do that then drug them or myself.

Good luck !

[kjc]

It is possible for a blade of grass to become lodged in their nose. Take a penlight and look up each nostril.... green is not a normal color, tweezers or a hemostat can be used to very slowly remove it. You may not see it on first inspection. Check every hour or so. Your vet may not see it either, depends on where it's at when he looks. I had mine to the vet twice in one week before I checked 5 times myself and saw a blade of grass up my Yorkie's nose. It ended up being 6-7 inches long!

[kjc]

Just checking in for an update.... hope all is well..

[tmorrow26]

Jax is better I guess. I haven't let him go outside in over 24 hours. He is still sneezing though! Not fits now, just several in a row and he is still rolling around on the floor occasionally. My husband took him to the vet and he put him on Amoxicillin mixed with something else. My husband didn't know what.....Hopefully the paperwork says what for. I personally do not think he needs an antibiotic but I am not a vet so I guess I shouldn't question. If he were a human and in my ER, he would be getting a steroid shot and some antihistamines And he is not allowed to go outside This is very sad because he wants to go out when Molly does. He is much better but I swear I still think he has something in his nose! I have an otoscope at home and I wanted to look in his nose but he WILL NOT hold still. Plus his nares are too tiny!

[kjc]

I recall that when I was trying to check my pup's nose, he wasn't real cooperative, but each time I looked, he got better about it. The first time, I did it quickly, sitting on the floor with him between my legs on his back. Then I held his muzzle in one hand, and a small penlight in the other, and just held him long enough to put the light near his nose and turn it on, then off and let him up and played with him for a few seconds. After a few times doing this, he understood that I wasn't going to hurt him and accepted the light going on and off, and my hand around his muzzle. By the fifth time, he stayed still long enough for me to angle the light up each nostril, that's when I saw a bit of green up the one side.

If anything, I thought if I couldn't remove the green thing myself, I was teaching him to accept restraint, so that my vet might be able to get a better look if we went back there. Not too long after our last session, he had a sneezing fit again, and I ran to him, and saw a bit of the grass beginning to come out of his nostril. I grabbed the tweezers and was able to catch the end of it and very gently, slowly began pulling it out. When it was still coming out after about 3 inches, I started freaking out a bit, but I couldn't stop now. My pup was being so good about it, so I continued till it finally came out. He was definitely happy. All symptoms went away immediately, and he never had another problem.

This had gone on for a week at least. His sneezing fits were so bad, his little head would bang against the floor, his sneezing was that forceful. He was producing a thin, clear mucus so much that there would be a puddle under his head when he would finally stop. Then he'd be okay for a day, till it started again. I figured whatever it was up his nose was being dislodged by the sneezing, when it reached a spot that was less irritating, his sneezing would stop. I thought the mucous was his body's attempt to coat the foreign object so it wouldn't be able to do any damage.

The only thing I can't figure out is how it got there. He had been out running in the new spring grass, I thought a piece went up his nose. It was very hard to see in his nose, because after I got it out, I realized I had grabbed the narrower end of the grass, the wider part had to be down his throat. So he must have ate some grass and then thrown up, and instead of coming out his mouth, one piece found it's way into his nose. Just weird.

Another member's pup had similar symptoms, tons of mucous and headbanging sneezes... turned out he was allergic to the shampoo, and was being bathed every 3 days.

I do hope you can figure out what's going on with your pup. I know it can be very frustrating, you get them to the vet and they act fine. Back home, sneeze like a maniac. Hope he's feeling better soon...

[tmorrow26]

Thank you so much for the advice! I think I will try that. He is still sneezing.......I truly do not think he needs an antibiotic.

[bchgirl]

You can purchase a product for children called Little noses. It's a saline mist and the dispenser is small enough for you to use on your pup. Frazier was having what you described and this product worked wonderfully.

[kjc]

Maybe with the sneezing the vet may think he's coming down with some kind of bug.... or sometimes to prevent a secondary infection...was he running a fever?... or more often to appease the owners... you don't know how many times I hear "we went through all that and they didn't even give us any medicine for him!"

You could always call and ask... to verify the reason he put him on it. I always call back... CSR... getting old! What's this for? and This? And when is he supposed to be taking it? Is that the right strength and dosage? If something doesn't look right to me, I call. I think they leave my file out for a couple days after my appts so they can access it quickly!

And if the dog throws up after taking the meds, try again. But if he throws up a second time (within an hour or so of taking it), he may need a different med. Sometimes certain meds don't agree with our little buddies.

[kjc]

Maybe take a video of one or two episodes to show the vet when/if you need to take him back in. Peoples descriptions of things can range from grossly understated to overexaggerated and all in the middle. With a video, he know exactly what you mean.

[Karrie]

kjc - thank you for sharing your experience regarding the blade of grass up the nose. So far, that hasn't been an issue here - knock on wood. But I'm glad I read your posts.

Your story reminds me of my daughter who stuck very small christmas ball-bells in her nose when she was in pre-school. It wasn't easy to get them out - she wouldn't stay still either! lol

thank you!
Karrie

[tmorrow26]

So Jax hasn't had any more sneezing but he hasn't been outside either. Should I keep him in, or go for it? I feel so sorry for him because he begs to go when I take Molly out

[kjc]

I'd try him outside again... just not right after the grass is cut.... Is he doing okay?

[tmorrow26]

He is doing so well! No more sneezing at all....He goes out all the time. I am definitely going to keep him away when the grass is freshly cut though.

[kjc]

That's great! So glad he's okay.