What to think about dogs constant "grunting"...

Nathan said:
Our 10+ yr. old male Silky Terrier Rusty has for some time been grunting...a lot. Not sure if he is in physical discomfort, or having some anxiety issues.
Here is a sample of what Rusty does, sometimes for hours on end:
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Did he sneeze at the end? There is something called reverse sneezing where dogs breath in rather than out. They make that odd sort of grunting noise.
 
One of our neighbors had a wonderful beagle that always came over to our house and spent her days with us when they went to work. She made similar noises for the past year. She passed away this past Fall, due to cancer in her digestive system. We sure miss her visits. Take your dog to the vet, and see if there is a problem developing.
 
Trish said:
Did he sneeze at the end? There is something called reverse sneezing where dogs breath in rather than out. They make that odd sort of grunting noise.
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Yes. I think he did sneeze, but that is not related to his prolonged grunting. He has had the reverse sneezing, he and another of our "short snouted" dogs have gotten that, from time to time.
 
Ted01 said:
Hmm... I don't know.
I been trying to figure out why I'm doing a lot of grunting these last few years? 🤔😅
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Grunting seems to be a "thing" with us old guys, Rusty may be grunting for the same reasons. I noticed while waiting at the vets office several wall posters displaying information about medications to relieve older animals from the pain of Osteoarthritis. Perhaps with the old injuries that Rusty has(broken leg from abusive previous owner) and his poor malformed body, being part Shitzu, some OA meds might be in his future.

Hopefully the seizure was a fluke, and not going to be a regular occurrence, like with a dog we had previously.
 
Nathan said:
Grunting seems to be a "thing" with us old guys, Rusty may be grunting for the same reasons. I noticed while waiting at the vets office several wall posters displaying information about medications to relieve older animals from the pain of Osteoarthritis. Perhaps with the old injuries that Rusty has(broken leg from abusive previous owner) and his poor malformed body, being part Shitzu, some OA meds might be in his future.

Hopefully the seizure was a fluke, and not going to be a regular occurrence, like with a dog we had previously.
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Yeah Nathan, the grunting of old men was the joke I was going for, and I'm glad that you were able to see that. My back is riddled with arthritis and other things, I hope for better things with Rusty. But I know that the suffering of our pets (kids with fur) is not a funny thing at all. I do hope that you get things figured out with/for Rusty. (Just out of an abundance of caution, I'd like to warn against giving a dog ibuprofen... my brother made that mistake and killed his beloved dog.)

Anyway, my mother had several shih tzus over the years and they all had some weirdness or other going on with them, one with occasional seizures, but I can't remember how the vet ended up handling it... but they were able to really help that dog out significantly... so there's hope!!

BTW, keep posting in the "Humor Forums... I love your sense of humor.
**Also, my emoticon on your post was a "bro-hug"... I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea! 😅
 
One day my husband made some noises like that (somewhere between a wheeze and a groan) and then he coughed up a perfectly normal looking pea. A few months later he did the very same thing. It seems he has a Zenker's Diverticulum.


"Zenker's diverticulum is a pouch in the throat that can cause food to pool and regurgitate. It's an uncommon condition that occurs more often in older people. "

Then the other night our dog made the same noise and coughed up a perfect kibble.

I'm just sayin.'
 
I am on my third ShihTzu; two had seizures and both had neurological issues (confusion, strange behaviors) towards the end. Vet thought it was related to brain tumors. I have come to think it's a breed thing.

The one I have now has strange breathing/coughing episodes now and then. Guess his age is now over ten years (shelter dog)? I can see his mind is not as sharp as it used to be, which in a shihtzu is saying something, lol. They are not the smartest breed but maybe the sweetest. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes in the same direction as the other two. The short snout breeds seem to have the breathing problems.

My other dog, a two year old Havanese/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix, is just the opposite. Smart as a whip and very active. She makes strange noises when she's resting or just laying around, little barks and grunts. Doesn't seem to bother her so I don't pay much attention to it.
 
GoodEnuff said:
They are not the smartest breed but maybe the sweetest.
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They are darlings. My neighbor had one who would run to their backdoor to be let inside whenever I let my dog out. Never mind that we had really big yards, mine was fenced in, and my dog was a mini-dachshund who was even smaller than she was.

Her owners noticed that when I let my dog out the back my dog would run across the porch, sail over the side to do a belly-buster into the grass.... and start barking before she hit the ground. Who wouldn't be scared of a thing like that?

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