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Dog yelps in pain when reverse sneezing or barking. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered

My dog has been acting weird for about 2 days now, he sounds as if he is reverse sneezing, and then yelps with pain. He does it when he barks too

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on July 11th, 2016

Reverse sneezing refers to the reflex of bringing air into the body to remove irritants in the upper area that lies behind the nostrils. The most common causes for younger dogs include infections, the existence of a cleft palate, or bronchial infections. Another primary cause is the involuntary movement of the hairlike cilia that line the respiratory tract and act to remove foreign matter from the air before it reaches the lungs. This involuntary movement of the hair is medically termed ciliary dyskinesis. The most common causes for older dogs include nasal tumors and dental diseases. Other causes can be mucus irritation, nasal passage obstruction, inflammation, excess nasal discharge or secretion, pneumonia, chronic vomiting, and gastrointestinal disease. Under vaccinated or unvaccinated dogs are at a higher risk of developing infections, which may lead to consistent sneezing. Chronic dental disease can lead to both chronic sneezing and reverse sneezing. I recommend taking Tucker into your vet to see what is causing the reverse sneezing, and how best to treat it.

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    Answered By Bette Isacoff

    Dog Trainer

    Published on

    If Tucker is yelping with pain, it is a clear indication that something is wrong. He may have injured himself, or he may have a medical condition that is affecting him. He needs to be seen by the vet to determine exactly what is going on and how to treat it.

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