subject: Why Do Dogs Snore? [print this page] About a third of dog owners permit their dogs to sleep on the bed with them. Many single men and women get company from their dogs in the day and the night time in this way. The lovers of no other pets permit their pets to sleep with them as much as dog owners do.
It is handy that dogs have a similar sleep pattern to humans, whereas cats tend to like hunting at night. Dogs also seem to dream and enter into the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stage.
Every dog owner has observed his dog running and barking quietly in his sleep. What else can they be doing but dreaming? When a dog is sound asleep like this, it can be as hard to wake him up as any child and when they do wake up they appear to be dozy and they shake themselves awake.
Some dogs have been bred for certain purposes and this has lead to facial traits which have given rise to breathing issues. Pugs and other dogs with squashed faces often breathe very audibly in their sleep and at other times in the day.
Some dogs even snore and some snore very noisily. If your dog sleeps with you, this can be a concern. The causes why dogs snore are usually the same ones that lead to humans snoring, although, as stated above one of the main causes for breathing abnormalities is breeding.
One cause of snoring is a constriction of the nasal passages due to an allergy. If you suspect that this is the case, you can start by thinking whether you have added anything new to your home or whether you use a new air freshener. If you cannot find the cause yourself, you might have to call in a vet.
One of the principal causes of snoring in humans is being overweight and the same is true of dogs, particularly the smaller breeds. If your dog has just begun snoring, maybe he just put on that extra pound that broke the camel's back, so to speak.
If you believe that this might be the cause of your dog's snoring, the clear answer is to help him to lose weight through exercise and dieting. There is a good probability that that will stop the snoring.
If all else fails and you are being driven to distraction by your dog's nonstop snoring, there is some minor remedial surgery available to open up the nasal passages. It is a quite routine operation that does not take long and should result in both you and your dog getting a better night's sleep..
If you decide to go down this road, ring around a few vets to get prices as the prices that vets can charge differ considerably.
