You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Snoring can be very disturbing ...but what causes it ?

Snoring is caused by air turbulence and soft tissue vibration in the upper airways of the respiratory tract - typically as air passes through the nose and the region at the back of the throat called the pharynx. Less commonly it can be caused by soft tissue problems in the region of the larynx, at the entrance to the windpipe (the trachea). Snoring most often occurs when the animal is relaxed, lying down or asleep.

Snoring is most common in shortnosed (called "brachycephalic") breeds of dog such as pugs, bulldogs and pekingese, as air passes through their narrow nasal passages, but it can occur in any individual. In addition, in shortnosed breeds the softpalate which hangs down at the back of the throat is often quite large and it flaps across the airway during breathing. This too leads to the vibrating sound of snoring. In very severe cases the palate can actually block off the airway causing distress, and sometimes surgery is needed to reduce the amount of soft tissue.

Anything that causes inflammation and swelling of the soft tissues or that blocks the airways can lead to snoring. So animals with upper respiratory infections may snore as well as "snuffle" and sneeze.  Other causes include tumours and foreign material that sometimes gets sniffed up into the nose, or stuck at the back of the throat and surgery might be needed to remove these.

Another serious problem which causes snoring and which  is seen in older, large breed dogs such as labradors, is paralysis of the larynx. In these cases surgery might be needed to correct the problem. Dogs with this condition snore or "roar" even when they are awake, and they often develop a cough because the larynx cannot close properly so food and drink can fall in to their windpipe and even get into the lungs causing pneumonia.

Most cases of snoring do not require treatment although sometimes drugs can be used to reduce temporary swelling in soft tissues and, as mentioned, for the more serious causes of snoring surgery is sometimes needed. If your pet does snore you should ask your veterinarian to check it out to make sure it isn't being caused by one of the more serious causes.

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Updated October 2013