Worried - sneezing and gag reflux

[Tanya]

I brought a cat home from the pound and she sneezes. I was told that cats can't give dogs colds... so I'm wondering. We also painted our deck and her pen is below the deck. Could it be a reaction to the paint? The only thing different from this 'painting' to last time is we used oil based vs. latex. Could it be an allergy to the paint? Could she have caught my cats cold?

[davet]

very possibley the paint reaction...cats are very sensitive to odors,,,i found out the hard way when i wass working for a vet before vet school...i sent two cats into convulsions (they recovered) when i painted a cage room--no one told me not to but that diddn't help the cats..they survived....but the common cold is usually not transferrable to animals, but it is to humans...many times i would have clients call and say their pet was sneezing and gaggingng etc...And at the same time thier kids were doining it (cooincidence) but i would ask the mother "what did the physician say"--the answer invariablu was---Oh, i didnl;t call him, i know the kids will get over it but i am worried about the pets----sheeeeesh

[davet]

didn't answer your question...colds usually are only within the species, ie cats, to cats, dogs to dogs, kids to kids etc...there may be rare exception but usually very rare.

[Traci]

Since you adopted the cat from the pound, it would be wise to get kitty checked thoroughly by your own vet....as shelters often do not perform exams, nor do shelter vets often offer followup care.

As for your kitty, the sneezing could be from a developing upper respiratory infection, but other viruses need to be ruled out, especially since she was in a shelter environment....hence, why you should get her examined promptly by your vet.

As for your dog, probably paint fumes, but could be other causes as well, such as allergies (inhalent or otherwise) to pollens, plants, etc.

[Tanya]

Hi Traci,

I spoke with my vet. He said that it will probably run it's course in about 10 days, but if she starts 'acting' sick to bring her in ASAP.

I'm worried about my dog, because she is normally healthy and active. She is still active, but is definitely suffering some sort of issue. I've left her in the house today while I'm at work to see if she gets alittle better. If not, guess to the vet I go. Just wondering if anyone has heard of paint allergies? The sneezing, etc didn't start until Monday when she was first put in the pen after the paint job.

[k9Karen]

Some thoughts:

It's always possible an animal (or person) could be sensitive to the ingredients in paint, but the sensitivity usually isn't an allergy, but rather a chemical irritation. Your dogs nasal passages and/or lungs could be responding to a chemical irritant in the paint.

It could be that the sneezing symptoms are related to whatever is infecting the cat - if that infection is bacterial, unlike most viruses, it could easily have an interspecies spread. Bacterial infections, however, are usually accompanied by fever and other symptoms, which you would probably notice.

It's also possible that the two are unrelated. Your dog may have some allergy or sensitivity to all the pollen and/or mold in the springtime air (the difference between the allergy and the sensitivity is that an allergy is an abnormal immune system reaction, whereas the sensitivity is a normal immune system reaction. In allergy, the body overreacts to the pollen stimulus. With a sensitivity - or maybe better called an irritation, the nose is irritated by the pollen, and the sneeze is a normal response in an attempt to expel it - like breathing in dust).

I think your vet is on the right track - if no other symptoms appear, give it a few days to see if it clears up, and you may want to keep the dog away from the paint fumes for a while - even if they aren't the cause of the problem, they are toxic and may affect the liver or other organs.

[Tanya]

Thanks for the suggestions.... I have been keeping her inside away from the paint to see if it will help. She is still sneezing and has this kind of reverse sneeze (gag thing) that she does. Is there a definition for kennel cough? She is eatting and active (no lethargy). She doesn't have any discharge from eyes/nose. Her symptoms are very similar to cat (odd), but started after being in her pen exposed to the newly painted deck? Is kennel cough something that runs it's course after a few days or would she need meds?

[k9Karen]

What breed of dog do you have? Reverse sneezes are very common in the "squash-nose" breeds - pugs, Llasas, Pekes, Boston Terriers, etc. My daughter's Boston occasonally does this, and it does sound like he's gagging. I'm not real familiar with why this happens, but I think it has to do with the shape of the nasal passages and the fact that they don't drain correctly due to their shape. I'm sure you can research this online, and if you post a question on reverse sneezes here, you may get the info you need.

[Tanya]

She's a terrier mix... about the size of a border collie, but yellow with med length hair... over sized Benji. She's definitely got a cold/allergy. I don't know if it's kennel cough though, because it's mainly sneezing. All my cats have started sneezing. I think they've all got the same thing... just like kids one gets it, they all do.

[Traci]

It's unlikely the cat and the dog are sharing the same virus, the two incidents are probably unrelated.

Not much you can do for reversed sneezing unless it is a physical abnormality problem as Karen mentioned. However, you should get your dog checked to make sure that there is not a foreign embedded body in the nasal cavity.

Kennel cough mainly involves coughing, rarely sneezing or gagging...it is usually treated with a short course of antibiotics (amoxicillin) if severe...and if your dog hasn't been exposed to other dogs who've had the virus, chances are, this is something else entirely.

Could still be pollen, or foreign object lodged in nasal cavity, or even pollen, dust, etc trapped in the throat or esophagus, causing an irritation. Even after the painting incident, enough time has passed for the mucous membranes to clear, so this is probably something else.