5 Reasons Why Your Dog Keeps Blowing Air Out Of His Nose

Have you ever seen your pooch making snuffling sounds that made you wonder why your dog keeps blowing air out of his nose? Many dog owners report that they noticed their dogs blowing their nose just like humans do when they have a cold or allergies. So is it concerning?

Why does my dog keep blowing air out of his nose?

Your dog may be blowing air out of his nose for various reasons; he may be reverse sneezing due to allergies, or it might be due to a change in breathing pattern while sleeping. It could also be due to something stuck inside his nasal passage or to gather scent.

I can help you understand why your dog may be blowing air out of his nose and whether it is something that you need to worry about.

As a dog owner myself, I take special care to monitor the behavior of my pooches. In my experience, if your dog is blowing air for some reason, it is usually not a cause for concern. However, you should still keep an eye on him to make sure that it isn’t something serious.

Why Is My Dog Blowing Air Out of His Nose?

If something has gone up your pup’s nose and irritates him, he cannot just grab a Kleenex to blow his nose like humans do. Your pooch may be snuffling and snorting for the following reasons:

A Reverse Sneeze

When your dog is blowing air out of his nose, it is known as reverse sneezing. This is a very common occurrence in dogs.

A reverse sneeze involves the dog taking a quick and forceful sniff. This is often accompanied by a snorting sound as the dog stretches his neck. Although this sound may seem alarming to pet parents, your dog will not suffer any lasting consequences from it.

The cause of a reverse sneeze may be phalanx irritation caused by inhaling something, nasal drip, or stomach reflux.

An occasional episode of your dog’s reverse sneezing does not mean anything; however, if you notice your dog doing this chronically, there might be something wrong with his nasal passage or throat and it is a good idea to take him to the vet.

Some of the causes of a reverse sneeze are given below:

Allergies: Allergies are a common cause of reverse sneezing. These allergies can be due to dust, dander, smoke, and chemical household cleaners. Since dogs have a keen sense of smell and are often hypersensitive to these triggers, it can result in inflammation of their airways, causing them to snort out these irritants.

If you take your dog outside during the spring season and it starts sneezing, it may also be allergic to pollen. If they sneeze in the winter season, it may be due to a change in temperature.

Change in breathing pattern: Your dog may experience a slight change in breathing pattern which will result in snorting if it is taking a nap after playing. If your dog is awake and blowing air out of his nose, this could be due to overexcitement. This is particularly common in dogs with short noses like pugs.

Tight Collars: If your dog keeps blowing air out of his nose, check his collar to see if it isn’t cinched too tight. Too much pressure on the throat can also result in reverse sneezing as tight straps can make it difficult to breathe properly and irritate the throat.

Nasal Secretions

If your pooch is blowing air out of his nose, it means he might be trying to clear his nose of secretions. Dogs have naturally wet noses; however if the nose is dripping, it might be due to allergies, cold or upper respiratory infections.

If the dog keeps blowing air out of his nose or keeps licking the nose as well, he may have a stuffy nose and may be doing it to get rid of the annoying secretions. In some cases, a tooth infection may also result in nasal secretions.

If your dog is experiencing a runny nose, then you may need to check whether it is affecting one or both of his nostrils. You should also notice whether the secretion is watery or thick. If your dog is secreting clear mucus, it may be due to allergies.

However, if the secretion has a milky yellow, green, or white tint, then it may be due to an infection that might need antibiotics to be treated.

Irritant Stuck In The Nostrils

If your dog likes to sniff at things when he is out on a walk, then he might easily snort something up his nose. Some things that can get stuck in your pooch’s nose include grass seeds, grass blades, small weeds or anything that is small enough to go up a dog’s nose.

If this happens, then the dog might blow out air through his nose, reverse sneeze, lick his nose, or paw at it. 

There might also be some nasal discharge. In some cases, the sneezing can be pretty violent, and if you are unable to clean your pooch’s nose yourself, you will have to take him to the vet so that he can use a scope to find out the source of the sneezing.

In some cases, a chronic bout of sneezing and nasal discharge may be due to a nasal polyp and even some tumors. That is why it is important to investigate what is bothering your furbaby.

Labored Breathing

When your dog is suffering from labored breathing, he might pant or blow air through his nose. This is because he may be using secondary muscles to breathe properly. These muscles include the muscles beneath the first two ribs, the muscles in the neck, and the wings of the nose for flaring the nostrils.

This increases the expansion of the chest wall and abdominal exhalation and results in the dog breathing with his mouth open and his nostrils wide.

If your dog is experiencing difficulty in breathing and is breathing air out forcefully it may be due to potentially serious disorders, like chest injuries, asthma, fluid in the lungs, heartworm disease, and metabolic organ diseases that negatively affect the dog’s respiration.

Scent Gathering

One of the most common reasons why a dog would forcefully blow air out of his nose is when he is gathering scents. What happens is that your dog sniffs something and then forcefully huffs out air through the nostrils to get rid of the odor from his nose. This allows him to clear his nose and pursue new scents.

This is a very harmless cause, and if this is the case with your dog, there is no need to be concerned and just enjoy watching your furbaby having the time of his life.

When Should You Go To The Vet?

As you can see, there are various reasons why your dog would be snorting air out of his nose. Some of them are harmless, while others may indicate a more serious problem. If you notice that your dog is blowing air out of his nose chronically, then you should definitely get him checked by a vet.

In addition, if you see unusual and thick discharge coming out of your dog’s nose, it could be a respiratory infection that would require treatment.