Health and welfare of your Lhasa Apso

Dogs with short noses have an elongated palate. When excited , they are prone to a “reverse sneeze” where the dog will quickly, and seemingly laboriously, gasp and snort. This is caused by air or debris getting caught under the palate and irritating the throat or limiting breathing. “reverse sneezing” episodes won’t hurt the dog in the least , but it will scare the dog, and maybe it’s owners.

If you witness a dog having a “reverse sneeze” it may seem alarming, but it is not a harmful condition, and there are no ill effects. The dog is completely normal before and after the episode. During a “reverse sneeze” , the dog will make rapid and long inspirations, stand still, and extend his head. A loud snorting sound is produced, which may make you think the dog has something caught in his nose. This attack can last for several seconds to a minute if left unaided.

The quickest way to stop these attacks is to talk to the dog calmly, and cover their nose with the palm of your hand, this will force the dog to breath more slowly and deeply through it’s mouth. This is a really quite a common occurrence and nothing to worry about unduly. This is also known within our breed as “the Lhasa snort”, or “the Lhasa puffs” .

If for any reason your dog has numerous attacks of this kind then it is best that you seek veterinary advice for peace of mind.



PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY (PRA)

During the last few years there has been an eye disease discovered in many breeds. It is nothing new, the first case of PRA was observed in England almost a hundred years ago. We have tried to believe it could not affect our lovely Lhasa Apsos. To be realistic, though, why could it not happen to our breed when all other Tibetan breeds are affected with PRA?

The first signs can be seen when the dog doesn't want to go out at night or when the dog is afraid of going into a dark room. The dog has lost the night vision. When PRA progresses the dog can go upstairs but seldom downstairs, it will jump up on the sofa or the bed and must be helped down. When it has come this far it is important not to move any objects in the dog's surroundings. The dog can still perceive moving objects but will not see stationary things.

You can often see a green or orange shine reflecting out of the dog's eyes. This is due to incoming light reflecting off the retina. Normally we don't see this except in very dim light, because in most situations the pupil is constricted. In PRA, the pupil will often be widely dilated - the eye's vain attempt to let in more light. Some dogs can be aggressive when loosing sight but most of them will still be sociable. Even if your Lhasa Apso has gone blind it can live a normal life if you don't move the dog from it's normal surroundings. When loosing one sense the remaining senses will be developed and more used. 

The disease doesn't follow what we call common sense because the dogs develop their other senses to a level we can never imagine and we are completely fooled into thinking a PRA dog still has very good sight.