[nagdu] Do dogs get sleep apnea?

[Bryan Jones]

Greetings Everyone,

My dog Marqi is an active, 7 year-old, female, 60 pound Black Lab / Golden mix from TSE. She is my first guide and is in great overall health according to her Vet visit of a couple of months ago.

I’ve recently noticed she has begun occasionally making breathing sounds in her sleep that remind me of the sounds made by people who have sleep apnea. It’s a sound like there is some type of obstruction in her airway, and I think it only happens when she is laying on her back or maybe when her head is in an awkward position. Aside from the yips & growls she makes while dreaming, she has always been a very quiet sleeper, rarely snoring. I was wondering if it is possible for dogs to acquire this condition and if anyone here has experience with a dog who has had it.

She has gained some extra skin around her neck area over the past couple of years, which the Vet told me was normal as dogs age, so early this year I replaced her original TSE choke chain with a longer one which is actually quite loose around her neck, and that change was made many months before I started noticing these apnea-like sounds.

THank you,
Bryan in chilly southeast PA.