Can what you feed your dog effect their snoring?

If you own a dog that snores a lot when they are asleep, this can potentially be quite irritating, particularly if it is so loud that it actually affects your own sleep as well!

The root causes for why any given dog may snore can be highly variable, and dogs are exponentially more likely to start snoring if they are overweight, brachycephalic, or getting older. How badly your dog snores can even depend on factors such as the type of bed that they sleep in and what position they sleep in!

However, if the issue is starting to drive you mad and is disturbing your sleep and general comfort whenever your dog nods off, the chances are that you will be keen to hear about some of the various different things that you can try to ease their lumbering breathing.

This previous article will help to provide some suggestions of things to try-and things that simply aren’t worth the bother-but one point that is often overlooked when it comes to dealing with even reasonably minor problems such as snoring is the effect that your dog’s diet can have on their propensity to snore, and how making a few changes can help!

In this article, we will look at how what you feed to your dog, their weight and even when you feed them can worsen or improve your dog’s snoring, as well as some suggestions to try out with your own dog and their diet.

Weight and exercise

It is a universal fact that being overweight greatly increases your dog’s chances of snoring, either beginning to snore for the first time or worsening an existing problem. This is because the extra fat padding that being overweight causes can obstruct the throat, palate and vocal cords, putting pressure on them and leading to the signature whistling and snorting noise that we all know and hate!

Additionally, regardless of your dog’s weight, their fitness can affect a whole range of things about their health, and how supple, fit and healthy your dog is all has an effect. A dog that exercises regularly and does lots of cardiovascular exercise such as running and jumping will have stronger vocal cords, throat and palate, and so, be less prone to snuffling when asleep!

The effect of allergens

Food allergies in dogs are surprisingly common, and if the allergy is minor and does not lead to acute problems like weight loss, vomiting or skin problems, they can be all too easy to miss. This means that many dogs will live their whole lives with a minor food allergy or basic sensitivity, which may not have a significant on their general quality of life, but can affect them in various different ways.

A dog that is suffering from food allergies or even just a very minor sensitivity will also likely have other symptoms of the problem too, which again may be very subtle. For instance, in the case of respiratory symptoms, your dog might be perfectly well able to breathe and take part in high impact exercise, but the problem may present as snoring when asleep.

Asking your vet to run a basic allergen panel on your dog by means of a blood test or exposure test will help you to identify any problems, and so, avoid feeding your dog their allergenic triggers.

Feeding your dog a diet designed for sensitivities or delicate dispositions can have the same effect.

Some of the most common allergens in food that may affect your dog are as follows, and so removing these from your dog’s diet and monitoring for progress may help:

• Fish.
• Wheat.
• Eggs.
• Milk and dairy products.
• Corn.
• Beef.
• Certain vegetables and fruits.
• Soy.
• Colourants, preservatives and flavouring agents.

Ultimately, any ingredient can potentially be an allergenic trigger for some dogs, but these are the most common; additionally, don’t forget the effects that treats and table scraps can have too! Restricting and carefully monitoring your dog’s diet will be meaningless if your dog’s treats contain the allergen too, or if your dog is eating a lot of human scraps that may be unsuitable for them.

Additionally, foods that are high in fat or sugar can worsen snoring too, simply by virtue of the fact that they will cause your dog to put on weight!

Feeding to reduce snoring

There is no magical diet or formula that will immediately stop your dog from snoring, but what, how and when you feed them can all have an effect!

If you feed your dog last thing at night just before they go to bed, they are more likely to feel bloated and sleep on their backs, which can cause snoring to worsen, so try to ensure that your dog has their last meal at least two to three hours before they go to bed for the night.

Also, feed your dog in two to three small meals per day, rather than one large one.

Ensure that your dog stays hydrated and drinks freely, as well as considering giving them some healthy vegetables and supplements such as Omega 3, blueberries or pumpkin, all of which will help to improve your dog’s vitamin and mineral intake and general health.