The most dramatic dog sign you probably don't need to worry about

A quick confession. I’ve taken a lot of late night emergency calls. And nothing is responsible for more false alarms than this situation. Except perhaps the paralysis tick that turns out to be a nipple. But that’s another story…

What you’re seeing and hearing isn’t a collie having an allergic reaction or choking on a bone. Instead, it’s actually the surprisingly harmless ‘reverse sneeze’. Almost every dog will do this at some stage in their life and is simply the result of their soft palate (that membrane at back and top of your throat) harmlessly flicking over their larynx. As a way of clearing it, dogs suck in air in this surprisingly forceful way. A few snorts usually fixes it. Leaving a place for everything and everything in its place…