Question
My dog is currently sleeping with her head on my leg, and snoring quite blissfully. While I am certain that she doesn't have apnea (she only snores occasionally, and, as a 74 pound adult Labrador retriever, she is only 4 pounds overweight), it made me wonder if dogs can even have sleep apnea. Can they?
Note: I'm not asking if my dog has apnea (she definitely doesn't), I'm only asking if dogs in general can get sleep apnea.
Answer
Sleep Apnea isn't a disorder that is isolated to just humans. Dogs can also be affected by this disorder.
Cases of Sleep Apnea in dogs will result in drop in blood oxygen levels and interrupted sleep. This in itself isn't life or death but if this persist, it can lead to much more serious health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and heart diseases.
Noticeable symptoms of Sleep Apnea include
- Choking/gasping during sleep
- Loud chronic snoring
- Interrupted breathing with long pauses between breathes
- Sleepiness during day
- Irritability
Canine Sleep Apnea is also most common in dogs with flatter faces. Such as English bulldogs, pugs and Boston terriers. Overweight dogs also have higher chances of having Sleep Apnea.
Source Canine Sleep Apnea
Answered By - Jay