Normally, when a dog sneezes, air is being expelled out. A dog's head will move in a downward motion, and the air being expelled helps to remove the irritant from the dog's body.
But in a reverse sneeze, or paroxysmal respiration, a dog's head will often move up, and your dog will be sucking in air instead of expelling it. It sounds terrible and the first time one of my dogs did it, I was scared something was really wrong with him! The sound is usually like a loud snorting and gasping, and your dog may stand still while reverse sneezing. Though it sounds awful, reverse sneezing doesn't hurt your dog or cause any long term effects.
Some dogs are more like to experience reverse sneezing, like those with pushed in faces or who have other respiratory issues. Dogs with dental disease or who have mites in the nose may also experience reverse sneezing. It's actually fairly common.
Treatment usually isn't required, but if the reverse sneezing keeps occurring, you should take your dog to the vet to rule out things like mites, collapsed trachea, nasal tumors, polyps, or infections, etc. Treatment usually consists of soothing your dog, but for some cases, it's worsened by allergies and a medication such as benedryl or zyrtec may help. Check with your vet before giving any medication.
Sources:
PetMD
VCA Hospitals
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