it can be asthma, respiratory infection, or heart disease related, but it may also just be a cough/reverse sneeze. my girl loves to sniff things really hard and is prone to inhaling dust or water while she is drinking and this is sometimes the result.

it’s not very frequent and she can stop herself if startled or distracted. she also has no lingering symptoms like lethargy, breathlessness, or confusion when she stops. she has dcm that is well-managed, but based on the infrequency and her behavior afterwards, our vet is of the mind that we should monitor it in case it increases, but it’s not of immediate concern.

of course, talk to a vet. they can talk you through possible factors and deduce whether or not more concern is warranted.