Sleep Apnea?

There are two basic types of sleep apnea. Central and obstructive. Central apnea is more of a neurological problem, where the brain forgets to tell the body to breath during sleep. Obstructive apnea is a mechanical problem involving the anatomy of the upper airways. Some dogs (including some Maltese) are quite bracheocephailc, as seen with very short muzzles. This can cause snoring. Snoring if severe enough can cause apnea, when the tisses of the upper airway way are closed and no air can pass. Then you will see what is called hypopnea, or movement of the diaphagram with no air movement through the nose or mouth. The movements will become greater and greated until enough pressure is generated to open the airways, or it wakes the person or dog in this case. This can happen repeatedly during sleep. I know a bit about sleep apnea in humans. I do not know the effects on dogs. But basically anyone with the type of airway structures (humans and dogs and cats are remarkable similar) we have can have sleep apnea. Hope this helps.