Trachea Collapse help!

[fall0317]

what are signs of this and how can you prevent/help fix this?

HELP!

[Ladymom]

The best way to prevent them is to always use a harness instead of a collar. Here is some great information about signs, treatment, etc.:

http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=410

[fall0317]

he's not wearing either at this point

what is the difference between Kennel Cough and CT?

[KimberlySRN]

Just my opinion but with a CT it is a complete block of the airway. Since your trachea collapses you have no way of getting air in or out and this is a Urgent emergency. One of the most important things in any living creature is the airway. When your airway is unable to adequetely get oxygen in , the blood is not able to get oxygen, the brain beginnings to lack oxygen and then everything shuts down. Kennel cough can usually be treated by a vet with antibiotics.

[sadiesamie]

I have a yorkie (Samie) that suffers from trachea collapse (in her chest region is where she collapses) veryyy scary. we are currently trying to take some weight off of her. over weight dogs suffer a great deal worse than if they are not overweight.

the vet prescribed "Hydomet" syrup. It is hydrocodone. it's supposed to relax the trachea muscles. she gets the hydrocodone only when she has a bad spell. But we do have her on "Flovent" inhaler. It is 238.00 a month for her to be on this but it does help a lot. I have to mask her with an infant mask. she is on the 220 mcg inhaler 2 x's a day. it tends to make her pant sometimes though. and as you may have experienced- excitement, panting will make her collapse. limit her activity and we also do not walk her anymore. it's too much for her. bathtime i am very careful to not get any water in her face. she has turned "blue" her tongue and gums turn dark blue. this is scary. Our vet visits have to be "in and out" simply because it excited her too much.

living with a dog that suffers from CT is very scary. sometimes the spells last for weeks at a time. sometimes a few weeks will go by w/o any episodes. Avoid burning candles, all air fresheners, hair sprays and even perfumes. Make sure you are bathing with a mildly scented shampoo/cond. the strong scented shampoos and cond will also bother the trachea.

My dog no longer wears a collar either. eliminate all stain around the neck. any type of pain or discomfort, something as simple as an ear infection or even anal glands that need emptied will also cause a lot of panting in my dog. I keep a close watch on both.

[sadiesamie]

go to veterinarypartner.com and search for collapsing trachea. I tried to forward the link but was not able to do so.




Tracheal Collapse

What Is the Trachea Anyway?

Trachea is the scientific name for windpipe, the tube that connects the nose, mouth, and throat to the lungs. The trachea is meant to be a fairly rigid tube. It consists of muscle connecting a group of cartilage rings. The rings are actually not complete circles; they form a C with the open end of the C facing towards the animal's back. This muscle covering the open end of the C is called the tracheal membrane.

When the diaphragm (the flat muscle separating the abdomen from the chest cavity) flattens and the intercostal muscles (the muscles between the ribs) move, air is sucked into the lung. The muscles move the opposite direction and air is pushed out of the lung. The trachea serves as a pipeline bringing air into the chest. Part of the trachea is in the throat but it extends into the chest as well so that we can look at the trachea as having an intrathoracic portion and an extrathoracic portion.

Why Would a Trachea Collapse?


Tracheas collapse because the C cartilage flattens due to weak cartilage. When the C loses its curvature, the tracheal across the gets loose and floppy. Instead of being a tight muscle covering, the membrane moves as air passes through the trachea. When air rushes into the chest, the membrane of the intrathoracic trachea balloons outward and when air rushes out, the membrane of the intrathoracic trachea droops down into the C cartilage causing an occlusion. The tickling sensation of the membrane touching the tracheal lining generates coughing and if the obstruction interrupts breathing, the patient may become distressed. If the collapse is in the extrathoracic (also called the cervical) trachea, the opposite occurs; the collapse occurs during inhalation and the ballooning during exhalation.

x-ray of patient with collapsed trachea inhaling trachea - outlined by flashing yellow line - is relatively normal

same patient exhaling (note the trachea collapse is much more pronounced)

Panting or rapid breathing for any reason makes the collapse and anxiety worse, which unfortunately tends to generate more rapid breathing and a vicious cycle of distress.

Making things worse still is the inflammation generated in the trachea. The collapse creates increased secretion and inflammation thus promoting yet more coughing which creates yet more inflammation. Ultimately the tissue of the trachea changes and loses its normal characteristics and the condition gets worse and worse.

The trachea may be collapsed along its entire length, only in the intrathoracic section, or only in the extrathoracic section. Most commonly the collapse is at its worse right where the trachea enters the chest.


Same patient as above, a year later; trachea collapse has progressed from moderate to severe

What Animals Are Affected?

The victim is almost always a toy breed dog, especially poodles, Yorkshire terriers, and Pomeranians. The disease usually becomes problematic in middle age but can occur at any age. The cartilage defect that leads to the flattened C rings seems to be hereditary.

Many dogs with collapsed tracheas do not ever show symptoms, however, until a second problem complicates things. Factors that bring out symptoms might include:

Obesity
Anesthesia involving the placement of an endotracheal tube
Development of kennel cough or other respiratory infection
Increased respiratory irritants in the air (cigarette smoke, dust, etc.)
Heart enlargement (the heart can get so big that it presses on the trachea)
If a secondary factor such as one of those listed above should occur and make a previously incidental collapsed trachea a problem, often removal of the secondary factor (weight loss program, getting an air filter, etc.) may clear up the symptoms of the collapsed trachea.

Treatment

The following steps are often helpful in long-term management of the tracheal collapse patient:

If any of the above listed secondary problems are of concern, they must be addressed. This may mean that the owner gives up cigarettes or that the dog goes on a formal weight loss program or other treatment to resolve the exacerbating problem.
Dogs with collapsed tracheas become unable to efficiently clear infectious organisms from their lower respiratory tracts. Antibiotics may be needed to clear up infection.
Cough suppressants such as hydrocodone or torbutrol may be handy.
Corticosteroids such as prednisone and related hormones cut secretion of mucus effectively but are best used on a short term basis only due to side-effects potential. Long-term use may promote infection and weaken cartilage further.
Airway dilators such as theophylline or terbutaline are controversial as they may dilate lower airways but not the actual trachea. By dilating lower airways, however, the pressure in the chest during inhalation is not as great and the trachea may not collapse as greatly.
In a recent retrospective study of 100 dogs with collapsing trachea, 71% responded to medication and management of secondary factors (obesity, irritants in the air, etc.), 7% had disease so severe that they died within one month of diagnosis, 6% had severe additional disease problems, and the other 16% were felt to be candidates for surgical treatment.

Emergency

The patient's distress can reach a level so severe that the normally pink mucous membranes become bluish and collapse can result. When this occurs, tranquilization is helpful to relieve the anxiety that perpetuates the heavy breathing and coughing. Oxygen therapy and cough suppressants also help. If the patient reaches the point where distress seems extreme or if collapse results, treat this an emergency and rush the pet to emergency veterinary care.

Surgery?

If medical management does not produce satisfactory results, it is possible that surgery may be of benefit. Basically, a rigid prosthesis is placed and bonded around the trachea effectively creating a non-collapsible tube. This is largely effective as long as the portion of trachea that is collapsed is external to the chest. Should the intrathoracic trachea be involved, the surgery becomes far less successful, more expensive, and the prosthesis must be ordered according to the specific patient’s measurements.

In all surgery cases, the younger the patient, the more successful the surgery is likely to be with success dropping off in patients over age 6 years. Severity of the collapse prior to surgery is not a tremendous factor in obtaining a successful outcome; improvement is reported in 75% to 85% of patients.

A new technique is being explored using a self-expanding stainless steel prosthesis. A study reporting results of 24 dogs receiving this treatment was published in January 2004. Of these dogs, 96% showed improvement after surgery. Two dogs died within the first week due to stent placement complications. One dog experienced some bleeding. After this 30% were reported to be completely free of symptoms, 61% showed marked improvement, and 4% continued to have symptoms. This appears to be a promising technique but has still only been used in a small number of patients.

Surgical therapy of tracheal collapse requires a surgery specialist. If one is not on staff or cannot be scheduled, referral can be arranged.

Is There Associated Liver Disease?

In the July/August issue of the Journal of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, a group of researchers led by Natali B. Bauer pursued the common finding of enlarged liver in dogs with tracheal collapse. Her group looked at 26 dogs with tracheal collapse and compared liver function test results to 42 dogs without tracheal collapse. Ninety-two percent (92%) of dogs with tracheal collapse were found to have abnormal results. Dogs that received stent placement to assist their breathing showed improvement in these tests. It was concluded that oxygen deprivation from the collapse had resulted in significant liver disease in many tracheal collapse patients. It was further recommended that tracheal collapse patients have liver function tests evaluated as liver supportive medications may be helpful.

[OurGizmo]

I also have a Yorkie with a bad case of CT and really appreciated the information you gave, thank you!

[fall0317]

this is just scary to me, i hope he's okay. i think we're going to go to the vet today

[alaskayorkie]

Do you know about reverse sneezing? A lot of people confuse the two. Reverse sneezing is a type of hacking that is harmless.

[fall0317]

i have no idea about reverse sneezing

[sadiesamie]

Originally Posted by fall0317

this is just scary to me, i hope he's okay. i think we're going to go to the vet today

The vet may want to take xrays to see if they can see if the trachea is collapsing. Don't panick, the meds help a lot. Does it happen when he drinks water? My Samie will sometimes get water up her nose and have a mini spell. Normally at night time is when she will have an episode if she is going to have one. Keep us posted. the hydromet is "hydrocodone" compounded into a liquid form. It helps a lot but I only give it when I absolutely have to. Halloween this year she had her last bad spell. All of the kids trick or treating made her get so excited when they came to the door that it made me worry so bad. My husband and I decided it was best to sit outside and pass out the candy. The hydomet makes her a little sleepy. She does fine on the flovent though. I felt really scared at first having to mask her. ANd it makes me sad. But I will do whatever it takes to keep her comfortable. It helps control her CT. It is not a rescue inhaler. It makes her pant at night when she trys to sleep so whenever she does that I back off of the Flovent for a couple days. Sometimes only once a day I will give it to her. Someone on YT posted a video of their dog possibly having an episode. try to do a search for it. I do not have a video of my dog. If I am able to get one I will. At the moment I am w/o a camera.

[fall0317]

Originally Posted by sadiesamie

The vet may want to take xrays to see if they can see if the trachea is collapsing. Don't panick, the meds help a lot. Does it happen when he drinks water? My Samie will sometimes get water up her nose and have a mini spell. Normally at night time is when she will have an episode if she is going to have one. Keep us posted. the hydromet is "hydrocodone" compounded into a liquid form. It helps a lot but I only give it when I absolutely have to. Halloween this year she had her last bad spell. All of the kids trick or treating made her get so excited when they came to the door that it made me worry so bad. My husband and I decided it was best to sit outside and pass out the candy. The hydomet makes her a little sleepy. She does fine on the flovent though. I felt really scared at first having to mask her. ANd it makes me sad. But I will do whatever it takes to keep her comfortable. It helps control her CT. It is not a rescue inhaler. It makes her pant at night when she trys to sleep so whenever she does that I back off of the Flovent for a couple days. Sometimes only once a day I will give it to her. Someone on YT posted a video of their dog possibly having an episode. try to do a search for it. I do not have a video of my dog. If I am able to get one I will. At the moment I am w/o a camera.

i took him to the er vet today and they did not want to give him a cough suppressant because of his age (14 weeks), they gave him an antibiotic to hold us off until i can see my regular vet, which his routine shots and check-up are friday, so we will see if he improves. im so sorry to hear your baby has these spells. its so scary because there is really nothing you can do!