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Old 07-30-2005, 05:20 PM   #1
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Default More Info. on Collapsed Trachea

Thank you all the kind support relating to Chelsie Collapsed trachea.
Some of you asked for more information on her symtoms and surgery.
Sorry the following is very long...

Chelsie is my third Yorkie, she will be Three years old on August 1st.
My other two girls are , Lacey (six years old) and Tessa (almost four)
About a year ago I started becoming a bit concerned when she started a heavier cough when she was excited~all of mine, as I'm sure most of you experience, do "a little" reverse cough/sneezing. Chelsies became clearly different, and turned into the "classic" goose honk. This spring and early summer she began to rapidly decline, her breathing~ even when a sleep was a struggle. She started to aspirate her food and choke, she had times that
I was sure she wouldn't survive~she just couldn't fill her lungs her breathing so weak and shallow.
I can not even begin to tell you what a horrible thing this is to witness.
She was sufficating in front of my eyes.
I have never felt so helpless in my life.
I did have a friend who had a Yorkie many years ago~ before the surgery~that died of a collapsed trachea, so I was aware of the condition, but never thought it would happen to one of my dogs.

She had diaognistic tests preformed at the UW Vetenianary teaching school.
They believed she was in the "early" stage of the diease, and that medication would work for a while. I did not feel that the results were totally accurate, and decided to get a second opinion per the advise of the National Yorkshire Terrier rescue. They strongly encouraged me to check into the University of Tennessee, and also called Doctor Tobias for me to start the process. They felt that UT was one of the best facilities in the country for small breed dogs.

We flew to Tennessee Monday July 18th, and met with Dr. Krahwinkel. He preformed a scope and Fluorosscopy on Tuesday and she was diagnosised with "severe collapsing cervical and thoracic trachea". Her entire trachea had collapsed, one of the worst they had seen. It was explained to me that the cartilage in her trachea was very weak. It is believed to be a congenital abnormaliy also genetic. This is not a condition that can be cured. Althought they can repair the trachea, eventually the bronchi cartilage will also collapse. There is no surgery for that.
(She has never worn a collar FYI)

Chelsie had a stent placed in the lower part of the trachea, in her chest. They decided to sew 5 rings into the throat part of her trachea. Their reasoning for the rings was that they were seeing the stents in some of the earlier dogs beginning to fray, especially in the throat area where there is so much motion.
(The stent can never be removed or adjusted).
Unfortunately a BIG complication of the rings is irritation/paralyzing the nerves that run on each side of the trachea~they control the larynx.
She was one of the unfortunate...so Friday a second surgery was preformed to permanently tie up one side of the larynx. Total bummer!

We brought her home Monday evening. She takes medication 6 times a day A cough suppressent 3xs, Prednisone 1x, Clavamox 2xs. I'm praying for her to heal, but she has been through a lot. She needs to eat with her head completely down, or she will choke, as the food will go into her lungs due to the layrnx tie. It's so sad. Hopefully she can relearn to eat. She also has some small spells of coughing which are scary. I think she does a little better each day, time will tell. Thanks for the prayers.

I now look at buying a Yorkie much differently...take your time~ be patient, check out the breeder, call their vet, ask for references, have the puppy genetically tested, get a LIFETIME guarantee against any genetic defects. This condition has cost us many thousands of dollars, but killing her was never an option.
The doctors at UT say Yorkies are a vets best friend...they make 'em rich.

Kara
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Old 07-30-2005, 05:26 PM   #2
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I am soo sorry...when I first brought Maximsu home he was started hacking...one vet saud Collapsed Trachea...I got a second opinion and that vet felt it was kennel cough...sure enough he took the antibiotics and was okay 10 days later, returning him to the breeder was never an option because even after only a week I had fallen in love with him and swore to do whatever was necessary to make his life a good one...but even hearing Maximus cough/gag makes me think "collapsed trachea"...that thought will never leave me, I am sending prayers your way and hope everything goes well
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Old 07-30-2005, 08:11 PM   #3
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Kara,

She's beautiful! I'm so sorry for all that you both have been through. I do hope that things get easier for her and she does better. Good luck.
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Old 07-31-2005, 06:12 AM   #4
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I sure hope she is feeling better everyday! You guys are in my prayers (they will get an extra push- I am on my way to church )

Thank you for the information- I was at the vet yesterday asking about Macys couch, it is at night right before she goes to sleep she kinda snorts, gags and then coughs. The vet said she is most likely just excited- I don't think so it is when she lays down to go to sleep? I will keep a eye on her!

Thanks again and I hope your baby is feeling 100% soon!
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Old 07-31-2005, 06:32 AM   #5
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I hope your little one is doing better. Thank you so much for the information.
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Old 07-31-2005, 02:10 PM   #6
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I'm sorry to hear what your little one has been through but I thank you for telling your story. Not enough people know about how awful collapsing trachea can be and what you said about taking the time to find a good breeder is advice anyone wanting a Yorkie needs to hear. My prayers are with you both.
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Old 07-31-2005, 02:23 PM   #7
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I am so sorry for what your baby has had to go through. You mention that she has never worn a collar- is this something that can be caused by wearing a collar too tight? I have seen little kids pick up a kitten or puppy by the neck before- could that cause it or does it take major trauma if it is not genetic? I am not asking this about your dog, but just dogs or kittens in general.
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Old 10-04-2005, 09:23 AM   #8
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I wish I had some information for you, I pray your little girl is doing well. I also have an almost 3 year old yorkie who has been diagnosed with tracheal collapse and surgery has been recommended. I know how heart breaking it is to watch them suffer, Otis the heart of our family and we would do anything for him. We recently took Otis to Cornell University, they recommended surgery but did not sound very promising, they were unable to give us any statistics as they stated each dog is different. I have been trying to find any information on the best place to have the surgery, success stories, and someone who has been through it with no luck. I would love to hear back from you and I do pray your baby is doing better. I am not very computer handing, and I am not certain I am posting this correctly , I do hope you receive it, I am praying for you and your little one. Take care, Kathy

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Old 10-04-2005, 10:01 AM   #9
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Quote:
check out the breeder, call their vet, ask for references, have the puppy genetically tested,
Sadly, there is no way to breed out this disease yet. The method of inheritence is not understood. There is no genetic test for CT at this time. Since Chewy has a mild form of this condition (thank god he's so large, that really helps), I have researched this issue at length.

Good for you, getting that second opinion. Dr. Tobias is EXCELLENT, he's the guy who proved the hereditary nature of liver shunt in Yorkies. He's also doing the research to develop a diagnostic test for the CT defect. In order to raise awareness for breeders and dog owners, I no longer call this Collapsed Trachea, but "Softened Trachea" since the collapse is only a symptom that may or may not emerge, while the softened trachea is the true defect to be guarded against.

I've asked several breeders about this, and they are all 100% at a loss as for preventing this. I spilled my entire range of knowlege on this subject in the Yorkie Health and Diet forum, and also the Breeders forum. Feel free to read up on some of the stuff I posted there.

I have it on authority from the kind lady in charge of the Yorkie Rescue folks and also the Yorkie club of America, that while there is no test yet, they are trying to develop one and also to learn how this disease is spread through generations. They currently believe it's polygenic (having to do with many different genes in combination), but they don't know which ones.

For those of you who are concerned...you can screen your pup with a tracheal massage. Gently massage the area around the throat both near the jaw and at the chest for about 1 minute. If it provokes coughing and honking and gagging, then you should evaluate your dog with the help of a professional. Currently, this is all breeders can do to attempt to detect the defect. Even if they could detect it, they wouldn't know what to do...Most times, a dog will pass this screening until a mild collapse event has already taken place. This generally occurs around 7 years of age. Most breeding dogs will already have several litters out there before any symptoms can be detected.
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Old 10-04-2005, 10:08 AM   #10
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I pray your baby comes out ok.. this is all to familiar with me ... although im not 100% sure that Chicle has this, everytime he coughs i get worried... i have had vets tell me that he may have a collapsed trachea but that to tell for sure that he will have to be a bit older to take the necessary steps towards diagnosis...
im trying to hear, "envision" what a goose honk cough may sound but i just dunno... Chicle mainly coughs like a HAaaaaaaaaaaaaCK .. sometimes just once, a small one .. others it can be a series of like 5 ..
when walking... he pulls alot and i think thats when the goose cough comes in but im just not sure.. but can it just be b/c of him pulling on his leash??
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Old 10-04-2005, 10:17 AM   #11
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THANKS, for the first hand info, I think we have all heard THAT noise, and wondered if our dog had the C.T... But after your explanation, it well help to differentiate. I hoep your baby gets better, and learns to adjust to her new condition. She sounds like a fighter, and will do fine.
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Old 10-04-2005, 10:17 AM   #12
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Quote:
. but can it just be b/c of him pulling on his leash??
I hope you are using a harness...

A CT / ST cough tends to emerge during periods of exertion when the dog is breathing heavy or panting, or when the trachea is directly stressed (like when a collar presses it). I have actually been wondering if many harnesses out there negate their purported benefits by applying a pressure to the thoratic region of the trachea (throat near the chest). Make sure the forward strap in your harness doesn't press anywhere "soft" and "squishy". It should press against his chest, not his lower throat.

A bad fitting harness might be just as bad as using a collar. Try using two fingers to gently feel around the area that your pup's harness pulls. See if you can feel a ribbed tube, or tendons there or if you are pressing bone and muscle.
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Old 10-04-2005, 10:37 AM   #13
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oh no i use a harness .. from day one i would never even think of using a collar.. but i think he out grew his harness .. its a step in and i need to get a bigger one.
what harness do you use, Hamoth?
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Old 10-04-2005, 10:49 AM   #14
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Here's a link to the thread in the breeder's forum of this site and the discussion we had about CT. It has most of my sources listed there and a pretty good summary of what we know about CT.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18164

As for harnesses, thank goodness you don't use a collar on a ST positive dog. That would be nasty. I'll share what harness I use with you, but please remember that there's no one brand tailored for your dog, you will need to ensure a good fit and make sure that the thoratic trachea is clear from pressure before taking this out and about.

I use a VestHarness. It's quite comfortable and Chewy doesn't mind wearing it full-time! It also is super easy to put on and take off since it has TWO quick latches on the top. No stepping in, and no wrangling a loop over one leg kinda stuff. It's also really durable and is built so that you can run a seat-belt loop through it and buckle your buddy in for a car ride.

Here's a pic of Chewy in his VestHarness.
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Old 01-09-2010, 01:17 PM   #15
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Default Yorkie puppies CT

My Yorkie is 7 months old, weighs 2lb 4 oz and just had baby teeth pulled and fixed. Ever since the surgery( 4 days ago) she has been weezing and show sign of CT. Can anyone tell me if this will be temporary and what should I do?

It breaks my heart to think that this is what is in store for her. It is very severe and does not seem to be getting better.

Any info will help. This is my second Yorkie and the first one only did it if he had a collar on.

Thanks
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