Collapsed Trachea Update...

[lvgirle]

Hi all! I haven't been on here in a while.. I've just been super busy. A little background on my little one, Bigge.... sorry this post is going to be long.

-He was diagnosed with a collapsed trachea (very minor not requiring surgery), and an enlarged heart was ruled out.
-He's been living with the condition quite well. He only had trouble breathing when he is very excited (friends over, being in the car, other excitment). So Biggie's been going on less car rides and I haven't had very many friends over.
-He was on theophilline (sp?), which helped for a while, but then he stopped responding to the meds and our vet put him on prednisone (sp?). This did not help at all. With his collapsed trachea being so minor the vet just told us precautions (limit his excitement ect) and he should be ok for the time being.

Just yesterday, there was a problem with my smoke alarm. It kept on going off for about an hour (no fire the fire department came over and fixed the problem). During all this craziness and excitment, my little Biggie was having more and more breating issues. With the firefighters running in and out and the alarm constantly going off, of course he was excited.

Cut to last night.... his breathing was still labored. Normally after he is excited it will go away after a short amount of time, depending on how excited and how long he was excited for. It sounded like he was in a lot of pain. I was petting him and he was wagging his tail, when I stopped petting him he would stratch my hand to pet him more. During the night, I was contemplating bringing him to the emergency vet. I didn't end up doing it because he was still "happy" (wagging his tail, eating and drinking normally). Also, it's a tough time for me financially and I would not be able to afford the vet.

This morning, he seemed tired (we both barely got any sleep) but still doing his normal activites while I'm getting ready for work. He still had labored breathing and was weezing/coughing but was normal otherwise. I'm having my bf go over there later to check on him but I'm still worried right now if I did the right thing.

Anyone else have their yorkie living with a collapsed trachea? What do you do in "flare up" situations? What kind of medication is your pup taking? Any vitamins or over the counter meds to help? I'm trying to save up money to bring him to the vet. I'm scared he may have more issues if I don't do something soon.

[Ladymom]

Will your vet let you do a payment plan if the bill is high? Do you have a credit card for emergencies?

I agree that the situation could get worse if you don't do something soon. It's been my experience that by waiting, the vet bill only gets bigger.

[ladyjane]

I have a foster with a collapsed trachea and have dealt with a few others over the years.
Yes, excitement does cause a lot of problems and it is best to keep them as quiet as possible. Also, it is important to keep weight off and keep them cool in warm weather. I am also seeing an increase during days with high humidity and am thinking about trying a dehumidifier.
Ozzy, my foster, has been having frequent episodes since July. Sometimes it goes on for days and it scares people who hear him. I am used to it now and as long as he is getting a good air exchange, I do not get upset. What you need to do is keep an eye on his tongue and gums...as long as they are pink, there is no need to rush to an emergency vet. This condition sometimes sounds worse than it really is...not to minimize the condition, but people tend to react to the constant barking/honking sounds.
You need to keep an arsenal of meds at home and learn to manage it! Right now Ozzy is on Theophylline. Lomotil, Prednisone, and Torbutol as needed. If you have not tried Lomotil, do ask your vet about it! It is an anti diarrheal in people, but does help these pups. A friend of mine recently started her foster on it and also got good results. If your vet has not heard about it, tell him/her it is in his Pet Therapy manual under collapsed trachea. I also have syringes of a mixture of Torbutol and Ace Pro...I know a lot of people do not like that tranquilizer, but I can tell you that when Ozzy gets out of control, it quiets him down enough and sometimes turns the episode around. Those injections have saved our sleep!
As for the surgery, I have yet to have anyone tell me it is highly successful and at Ozzy's age it really is not an option. If I were you I would tread lightly on that one should anyone suggest it....and certainly do a lot of research.
Oh...and as for the Prednisone....he was on Temaril-P for a while, but he has gotten so bad in the past month that we had to go on the Pred. You may not need to use that. We only did it because there was nothing much else left to do and it has helped Ozzy.
I hope some of this has helped you. Feel free to PM me if I can help. Best thing to do is try to not get upset...they can feel when we are stressed.

[lvgirle]

Lady Jane,
Thank you SO much for the information. I did read online about his tongue and gums so I was checking him all night to make sure he wasn't turning blue. This is also why I decided NOT to go to the emergency vet along with him eating normally and drinking and also wagging his tail while hacking and coughing. ITA, the sound of a collapsed trachea is horrible. Biggie was honking/barking and gasping for air. My father is actually a doctor or internal medicine. He's been in contact with Biggie's cardiologist (he was suspected of having an enlarged heart but it was ruled out). Prednisone did not help very much at all. The Theophylline did a lot but resulted in diarrhea and poor Biggie was put on subcutanous fluids under the skin because he was dehydrated. When he went back on it, he did not respond to Theophyilline the same so we tried Prednisone. I will definately have my Dad talk to the cardiologist-vet about Lomotil.

Have you tried any inhaled medications on any of your pups over the years? I have heard of other dogs using infant masks to use inhalers. When Biggie gets overly excited I try my best to keep him calm. It was so difficult with the fire alarm going off... I can only imagine what he was thinking!

A friend of mine suggested Robitussin for children as a cough suppressant. Have you used any of those over the counter meds? Sorry for all the questions, Biggie means so much to me!!! Thank you again for all your help.

[ladyjane]

It is hard to keep them calm when things are going on that you cannot control. Ozzy goes off everytime someone visits. What I have started doing is putting him in a sling so that he is not just running around....it does seem to calm him a bit.

I have not tried any inhaled meds.

Another thing I thought of when you mentioned cough meds.......in addition to the Torb, which is mixed with Pet Tinic, (do you use that? It really helps!), they also gave him Hycodan for a while. The two of those were used intermittently and it did help some.

It really is trial and error. Oh...and often they get upper respiratory infections due to the diminished airway. I have found that Doxycycline has also helped. Even if there is no sign of infection, if he is not responding to treatments, we sometimes start antibiotics.

[manolos mom]

You sound like such a great mom to Bigge! I hope Linda can help you. I know she has Ozzy with the same condition. Good Luck to you and please keep us updated..

[lingenieuse]

Last time Gennie had a bad episode,the vet put her on Hydrocodone for her cough-rest her trachea,advised to keep a humidfier on at home.Can also use liquid gravol(childrens) for sedation prn.Gentle leader head halter is the best way to walk her.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

It is hard to keep them calm when things are going on that you cannot control. Ozzy goes off everytime someone visits. What I have started doing is putting him in a sling so that he is not just running around....it does seem to calm him a bit.

I have not tried any inhaled meds.

Another thing I thought of when you mentioned cough meds.......in addition to the Torb, which is mixed with Pet Tinic, (do you use that? It really helps!), they also gave him Hycodan for a while. The two of those were used intermittently and it did help some.

It really is trial and error. Oh...and often they get upper respiratory infections due to the diminished airway. I have found that Doxycycline has also helped. Even if there is no sign of infection, if he is not responding to treatments, we sometimes start antibiotics.

I know this is an old thread, but it is so helpful. Thank you. Prince is having a hard time.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Princes mom

I know this is an old thread, but it is so helpful. Thank you. Prince is having a hard time.

I am so sorry. I have been there and I know how hard it is to have a pup with CT.
I just found the information from Kirk's Vet Therapy manual the other day. If you PM me your address, I can copy and send it to you. Or, if you have a fax, I can fax it. My scanner is not working, so I cannot email it. You can show it to your vet...it is the information about Lomotil. Maybe it would help.

[lingenieuse]

I am going to try Anxitane on my Gennie, who is neurotic and has a very bad collapsing trachea

[Princes mom]

We just got back from the vet, and after 20 minutes of oxygen and two shots, Prince feels a little better. He is breathing a little better, but is still wheezing.

[beachdog]

I would like to see the info about Lomotil also. Is that otc? My paris has Ct also ans sometimes coughs but he doesn't have the honking cough. Just the cough, choke gag sound and snoring when asleep. He is currently on hycodan. but I would like to try something else otc.

[ladyjane]

No, Lomotil is not OTC

[Princes mom]

[quote=beachdog;3280146]I would like to see the info about Lomotil also. Is that otc? My paris has Ct also ans sometimes coughs but he doesn't have the honking cough. Just the cough, choke gag sound and snoring when asleep. He is currently on hycodan. but I would like to try something else otc.[/


I asked my vet about it again, but he wasn't familiar with it being used for CT. I told him that the studies can be found in Kirk's Vet Therapy XII book, and that it is controversial (according to some articles I read online) and in the experimental stage, but a lot of people are having a lot of success with it. LadyJane was the first person to tell me about it, and she is really happy with it for her babies.

[ladyjane]

[quote=Princes mom;3280185]

Originally Posted by beachdog

I would like to see the info about Lomotil also. Is that otc? My paris has Ct also ans sometimes coughs but he doesn't have the honking cough. Just the cough, choke gag sound and snoring when asleep. He is currently on hycodan. but I would like to try something else otc.[/


I asked my vet about it again, but he wasn't familiar with it being used for CT. I told him that the studies can be found in Kirk's Vet Therapy XII book, and that it is controversial (according to some articles I read online) and in the experimental stage, but a lot of people are having a lot of success with it. LadyJane was the first person to tell me about it, and she is really happy with it for her babies.

I am not sure that is the correct volume of Kirk's. Some of them do not have it. I had posted a link with that book to show the book itself. We looked through about 5 volumes one day until we found it so I could copy it.

I only used Lomotil on one pup. He was acutely ill and we needed to do something different. That is why the Lomotil was tried on him. Yes, it may be controversial in that some may not get good results. No medicine is going to work for all pups all of the time. I can only tell you that it did help my foster...and also helped a friend's yorkie who had a terrible case of CT. Her husband is a vet and he also had not heard of it, but he has now. Both pups have since passed, but the Lomotil helped both of them for a period of time.

My vet stays very current on all treatments and does a lot of researching. She also does rounds bi weekly with the specialists in this area who also give her the newest and latest treatments for various illnesses and conditions.

What I can tell you is that we were grasping at straws for little Ozzy. His CT was awful. He coughed almost continuously. He did not often need oxygen, but did at times; and we needed to find a way to try to reduce that awful cough. We tried many, many different medications. (and of course other things such as weight management and cool dry temperatures) and Lomotil was finally introduced and I did see a dramatic improvement for a period of time. Sadly, after about six months of him really going bad, he passed away on Christmas eve 2009. I was heartbroken and still have terrible moments when I think of him. I honestly hope to never have another CT pup in my home. He was my third.

Below is taken from Kirk's Veterinary Therapy:

Antitussive Agents: Cough suppressants are recommended to reduce chronic irritation or damage to the epithelium caused by collaps of the dorsal membrane and to reduce shearing forsces within the lung associated with chronic coughing. A variety of drugs are available, but the authors have had greatest success using co-phenotrope (Lomotil, Searle), which contains diphenoxylate hudrochloride and atropine.* The diphenoxylate acts as a narcotic antitussive agent and the atropine reduces the volume of mucus secreted into the lower repiratory tract and also acts as an antimuscarinic bronchodilator.
*Co-phenotrope is not in widespread use as an antitussive agent in the US, and no clinical trials demonstrating efficacy and safety for this indication have been published. The potential adverse effects of atropine on the viscosity of airway secretions warrant further investigation before its widespread application.