Kennel cough or Collapsed Trechea - YorkieTalk.com Forums

WannaPup · 03-07-2008, 05:49 AM

Hi everyone, I just got my baby on Sunday and he seems to have a problems and I'm not sure what it is. I've been reading about kennell cough and collapsed trechea. From what I read collapsed treachea occurs more in older dogs. My baby is 9 weeks old. He plays fine and everything and seems ok, but every so often he will breath like he's trying to clear his throat and then he will kinda gag at the end. It reminds me of a cat with a hairball. Is it possible he has a hairball or something stuck in his throat or could it be something else? He doesnt have any problem when he eats. i have a vet appointment this evening but I wanted to see if any of you have any tips or thoughts. I'm hoping it is just a cough, the breeder is sending me antibiotics and I should have them today. Any tips or help would be great, I'm worried about him. He seems fine other than this problem.
Thanks

MindieRose · 03-07-2008, 06:00 AM

Could just be he's overexcited. Diesel gets wound up and sneezes a lot. Usually its because he's so hyper that he runs into the wall though

WannaPup · 03-07-2008, 06:48 AM

Thanks for the tip. I'm so concerned about him, it sounds so horrible when he does this, its like he cant breath for a few seconds, its very scary, im just so nervous!!

davis · 03-07-2008, 07:29 AM

Sounds exactly like my puppy when I got him - vet said it was kennel cough and within about 2 weeks or so it went away and he has never had that problem since. My older yorkie was diagnosed with collapsed treachea about a month ago(8 years old) and it sounds a lot different than kennel cough.

davis · 03-07-2008, 07:32 AM

I was very scared when my puppy coughed like that and I carried him to the vet every few days and the vet kept telling me he was going to be fine - it would go away and like I said in my other message within 2 weeks it went away. I hope this helps.

luv_my_yorkies · 03-07-2008, 07:54 AM

Could also be reverse sneezing. My Tino does it when he drinks too fast or when he is overly excited. He has learned to let me hold his little nose closed so he starts to breathe regularly again. It really scared me when it first happened...but now we are all pretty used to it and he just lets us help him.

Bravo916 · 03-07-2008, 08:03 AM

Diagnosing Kennel Cough or a Collapsing Trachea really should be done by a professional. I would take him to the vet for his first visit and check up (most breeders require you do this in the first week you bring him home anyways).

The vet can diagnose him and hopefully help your little one out.

Bordetella (kennel cough) can be treated very easily with an antibiotic called Calvamox.

If it turns out not to be Bordetella or a collapsing trach you can look into using a dog water bottle. Toy breeds sometimes have issues where their trachea and esophagus are very close together (this is usually directly correlated the the length of the dogs neck--the shorter the neck the more prone they are). When they drink from a bowl on the ground this can cause water to go down the trachea instead of the esophagus, where it should go. Sometimes you will hear them snort/cough to try to clear the water out of their lungs.

Overtime, all of this water can build up in the lungs and cause phenumonia.

The safest way to provide water to a small dog is through a water bottle (almost like a rabbit bottle) that are specially designed for dogs. The spout is larger than say a rabbit feeder. Training your dog to use it is very simple too.

Here is a link to the bottle I use: http://www.petco.com/product/6140/Li...r-Bottles.aspx

My moms Yorkie suffers from a collapsing trachea and was diagnosed when she was only 10mos old. This can be triggered by pressure on the trachea by collars and some harnesses. Depending on the severity even exercise can trigger them to cough very loudly. They sell special harnesses that are shaped like the outline of sunglasses that wrap around the dogs midsection and go thru the front arms as not to put any pressure around the neck area.

I hope this helps!

hha · 03-07-2008, 08:09 AM

It can also be reverse sneezing too..my oldest yorkie has that all the time...she gets a scared look on her face, and does this honking sound..it lasts a few seconds, and at the time, they're not breathing out of their mouths..I would take him to the vets and let them check him out good..of course, sometimes its hard for them to diagnose it if they're not doing it at the time..

WannaPup · 03-07-2008, 08:15 AM

Thanks for all the tips everyone, I do have a vet appointment for him tonight at 8:10. I hope everything is ok. Also I talked to the breeder and she sent me some medicine for him.
Thanks again everyone!

hha · 03-07-2008, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WannaPup

Thanks for all the tips everyone, I do have a vet appointment for him tonight at 8:10. I hope everything is ok. Also I talked to the breeder and she sent me some medicine for him.
Thanks again everyone!

I wouldn't give him the meds until you've seen the vet..you can let him know what was sent to you though, and he'll let you know if it's okay to give..
Wow, your vets are open late there..I think ours close at 5:00..

WannaPup · 03-07-2008, 09:24 AM

Yea I was going to take the meds with me. Its nice they offer evenings by appt.
Thanks again!

Mere_de_Jambo · 03-07-2008, 11:42 AM

Let us know what happens. I had the same issue and I thought it was kennel cough or a hair ball which wasn't the case. He sounds just like your dog when he is over excited or drinks a lot of water fast (gets up his nose).

spoiledgirls · 03-07-2008, 11:53 AM

I agree, I wouldn't give any medicine that the breeder gave you until you see the vet tonight. Your vet is open late! Our vets around here close at 5:30. Good Luck! Keep us posted!

MindieRose · 03-07-2008, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hha

It can also be reverse sneezing too..my oldest yorkie has that all the time...she gets a scared look on her face, and does this honking sound..it lasts a few seconds, and at the time, they're not breathing out of their mouths..I would take him to the vets and let them check him out good..of course, sometimes its hard for them to diagnose it if they're not doing it at the time..

THAT is what Cleo does, and my mother in laws dog too. So glad I know now. I just looked up a bunch of stuff on it. I thought it was something way worse.

akcyorkies4u · 03-07-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bravo916

Diagnosing Kennel Cough or a Collapsing Trachea really should be done by a professional. I would take him to the vet for his first visit and check up (most breeders require you do this in the first week you bring him home anyways).

The vet can diagnose him and hopefully help your little one out.

I would take the baby in asap

just
to be safe

03-07-2008, 05:49 AM	#1
WannaPup Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: PA Posts: 10	Kennel cough or Collapsed Trechea Hi everyone, I just got my baby on Sunday and he seems to have a problems and I'm not sure what it is. I've been reading about kennell cough and collapsed trechea. From what I read collapsed treachea occurs more in older dogs. My baby is 9 weeks old. He plays fine and everything and seems ok, but every so often he will breath like he's trying to clear his throat and then he will kinda gag at the end. It reminds me of a cat with a hairball. Is it possible he has a hairball or something stuck in his throat or could it be something else? He doesnt have any problem when he eats. i have a vet appointment this evening but I wanted to see if any of you have any tips or thoughts. I'm hoping it is just a cough, the breeder is sending me antibiotics and I should have them today. Any tips or help would be great, I'm worried about him. He seems fine other than this problem. Thanks

03-07-2008, 06:00 AM	#2
MindieRose YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 463	Could just be he's overexcited. Diesel gets wound up and sneezes a lot. Usually its because he's so hyper that he runs into the wall though __________________ Proud Mommy of Gavin, Ethan, Morgan, Nia, Olivia, and Kiana. Also Mommy to Cleo(Maltipoo), Joe and Lola(Shih-Tzus), Lilly Appletini and Diesel(Yorkies).

03-07-2008, 07:54 AM	#6
luv_my_yorkies Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 486	Could also be reverse sneezing. My Tino does it when he drinks too fast or when he is overly excited. He has learned to let me hold his little nose closed so he starts to breathe regularly again. It really scared me when it first happened...but now we are all pretty used to it and he just lets us help him. __________________ Valentino http://www.dogster.com/dogs/102958 Lolitahttp://www.dogster.com/dogs/320565 luv_my_yorkies www.myspace.com/yorkieluv

03-07-2008, 08:03 AM	#7
Bravo916 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 139	Diagnosing Kennel Cough or a Collapsing Trachea really should be done by a professional. I would take him to the vet for his first visit and check up (most breeders require you do this in the first week you bring him home anyways). The vet can diagnose him and hopefully help your little one out. Bordetella (kennel cough) can be treated very easily with an antibiotic called Calvamox. If it turns out not to be Bordetella or a collapsing trach you can look into using a dog water bottle. Toy breeds sometimes have issues where their trachea and esophagus are very close together (this is usually directly correlated the the length of the dogs neck--the shorter the neck the more prone they are). When they drink from a bowl on the ground this can cause water to go down the trachea instead of the esophagus, where it should go. Sometimes you will hear them snort/cough to try to clear the water out of their lungs. Overtime, all of this water can build up in the lungs and cause phenumonia. The safest way to provide water to a small dog is through a water bottle (almost like a rabbit bottle) that are specially designed for dogs. The spout is larger than say a rabbit feeder. Training your dog to use it is very simple too. Here is a link to the bottle I use: http://www.petco.com/product/6140/Li...r-Bottles.aspx My moms Yorkie suffers from a collapsing trachea and was diagnosed when she was only 10mos old. This can be triggered by pressure on the trachea by collars and some harnesses. Depending on the severity even exercise can trigger them to cough very loudly. They sell special harnesses that are shaped like the outline of sunglasses that wrap around the dogs midsection and go thru the front arms as not to put any pressure around the neck area. I hope this helps! __________________ ~Kristena~"My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." CH Pastyme's American Dream (aka "Diesel")

03-07-2008, 11:53 AM	#13
spoiledgirls Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 650	I agree, I wouldn't give any medicine that the breeder gave you until you see the vet tonight. Your vet is open late! Our vets around here close at 5:30. Good Luck! Keep us posted! __________________ Yorkies are like potato chips, you can never have just one! Amy , Breanna and Gracie , Sasha , Jasmine Proud member of Petite Pups Unite, and the YAP club

03-07-2008, 06:48 AM	#3
WannaPup Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: PA Posts: 10	Thanks for the tip. I'm so concerned about him, it sounds so horrible when he does this, its like he cant breath for a few seconds, its very scary, im just so nervous!!

03-07-2008, 07:29 AM	#4
davis Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Tennessee Posts: 177	Sounds exactly like my puppy when I got him - vet said it was kennel cough and within about 2 weeks or so it went away and he has never had that problem since. My older yorkie was diagnosed with collapsed treachea about a month ago(8 years old) and it sounds a lot different than kennel cough.

03-07-2008, 07:32 AM	#5
davis Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Tennessee Posts: 177	I was very scared when my puppy coughed like that and I carried him to the vet every few days and the vet kept telling me he was going to be fine - it would go away and like I said in my other message within 2 weeks it went away. I hope this helps.

03-07-2008, 08:09 AM	#8
hha No Longer a Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Seneca, SC Posts: 2,837	It can also be reverse sneezing too..my oldest yorkie has that all the time...she gets a scared look on her face, and does this honking sound..it lasts a few seconds, and at the time, they're not breathing out of their mouths..I would take him to the vets and let them check him out good..of course, sometimes its hard for them to diagnose it if they're not doing it at the time..

03-07-2008, 08:15 AM	#9
WannaPup Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: PA Posts: 10	Thanks for all the tips everyone, I do have a vet appointment for him tonight at 8:10. I hope everything is ok. Also I talked to the breeder and she sent me some medicine for him. Thanks again everyone!

03-07-2008, 09:24 AM	#11
WannaPup Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: PA Posts: 10	Yea I was going to take the meds with me. Its nice they offer evenings by appt. Thanks again!

03-07-2008, 11:42 AM	#12
Mere_de_Jambo YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 293	Let us know what happens. I had the same issue and I thought it was kennel cough or a hair ball which wasn't the case. He sounds just like your dog when he is over excited or drinks a lot of water fast (gets up his nose).