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EdgyVeggie · 10-18-2005, 12:06 AM

Hi there,

I am new to this forum, and am so happy I came across it! I have a beautiful 2 year old male Yorkie, named Charlie.

He was born on 8/15/03. I live on Long Island, New York.

I'm apologizing ahead of time for this extremely lengthy post!

I had my regular Vet refer me to a huge hospital nearby that has different departments for each problem and deals with all types of animals. I recently found out some terrible news about my precious Charlie and have been doing extensive research online for the past 4 days, ever since I found out the results of his tests. This past Friday he had a CBC, a Urinalysis, Chest X-Rays, and a scope down his Larynx under fluoroscopy, all while under anesthesia. It turns out he has a "grade 2" Collapsed Trachea that is 50% collapsed as of now. He also has Laryngeal Paralysis. I was also told that his "valve is failing". (About the valve failing...I was in such shock today when the veterinarian surgeon told me the risks, that I don't remember what valve he was referring to and what that means.)

The vet that gave Charlie the tests (and that would perform the surgery if I decided to have it) called me back today to answer a list of questions that I had. He told me that the chance of surviving the 2 surgeries is 50% / 50%. My dog is luckily in excellent health besides those 2 problems. The vet said that he recently performed 8 of those surgeries and the first 7 survived it and fully recovered, but the last dog died right on the operating table. The dog was 4 lbs and was 3 years old with perfect health except for those 2 problems that my Charlie has. He said that Charlie does have an advantage over that dog, and it is that he weighs 12 lbs! He isn't overweight at all...he is just longer and taller than most Yorkies. (His mother is 6 lbs and his father is 3 lbs...Go figure!!!) The vet said that smaller dogs' organs can't take too much strain, and since Charlie is 3 times bigger than the dog that died during surgery, he has more of a chance of surviving the surgery.

There are a lot of complications that could happen during surgery, but I have found out from doing a ton of research that the risks associated particularly with the Laryngeal Paralysis surgery generally occur in the post-surgery time period. Some possible post-op complications that I have learned about are: inhalation pneumonia due to water/saliva going down into lungs during surgery--my vet said that happens about 10% of the time (which I guess could be classified as being a risk during the operation as well as post-op), as well as hemorrhaging, aspiration pneumonia, scarring causing obstruction of the airway, progression of neurological signs despite surgical correction, heart problems, and thyroid problems.

The vet said that it is completely a gamble...I could let him live out his natural life without the surgery and hope for the best, or have the surgery and hope for the best. If I decide against the surgery, he could be suffering. His attacks have seemed to be getting better recently. It seems to come and go. When it gets bad, he coughs, gasps, honks...it's horrible. It happens out of the blue, but is brought on by barking, howling, running, and also when he gets excited or stressed. So, basically the vet said to keep his exercise, barking, excitement, etc to a minimum from now on, except until after surgery if I decide to go that route. The thing that is scaring me is that if he is only 2 years and 2 months old now and his trachea is collapsed 50% already, the rate of the trachea collapsing seems to be at a fast rate. He seems like he is doing much better now, but the vet said that he knows what he saw and it was not good. Also, sometimes he has really bad months; sometimes he has really good months, so he might just be having a good month now.

I know I have to give him the surgery, because I don't want him to suffer at all, but I just feel like I am gambling with his life! What I plan to do is call the hospital tomorrow (well, later on today, if I actually am able to fall asleep) and see if I could get copies of all the films and paperwork from his tests. I will then look for a good hospital and see if I could get a 2nd opinion without putting my dog through anymore tests because I don't want to subject him to anymore anesthesia, as it is extremely risky especially with his breathing problems.

I just can't believe this! I have been so meticulous when it comes to Charlie's care and health. I always feed him healthy and organic foods and treats, as well as brush his teeth every 1-2 days, keep up with his flea/tick & heartworm care, keep up with regular checkups, and make sure he has adequate exercise, etc. He was my first dog I ever had. I wanted a dog my entire childhood, and at age 26, I finally got him.

I was so nervous when I first got him; I wanted to make sure I did everything "right" for him. Obviously, some things in life you have absolutely no control over.

Thank you for letting me babble on and on about this. I guess I am just thinking my thoughts out with this post. I know what I have to do, but it is just so hard. I have to make the biggest decision of my life and am so scared.

If any of you are familiar with either of these diseases, please reply to this post or PM me. Like I said above, I live on Long Island, New York, so if anyone knows of any excellent veterinarians and surgeons anywhere...Long Island, New York City, where ever, please let me know, especially if they are familiar with treating Collapsed Tracheas and Laryngeal Paralysis.

If you made it this far down on my post...Thank you all and may all of your furry babies be well!

10-18-2005, 12:06 AM	#1
EdgyVeggie Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 13	My Dog Was Just DX with 2 Diseases... Hi there, I am new to this forum, and am so happy I came across it! I have a beautiful 2 year old male Yorkie, named Charlie. He was born on 8/15/03. I live on Long Island, New York. I'm apologizing ahead of time for this extremely lengthy post! I had my regular Vet refer me to a huge hospital nearby that has different departments for each problem and deals with all types of animals. I recently found out some terrible news about my precious Charlie and have been doing extensive research online for the past 4 days, ever since I found out the results of his tests. This past Friday he had a CBC, a Urinalysis, Chest X-Rays, and a scope down his Larynx under fluoroscopy, all while under anesthesia. It turns out he has a "grade 2" Collapsed Trachea that is 50% collapsed as of now. He also has Laryngeal Paralysis. I was also told that his "valve is failing". (About the valve failing...I was in such shock today when the veterinarian surgeon told me the risks, that I don't remember what valve he was referring to and what that means.) The vet that gave Charlie the tests (and that would perform the surgery if I decided to have it) called me back today to answer a list of questions that I had. He told me that the chance of surviving the 2 surgeries is 50% / 50%. My dog is luckily in excellent health besides those 2 problems. The vet said that he recently performed 8 of those surgeries and the first 7 survived it and fully recovered, but the last dog died right on the operating table. The dog was 4 lbs and was 3 years old with perfect health except for those 2 problems that my Charlie has. He said that Charlie does have an advantage over that dog, and it is that he weighs 12 lbs! He isn't overweight at all...he is just longer and taller than most Yorkies. (His mother is 6 lbs and his father is 3 lbs...Go figure!!!) The vet said that smaller dogs' organs can't take too much strain, and since Charlie is 3 times bigger than the dog that died during surgery, he has more of a chance of surviving the surgery. There are a lot of complications that could happen during surgery, but I have found out from doing a ton of research that the risks associated particularly with the Laryngeal Paralysis surgery generally occur in the post-surgery time period. Some possible post-op complications that I have learned about are: inhalation pneumonia due to water/saliva going down into lungs during surgery--my vet said that happens about 10% of the time (which I guess could be classified as being a risk during the operation as well as post-op), as well as hemorrhaging, aspiration pneumonia, scarring causing obstruction of the airway, progression of neurological signs despite surgical correction, heart problems, and thyroid problems. The vet said that it is completely a gamble...I could let him live out his natural life without the surgery and hope for the best, or have the surgery and hope for the best. If I decide against the surgery, he could be suffering. His attacks have seemed to be getting better recently. It seems to come and go. When it gets bad, he coughs, gasps, honks...it's horrible. It happens out of the blue, but is brought on by barking, howling, running, and also when he gets excited or stressed. So, basically the vet said to keep his exercise, barking, excitement, etc to a minimum from now on, except until after surgery if I decide to go that route. The thing that is scaring me is that if he is only 2 years and 2 months old now and his trachea is collapsed 50% already, the rate of the trachea collapsing seems to be at a fast rate. He seems like he is doing much better now, but the vet said that he knows what he saw and it was not good. Also, sometimes he has really bad months; sometimes he has really good months, so he might just be having a good month now. I know I have to give him the surgery, because I don't want him to suffer at all, but I just feel like I am gambling with his life! What I plan to do is call the hospital tomorrow (well, later on today, if I actually am able to fall asleep) and see if I could get copies of all the films and paperwork from his tests. I will then look for a good hospital and see if I could get a 2nd opinion without putting my dog through anymore tests because I don't want to subject him to anymore anesthesia, as it is extremely risky especially with his breathing problems. I just can't believe this! I have been so meticulous when it comes to Charlie's care and health. I always feed him healthy and organic foods and treats, as well as brush his teeth every 1-2 days, keep up with his flea/tick & heartworm care, keep up with regular checkups, and make sure he has adequate exercise, etc. He was my first dog I ever had. I wanted a dog my entire childhood, and at age 26, I finally got him. I was so nervous when I first got him; I wanted to make sure I did everything "right" for him. Obviously, some things in life you have absolutely no control over. Thank you for letting me babble on and on about this. I guess I am just thinking my thoughts out with this post. I know what I have to do, but it is just so hard. I have to make the biggest decision of my life and am so scared. If any of you are familiar with either of these diseases, please reply to this post or PM me. Like I said above, I live on Long Island, New York, so if anyone knows of any excellent veterinarians and surgeons anywhere...Long Island, New York City, where ever, please let me know, especially if they are familiar with treating Collapsed Tracheas and Laryngeal Paralysis. If you made it this far down on my post...Thank you all and may all of your furry babies be well!