I believe my Edie has a mild case of collapsing trachea. She is 5 yrs old now, and she goes weeks or even months without symptoms. It does not seem to have gotten worse since she was a baby, so I am hopeful that it will not affect her life too much.
Regarding collars, I think IT CAN"T HURT to use harnesses instead, and Edie wears a harness. However, for those of you who have been using collars, don't beat yourself up about it. The collar probably did not hurt the condition. Many collapsing tracheas are in the thoracic region--if this is the case it doesn't matter if you use a collar or not. THe collar is not near the affected area. If the collapsed area is in the upper respiratory area, the collar might seem to be a problem, but I have done a lot of reading and I from what I can discern, there is no indication that collars have hurt or made the condition worse.
I DO AGREE with the other posters here, who recommend a harness however. It can't hurt to be conservative here. But don't get down on yourself for putting a collar on your pup. Just get a harness!
