The older way with the rings was extremely invasive. The newer stents are not invasive like that, but they collapse in time so it is only a temporary fix. I just personally would not do it after speaking with all of the vets I did. No one was optimistic.
My decision was not money based as I will pay whatever it takes to help a pup.....it was just that I felt that the outcome was going to be the same in the end and I just was not willing to put him through surgery with such a low success rate.
Sure...many of them are candidates and you can always find vets who do the surgery.....the question to ask is how long is it going to last. What happens when it fails...can the surgery be repeated? What is the real long term success rate.
I also used Acepro....I had syringes preloaded with that and Torb for really bad nights. The sounds are honestly worse than what is going on...often they sound really horrible but still have pink mucous membranes and pretty decent oxygenation. In the end, Ozzy was requiring trips to the vet and the EC for oxygen...that was when it was almost over for him.
I still find myself staring at his picture here on the wall above my computer. He was such a little trooper....I will never forget him and his struggles. Just made me sick. One day I will see him again...at least I know he no longer struggles to breathe and is running free.
I will say this: I spoke with four different vets...two were board certified and not one of them felt the surgery would be a good solution...and one of them was willing to do it. I have never regretted that decision. I believe he would have been dead by now anyway. It is a horrid condition....makes me so sad that dogs are having to suffer such things.