[Desire123]

Hi all. I wanted to get your opinion on surgery for a collapsing trachea. Jack was diagnosed with a collapsing trachea about a year ago and has since been on Tussigon, which has helped with the hacking. Today my husband and I took the dogs for a walk, yet knowing that Jack has a collapsing trachea I brought his carrier and gave him 1/4th of a Tussigon pill in advance. I let him walk ¼ of the way and decided to put him in his carrier as soon as he started to hack. He continued to hack the rest of the way! He had the worse episode ever! I ended up having to take him to the ER due to his constant hacking. The vet on duty gave him a shot and prescribed a steroid and suggested operation at UC Davis for his collapsing trachea. She said that it’s a safe procedure and has seen many small dogs that have had the operation and come out totally fine…one problem. When Jack was first diagnosed with a collapsing trachea this time last year, his vet stated that the procedure is extremely risky and she would only recommend it in severe cases, ie. gums and lips turning blue and even then the dog has a 50/50 shot at surviving the procedure. I just don’t understand why one doctor would recommend it as a last resort and another spoke so highly of it. I will definitely be taking Jack to his regular vet for a follow up but would appreciate your thoughts on this issue. I know the key is to keep him calm and relaxed but if any of you have recommendations or have dealt with the operation, I would greatly appreciate it! Prayers needed please!