I had a dog with CT in the 90s and I absolutely was told not to leash walk him. I don't believe that collars necessarily cause CT...it is a weakening of the trachea and a collar will certainly aggravate but is not the total cause. The fact that three dogs you were walking all pulled and one had CT would make that obvious in my mind.
I have posted before about him. His name was Maxwell and I almost lost him after cervical disc surgery because of his trachea. That surgery was in 2004 .. he was old then and ended up passing away in 2006 but not from CT.
As for meds, they absolutely prescribed them for the symptoms of CT. One must remember that they are treating symptoms, not the condition as there is no med that will "fix it". |