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Mica03152013 · 09-09-2014, 04:00 PM

I am new to this forum and so I hope I am doing this correctly. Also, I do not have a Yorkie -- I have an Affenpinscher, but as I know that many Yorkies do suffer from collapsed trachea problems I am hoping you can help.

I would like to hear from people whose dogs have had stents inserted in their trachea; also anyone with experience with this type of surgery in Ontario.

I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have an 18 month old Affenpinscher who has a collapsed trachea. She had x-rays and fluoroscopy at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto on August 28. The diagnosis:
• Thoracic radiographs - The cervical and thoracic inlet regions of the trachea are severely collapsed. The caudodorsal lungs have a marked interstitial lung pattern.
• Upper airway fluoroscopy - The trachea is severely collapsed in the absence of coughing,through the cervical and thoracic inlet region.
A diagnosis of grade 3-4/4 collapsing trachea was made from this work up. Mica has a very severe collapsing trachea which is concerning for a dog of her age. She will eventually require surgical stenting as her tracheal collapse gets worse.

I took her to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph on September 4, 2014 for a second opinion. Their diagnosis was pretty well the same, except they said I should stop the cough suppressant and go back on the Collapsed Trachea Elixir; but agreed that she would need to have a stent inserted inside her trachea fairly soon.

I would like to hear from anyone who has had this surgery performed on their dogs and hear about their experience (alternatively if anyone has a dog with severe Collapsed Trachea and treated without surgery, I would also like to hear of your experience). If anyone has had this type of surgery performed at either the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto or the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, I would love to hear from you.

I am trying to decide what to do / where to have the surgery performed. Does anyone have a dog that lived more than 2 or 3 years after it was performed? Mica is always a little fireball, completely crazy and loving life. Now to keep her from having breathing problems I can’t let her play with other dogs, can’t take her outside except for very short walks, can’t do anything that will excite her, etc. That’s no life for a puppy BUT the surgery seems to have a lot of very serious complications.

I am having a very hard time deciding on what to do. My other dog just died in May, 2013, and I feel that his death was hastened because I did what the Vets recommended in the treatment of his atypical Cushings – so now I really don’t trust my judgement regarding Mica’s treatment. I would like to know as much as I can before making any treatment decisions.

Any information would be appreciated. Also I apologize for how long this entry is, and my thanks to everyone who read through it.
Holly

09-09-2014, 04:00 PM	#1
Mica03152013 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3	Collapsed Trachea treatment I am new to this forum and so I hope I am doing this correctly. Also, I do not have a Yorkie -- I have an Affenpinscher, but as I know that many Yorkies do suffer from collapsed trachea problems I am hoping you can help. I would like to hear from people whose dogs have had stents inserted in their trachea; also anyone with experience with this type of surgery in Ontario. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have an 18 month old Affenpinscher who has a collapsed trachea. She had x-rays and fluoroscopy at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto on August 28. The diagnosis: • Thoracic radiographs - The cervical and thoracic inlet regions of the trachea are severely collapsed. The caudodorsal lungs have a marked interstitial lung pattern. • Upper airway fluoroscopy - The trachea is severely collapsed in the absence of coughing,through the cervical and thoracic inlet region. A diagnosis of grade 3-4/4 collapsing trachea was made from this work up. Mica has a very severe collapsing trachea which is concerning for a dog of her age. She will eventually require surgical stenting as her tracheal collapse gets worse. I took her to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph on September 4, 2014 for a second opinion. Their diagnosis was pretty well the same, except they said I should stop the cough suppressant and go back on the Collapsed Trachea Elixir; but agreed that she would need to have a stent inserted inside her trachea fairly soon. I would like to hear from anyone who has had this surgery performed on their dogs and hear about their experience (alternatively if anyone has a dog with severe Collapsed Trachea and treated without surgery, I would also like to hear of your experience). If anyone has had this type of surgery performed at either the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto or the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, I would love to hear from you. I am trying to decide what to do / where to have the surgery performed. Does anyone have a dog that lived more than 2 or 3 years after it was performed? Mica is always a little fireball, completely crazy and loving life. Now to keep her from having breathing problems I can’t let her play with other dogs, can’t take her outside except for very short walks, can’t do anything that will excite her, etc. That’s no life for a puppy BUT the surgery seems to have a lot of very serious complications. I am having a very hard time deciding on what to do. My other dog just died in May, 2013, and I feel that his death was hastened because I did what the Vets recommended in the treatment of his atypical Cushings – so now I really don’t trust my judgement regarding Mica’s treatment. I would like to know as much as I can before making any treatment decisions. Any information would be appreciated. Also I apologize for how long this entry is, and my thanks to everyone who read through it. Holly