Collapsed Trachea treatment

[Mica03152013]

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

[mytexasyorkies]

I am certainly no expert on this subject, but, I have a 6 y/o yorkie with CT. He has had slight problems his entire life. However in March of this year he nearly died...he had absolutely zero airflow. I did CPR on him and he is still living. We immediately took him to the vet and they started him on Temaril P (Steroid/Antihistamine) and of course they did an xray. His collapse @ that time was 100%. The surgery is too iffy...there are so many other comorbidities that occur after the surgery that I am not willing to allow my Franklin to go through. So, we will keep him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible until he is no longer able to live this way. He is doing fine! But the surgery risks do not lend the reward that one would hope for.

[Mica03152013]

Thank you very much for replying. That is something I have been meaning to do but have been procrastinating: taking a CPR for dogs course. I have watched videos on line, etc. but I haven't taken a class yet - so I guess I had better do that as soon as possible.
In March, did Franklin have any symptoms before the emergency? I am really afraid of that happening to Mica. I am supposed to go to the cottage tomorrow but I will be an hour from the closest Vet and I am afraid something could happen - however, I do think she breathes better there than in the city.

Thank you
Holly and Mica

[sandy simpson]

I would definitely wait and research this. Be sure he has nothing around his neck that would pull on his throat. I probably would choose not to put my Yorkie through that and just enjoy every day I have him.

[Lilah Charm]

I have no good advice or experience in this area but I really wanted to send good energies your way, reading this tugs my heart strings

[Yorkiedaze]

First off if you haven't talked to a specialist then I would strongly advise doing just that. I took my Zada to this one: Veterinary Medical And Surgical Group (VMSG) | Veterinarian, Veterinary Emergency, Animal Hospital, Pet Surgery, Vet Surgeons, TPLO and saw Dr. Theresa M. Ortega Doctors | Veterinary Medical And Surgical Group (VMSG) She explained how the shunt procedure works, then said if I wanted to have it done she would refer me to a different doctor because since it's a very dangerous operation that doesn't have good results, she won't do them. Then she let me know all the things to do to keep Zada as comfortable as possible. I managed to keep her healthy and happy for 9 years. She passed this past May.
So please, talk to a doctor that specializes in internal medicine.

[Mica03152013]

Thank you very much for your response. I should have included this info in my first post. The Vets that I saw at VEC and at OVC were internal medicine specialists. Both Vets said that they believe she will need surgery, but they want to put it off as long as possible.

Sorry to hear about Zada's passing, but it is amazing that you kept her in good condition for 9 years - you must have taken very good care of her. I am interested in what your Vet told you to do to keep Zada comfortable. So far I have just been told to keep her inside on hot days, don't let her get too excited and don't have her near cigarette smoke, perfume, lit candles or spray air freshener. Mica is doing much better now that the weather is cool in Toronto but being only 18 months old it is hard to keep her from getting excited. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Also, Mica is at about her perfect weight right now, but I am trying to have her lose a bit, I was told it would be better if she was a bit underweight.

Thank you for your help
Holly and Mica

[misskate]

Thanks so much for all your advice and care for CT yorkies. I lost one this spring and now her sister is going throught the same trial. I wondered about surgery too but my vet said too risky at her age (now 11). It breaks my heart to see her struggling to draw a deep breath. We have her comfortable on most of the meds mentioned in this thread but just wonder if I am doing the right think keeping her going when her quality of life is so reduced. Just last month she would get all excited when she saw her bouncy ball and now she sleeps and makes noises in her throat most of the time. She knows she isn't ok and lets me know with her eyes. I'm really helpless as we face her future.
Thanks for any kind words you can send our way

[misskate]

Following up on my last post. We had to put our little one to sleep yesterday as she was in severe distress. This has left a terrible gap in our lives as many of you may know. CT is such a plague as there is so little you can do it cure it and little to prevent it.

[Lilah Charm]

Originally Posted by misskate

Following up on my last post. We had to put our little one to sleep yesterday as she was in severe distress. This has left a terrible gap in our lives as many of you may know. CT is such a plague as there is so little you can do it cure it and little to prevent it.

Oh, my heart is breaking for you I am so sorry

[misskate]

Thanks for your sweet words and indly thoughts

[CalMis]

I am so so sorry!

[TorontoYorkie]

Condolences. Our little guy is part of our lives. Where can we read about the incidence of collapsed trachea? And what we can do to help prevent it.

[Shicks]

So very sorry. Why does this CT have to happen anyway? So unfair. Prayers for you.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by misskate

Following up on my last post. We had to put our little one to sleep yesterday as she was in severe distress. This has left a terrible gap in our lives as many of you may know. CT is such a plague as there is so little you can do it cure it and little to prevent it.

I'm so sorry.