Thank you Jazzybee445. I have found veterinarian links that intubation can compromise the area in the throat among other reasons of course:
Trachea Problems
"Coughing due to endotracheal tube irritation is fairly common. In some dogs it can be severe, especially dogs with a pre-existing problem like chronic bronchitis or collapsing trachea. There are a lot of factors involved in producing the coughing, such as how tight a fit the endotracheal tube was, whether the cuff was inflated too much or in some cases if deflation of the cuff prior to removal created an ridge in the cuff the was irritating. The cuff is like a balloon around the tube which is inflated to allow a seal to be formed between the tube and the trachea. They are plastic and can form irritating ridges when deflated. I didn't know that this happened until I attended a seminar in which the speaker showed a few slides from endoscopic views of the trachea after removal of anesthetic cuffs. These are usually minor problems."
Segmental tracheal dysplasia in a mixed breed dog
"Tracheal stenosis indicates a narrowing of the diameter of the trachea due to trauma or less frequently a congenital lesion (
1). Congenital stenosis with absence of tracheal rings has been reported (
9). Stenosis or stricture due to trauma, previous surgery, or overinflation of endotracheal tube cuffs is seen more commonly than congenital stenosis in the dog."
Tracheal Collapse - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!
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The victim is almost always a toy breed dog, with poodles, Yorkshire terriers, and Pomeranians most commonly affected. The disease usually becomes problematic in middle age but can occur at any age. The cartilage defect that leads to the flattened C rings seems to be hereditary.
Many dogs with collapsed tracheas do not show symptoms, however, until a second problem complicates matters. Factors that bring out symptoms might include:
Obesity
Anesthesia involving the placement of an endotracheal tube
Development of kennel cough or other respiratory infection
Increased respiratory irritants in the air (cigarette smoke, dust, etc.)
Heart enlargement (the heart can get so big that it presses on the trachea)
If a secondary factor such as one of those listed above should occur and make a previously incidental collapsed trachea problematic, oftentimes removal of the secondary factor (weight loss program, getting an air filter, etc.) may clear up the symptoms of the collapsed trachea.
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Thank you so much for allowing me to voice my worries and concerns. It never hurts to think outside the box.