Collapsing Trachea Update
 

I took McKenzie to the vet last week because she was having attacks that seemed like reverse sneezing when she would drink water or get too excited and I was worried it was CT.

The vet pressed on her throat and said McKenzie didn't cough, and usually a dog with CT does. She gave me some pills basically to keep her lungs open and clear and said to give her 1/4 pill every day.

I haven't given her the pills because she only has this happen once/twice every few days, but she just had a major one where her eyes were watering she was honking and her sides were heaving and she couldn't catch her breathe. I usually put her on my lap when this happens and gently massage the sides of her throat until it subsides.

I'm really scared though. My vet didn't seem to think it necessary to do any additional testing, and she IS a good vet and I do trust her, but I'm just not sure what to do.

She's supposed to be getting spayed in 2 weeks and I'm afraid to have it done w/her coughing issues and am unsure if the meds are just a band aid.

Should I insist on having a more detailed test done?

I'd really appreciate any help on this, I just don't know what to do and I'm terrified...

Anyone?

I have the same issue with Jambo! I have taken him to the vet twice. The first time, I thought it was kennel cough. The vet said no and prescribed some cough medicine. He does not do this every day but when I have noticed it is when he takes in a lot of water or gets excited running around. The second time, different vet said it may be a minor cough/cold...just give it time. I thought it may be some sort of allergy as I noticed him licking his paws all the time as well. The first vet said no to that as well. I tried switching him to a raw diet just in case it was allergies. I am very concerned. He is healthy in every other way. I keep seeing things about it from others but no solution. I am thinking of getting chest x-rays done.

Zoe does this sometimes too. Almost always after she's had a big drink of water. My vet also said she didn't seem to think it was collapsing trachea either but I'm wondering if I should pursue more testing as well. :confused:

barbie also does this... not very frequently but every once and a blue moon. thats why i dont think its a cold it'll happen twice then not happen again for weeks? the vet also told me she didn't think it was a CT?! she gave her antibiotics and sent us home? i guess the reasoned i haven't had her back yet is because its few and far between but now i'm also wondering if i should pursue more testing :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: seems common??

Did your vet take xrays? That has to be done along with a physical exam to diagnose a collapsed trachea.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=410

She didn't take Xrays. She basically just told me that CT is prevalent in the small breeds (which I of course know) and gave me a broncodilator rx to give her. I questioned it and was told to try it to see if it alleviated the coughing episodes she was having.

I think that I'm just going to have to flat out tell them I want further testing done. Her coughing episode today scared me so badly. I was able to calm her down and rub her throat gently so that she was able to catch her breathe and take a regular breath again. It was so scary to see her struggling and her sides heaving, with that honking noise she makes. Her eyes were watery when she was finished and she looked just exhausted. This happens maybe once to twice every few days.

I'm literally to the point where I'm afraid to leave her home in case she has an attack. If I have to go anywhere she has a sitter stay with her and I've taught them how to gently massage her neck in case she starts to cough. It's just terrifying.

I think because I have asthma I know how it feels to be breathless and scared like that and it's just absolutely terrifying to see her go through those little attacks. It's awful.

I can certainly understand why you are concerned.

My wonderful vet told me a long time ago that "Mother always knows best". You live with her and have seen these attacks firsthand.

Even if it is only for your piece of mind, I'd either insist on more testing or get a second opinion.

I think you're right. I'm going to insist on having further testing done if only for me feeling better about the situation. I hope it ends up being good news for us <3

RE: collapased treacheas
 

hi my name is sharon i have 2 teacup yorkies.. CHYNA AND PIA :)
CHYNA IS 4 PONDS, AND PIA (BABYGIRL) is 2.3 ponds they both have collasped treacheas plus the cough..
my vet has given me TOBATROL FOR THE COUGHING AND TREACHEA AND ROBITUSSIN DM (HUMAN) FOR THE COUGH..BOTH HAVE HELPED TRAMENDASLY1.of course ask your vet for dosage instruction,,
~sharon~

also besides the throat rubbing, blow gently in her face (not hard) that will help also,,,
shay

My dog coughs from CT, he didn't cough from the vet pressing, but the x ray clearly showed where the windpipe narrows... get an x ray, they aren't too expensive.... this is also a baseline to see in time if it progresses to a worse situation....

Did they tell you how to fix the problem?

CT is an anatomy problem, there is no cure. The windpipe actually is narrowed in an area. There is medicine to help control it and there is radical surgery that may help for when the condition is critical and depending on have far down the narrowing is in the neck/chest area. Weight is a huge issue in relieving the symptoms, if the dog is heavy, the fat pushes in on the windpipe. The CT is like a straw you suck one end and and stop the other end with your finger and the straw flattens and nothing passes. When this happens, the dog coughs and that can trigger more excitement which will perpetuate the episode--some may even pass out from lack of air. Also look for blue gums indicating lack of air in bad episodes. CT episodes usually come on when the dog is excited/breathing heavy or from drinking cold water causing a tickle that starts a cough and gets the pet anxious.

Usually their symptoms come on later in life, but my pup showed it at 3 years old.

Allergies can also bring on the CT cough more.

We are lucky, our friend is our vet and she takes wonderful care of our animals...

PS

The medicine Chachi takes is Butorphanol-one before bedtime.

Each case is different, some dogs need it daily, whereas my Chachi has problems with the cough on and off.

In the past week he is coughing, so he is getting the pill. he is also over weight by at least 3-5 lbs and has put on more weight in the past month as the weather grew cold here. He is litterbox trained, so he doesn't get out for walks or in the yard like he should. I know I must get out and walk him more now, but the temp today was 15 and I am afraid the chilled air could stir up some coughing.

I agree with LadyMom :thumbup: I'd be taking that baby to get further testing... Always go with your instincts :)

Katie has this same problem. So before she had LP surgery last month the vet did x-rays on her. Well, she did not have CT, but they found that she has an enlarged heart. So please go with your instincts.

Collasp Trachea
 

Just lost my little guy Dec. 13th 2007, 13 years old. I never let him get overweight. But the enlarged heart just shut his trachea enough, it happen so fast. No medicine could not fix him this time. But I was so blessed to have him for 13 years. My vet gave him six years.

I'm so sorry for your loss!! I worry for my Katie's future too. Right now the vet is monitoring her heart. Can you please tell me how old he was when diagnosed?

My female Yorkie has occasional attacks like you described. Another Yorkie owner told me to hold her and blow air across her nose from the side. Believe it or not this works with her. I asked her vet about the possible trachea damage from pulling so hard on a leash...he said if there was damage the symptoms would be constant not just on occasion. I ended up buying a harness vest for her to wear when she walks on a leash and it helps some
with the strong pulling.

Corky was about six months old. When we got him, he was 12 weeks old and his bark was so low and we thought it was odd. Xrays showed an enlarged heart and weak trachea. His coughing started about six years old, but he always seemed to make it. But this last time it was so different, my little guy could not quit coughing and he tried so hard to keep it open. Went down hill so fast. It was so terrible. Miss him so much.

I think the honking noise is characterist of CT. It's a unique sound , so different than a cough or sneeze.

I took McKenzie back to the vet and they still don't see it neccessary to do an Xray.

I'm really unsure what to do, it almost seems like I'm making a big deal out of nothing to them.

I've been giving her the medication and she doesn't cough nearly as much, maybe once a day if at all.

She's going to be spayed on Monday and I'm really nervous about everything. Please keep McKenzie in your prayers <3

When he started honking I knew this was the final stage. He could not even take a drink of water. He wanted in his little bed so bad but could not even lie down anymore. That would be the last night for him. No more suffering. I called my vet and what a hard call to make. "Just can't make our pets young anymore"

Our little Samie cannot go for walks anymore. Our vet prescribed Flovent inhaler that i give to her with an infant mask suppopsed to give her 2x's a day but i only do 1 x every day in the evenings. i think giving her 2 x's a day makes her too excited and she pants while she is sleeping. I do not know if 2s's a day really was causing the panting but i do know that since i have only been masking her with the flovent once a day she has not done the heavy panting while she is sleeping. (that is the only time she pants a lot) it's a fast panting too and it freaks me out.

We also have Hydromet -cough syrup. I only give her as needed. But she turns blue every time i give her a bath. not while I am washing her because i do not put her head under water. (Her head i wash with a washcloth).
It's when i start to dry her that she starts to roll around on the floor like a maniac and i have to try to stop her. she gets out of breath quick rolling on her sides and then she will stand up and sit still bc she can't breathe. i try everything in my power to not let her get excited at all. but she just gets so playful and crazy when she is all wet. I hold her down in a towel too and it does not help. Her little tongue starts to look greyish and the underside of her tongue 2 lines of purple. it freaks me out to the point where i get really nervous. she will do it only once or twice but it makes me so scared. I keep her short so she dries faster and is stays clean longer. I give her a bath sometime every 2-3 months just because bathtime is very scary. She coughed really bad last week but so far so good. it was last Saturday night her last episode. She inhales her food while eating and i try to get her to eat slower. But she had a fainting episode 1 month ago while eating her and my other dog were fighting over there food (I no longer just set the food down and walk away, i have to stay with Samie until she is finished eating) that was a very scary day for me and although she is fine now. When we had her xrays done in june there were signs of ct. but a month ago when we did xrays it had progressed. Does anyone know if it showed up on the xray worse than her June xrays because she had just had the attack 2 hours earlier that morning? I am hoping that maybe it has gone back to the way it looked just 6 mos ago. i know that may be wishful thinking but i am hoping since she collapsed and fainted and then had xrays only hours afterwards maybe it the xrays were worse because of that.

this is so very sad. my heart is breaking just reading this. How old was your yorkie?

13 yrs- i just read. awh so sad.

tell them that you want xrays done and demand it. even if for piece of mind. i would be taking my dog to a different vet. i know we get used to going to a certain vet- but you got to research. i have never heard of this?? go to healthypet.com and search for a vet in your area and call them and see what they would suggest. AAHA credited vet hospitals are the BEST OF THE BEST when it comes to caring for SMALL breed dogs such as our yorkies.

Our vet is AAHA credited and they are the best and a friend of mine works at the emergency vet-she told me that our vet-they deal with all the time. she told me you have to be careful when choosing a vet and that your pets life could depend on it. When i told her about the vet that we used to go before we switched... she said- all i can say is I am glad to hear that your switched. She did not have good things to say about where we had been going. AAHA vets are very experienced. you will notice a difference when you walk into the door immediately that these AAHA credited vets aren't just another vet. Unreal. HUGE difference. and i don't know- but -when it comes to my girls i want someone who is excellent. there are vets on every block anymore. The AAHA will point out the great ones for you bc unless they are AAHA credited hospitals...i don't think just any vet will do for our small babies. they must be aaha credited. go to the website and see what is required to be AAHA credited.
You will be glad you did. :-)

Ours does this honking and sucking in when she has pulled too hard on her leash. We always use a harness for walks. However, she has also done it just for no reason. It is not often, and our vet said she would need to hear it first since she wasn't sure if it was reverse sneezing. When it is over, she seems just fine. We still don't know what it is, and she is six years old.:confused:

i would keep track on the calendar the coughing episodes and also the enviroment too. i no longer burn candles, spray perfume,hairspray or cleaners because it aggrivates her little trachea. and no more walks has been sad bc it was something they looked forward to all the time. my one dog i take sometimes but believe it or not the look on Samie's face is so sad when we get back i hate doing that to her. so i never do it anymore with just the one. when i get in the door with Sadie- Samie will run up to Sadie as if to say "and where do you think you went without me??????" she jumps on her and runs with her. sometimes nibbling her ears. i just know she is mad bc she didn't come with us for a walk.