the dreaded cough and collapsing trachea
 

hi guys. been awhile since ive stopped by. there are probably 10 other posts on the yorkie cough already but i wanted to share my story and ask if anyone else has tricks that work, or meds they use.
tonight at midnight my baby zoey whos a 5 year old male and has had coughing fits over the years but nothing major, went into a major one tonight. i picked him up and stroked his throat, talked calmly and walked him out into the cool air. it continued but to a lesser degree, after nearly 5 minutes he stopped. i pick him up and comfort him by saying its ok, breathe, slowly, easy, easy. and he will start to slow the panic down and be okay. with tonights event lasting so long i was starting to panic and i went on the site to see what i coudl keep on hand for these events, knowing they might get worse as he gets older. i got onto a site dedicated to collapsing trachea and just wept. my heart was broken. i cant imagine being with out him. i am a nurse, i have access to get medications to alleviate bronchiol spasms etc. i am wondering does anyone know what drugs have worked for their yorkie? maybe a ritual you do,walking in cold air helped him tonight. i just want to gather all info on the problem, i need solutions. i cant bear to see him struggle. i wanted to give him a trach! would that work?? i know im rambling, sorry guys but i thought i lost my little baby zoey.
one last thing, he has a hard bump on his back. doesnt seem to hurt him, round and hard. any idea what that it?
i have him sleeping beside me in bed, im scared to let him go out of ear range!
they are the most beautiful loving dogs.(although he doesnt know he is one)
i cant imagine not having him. any info or help is appreciated so much.
thanks guys.hugz:aimeeyork

I'm sorry that I have no answers but I did want you to know that I read your post and share your concern. Hopefully, someone will come along who knows some answers to your questions.

Sending good thoughts your way...

I don't know if this works for the colapsing trach issue but it does with reverse sneezing. When it starts just lightly cup your hand over the nose for a little bit...take your hand away and repeat if you need to. Never cover the mouth, just gently cover the nose so the dog is not taking air in through the nostrils. I'm not sure what it does but it works.

IDK any specific remedies to give them for cough. Has he been examined by a vet and determined if he has a collapsed trachea?

The hard bump on his back, could it possibly be a microchip?

Im so sorry to hear that your baby is having so much trouble. I too am dealing with a coughing dog and this time the vet is unsure of what it is. He seems to be getting better but is still having episodes and going outside in the cooler air helps him too. He goes back this wednesday for more blood work. Has your little guy been seen by a vet to rule out kennel cough, heartworm etc? That would be the first thing I suggest you do is make an appointment and have him checked out.
I will keep him in my thougths and prayers (hugs)

My Paddy had trachea probs

when he was about 10 years old he went limp and bloodshot eyes, the vet xrayed him from the side

He had an enlarged heart which was pressing his trachea against his spine and restricting his breathing, so lack of oxygen and enlarged heart, everything working overtime

this also caused his liver to enlarge

I cannot remember the names of the drugs although it cost me £20 for each month of the rest of his life, he had a lovely life after we controlled it and died at the ripe age of 14

Get a good vet and good medicine, he will thrive

don't get ripped off, find a vet who knows Yorkies and can help and compliment yours and your dogs life

All the best

G

Prince also has a collapsed trachea. I have a link on page 6 (of course the page will change depending on the amount of posts, so if you don't see it on 6, check 7) with comments from other owners of Yorkies with this condition.
Prince was given a steroid, Temaril P, that was given in decreasing doses over 7 days, and Aminophylline. Aminophylline is an anti-inflamatory pill that relaxes the lung and chest muscles and enables more air to enter the chest and lungs, reduces the sensitivity of lungs to allergens and various other substances which cause inflammation. It was administered along with the Temaril P and is to be used as needed. We live in GA, and with the pollen issues here, I give Prince a pill before we go outside for an extended period of time. He is back to his lovable , healthy self. Prince's case is labled severe, but as long as we control his environment, he should be fine. We have to make sure that he doesn't get overly excited, take short walks and moderate play. We stop before everything before Prince gets tired, which would aggravate his condition.
I follow the vet's advice and cherish every day we are together.
The bump on your baby's back is probably related to something else.
Best of luck. Be strong. The meds really help.
Prince's mom

Our paddy lived for another good 4 years with medication, he was a lot slower than before, but we looked after him, he was never in pain or distress after the medication

He just became a bigger baby

My little baby and best friend, he knew we were looking after him and we licked each other lots

Living in GA the climate is warmer and more Humid than we suffer in UK

I have travelled the east coast many times so even for an englishman it is hard for a few days to acclimatise, your poor little man with his probs must find it hard, I can understand his probs, keep him in the shade and don't work him too hard

All the best G

Failing all else send him to me in England, nice cool air, fresh , no humidity

lots of licks on nose and he will thrive

and a good bone of course

Our little Casey passed from a Collapsed Trachea but not until many years after it started. She had it when we found her but we did not know that is what it was right away. We thought she was getting too excited so we would pick her up and put her on our shoulder and pet her while speaking softly to her. That really worked for a long time. Close to the end she would get some cough medicine from the vet but I don't have the bottle any longer and don't remember what it was. It only seemed to work for like 2 days though. It was also suggested that she take Prednisone (steroid) but that would make her drink a lot more water and have to pee and have potty accidents (which she never liked having). Her last few days she coughed alot. And she looked so sad. That was when we realized that we were making her hang in there for us and that was not in her best interest. For 3 1/2 years holding her and whispering in her ear made a big difference.

I am so sorry.

Thank you. She was a wonderful little lady.

i have a 7 yr. old femal yorkie named sunni who has a collaping trachea. when she get barking(honking)_ she is really struggling to breath. would the treatment for reverse sneezing help this, (putting my had in fron of her nose?) doc say putting in a stint would help her breath better, i just hate to put her thru this! any other sugestions? sunnis mom

You have a cute sense of humor, I am enjoying it. I have a 4 year old Yorkie baby named Cody. Live in Connecticut, moved from California about 6 months ago. Will also worry about the pollen and humidity.

I feel so bad for you...I'm sort of going through a similiar situation, although Guppy's problem has been diagnosed as a combo irritated/swollen trachea and reverse sneezing caused by too much barking and excitement. He does feel with Guppy it will correct itself once he's given his throat a chance to rest and heal. My vet prescribed Torbutrol, 5 mg and I give him 1/4 tablet every morning and every night. It's worked like a miracle. He's also on Medrol ? which is to reduce the swelling. I know your problem is different, and the Torbutrol is a narcotic, but it works great and perhaps you can ask your vet if it would work in your case to at least rest the trachea and perhaps reduce some of the irritation and swelling? Not sure, but thought I'd throw it out there as a possible solution to talk to your vet about. Guppy is 8 pounds, but can take up to 1/2 tablet twice a day if needed, so it seems the dosage can be adjusted down for an even smaller dog? Anyway, it's working fantastic, and before he started taking it he was hacking/gagging off and on all day and night. Hope you find something to help. Prayers are with you.

My Bridgie has the same problem....coughing, snuffing, choking, etc. She has an enlarged heart valve as well. The vet put her on enalapril to lower blood pressure and furosimide which is a diuretic. They didn't seem to work well enough. Then we tried a slight dose of Benedril which made her ill. Then just by accident I found a homeopathic. It is by Liddell laboratories, and is called CB Cough + /bronchial. It comes as a spray. I gave her one spray, and within 10 minutes her coughing nearly stopped. After a second dose a couple hours later her cough dissappeared altogether. This was five days ago, and I have only had to dose her a couple of times since then. It seems miraculous! She has had this collapsing trachea since a puppy and she is now 12. It just kept getting worse and I thought I was going to lose her. But not now. Also, she came down with Corona virus almost at the same time I started treating her cough. She was very ill. I researched online and found some herbal tinctures that really cured her in just a few days. They are Hawthorn, which is the best thing for toning her heart, since she has an enlarged valve. Olive which does great things for the liver, and is a general purifying and toning the system. Garlic which is a terrific antiseptic, and boosts the immune system, and Dandelion which is a mild diuretic and blood purifier and supports the kidneys. All of this worked in a matter of three days. Now she is back to being her bossy, sassy little self. No illness, no coughing, no swelling around her chest, and her heart beat seems softer. I highly recommend this for anyone who's dog is suffering. Just be sure to give a doze appropriate to your doggie's weight. I also have continued to put a dropper full of the mixed tinctures in her water dish each day. I have noticed too, that her breath no longer smells offensive. If you try this, please let me know if it works for you.

I've seen websites with herbal remedy's but I just do not know if they are for real or not. :confused:

Herbal and homeopathic remedies do work and they are not narcotic. They are often less expensive and one remedy or tincture will usually treat more than one isolated symptom. For example, Hawthorn tincture strengthens the whole heart and vascular system as well. Dandelion tincture helps, is a diuretic that is not only mild, but it also helps purify the blood, and does not damage the kidneys over a long period of use. This is what I have found from personal use. I suggest you try for yourself. If it doesn't work you haven't done any damage. Most health food stores carry tinctures and a book where you can look up the ones that fit your dog's symptoms. Just remember how tiny your dog is and adjust the dosage way down. It may be worth a try. I had to try because I was so desperate that I was sure Bridgie was close to dying. Today she's sitting here giving me the old "Jedi mind stare" she has perfected to let me know it is time for her noon treat! ........So she is back to health again. Good luck.