According to the vet the substance the puppies got into caused their trachea to narrow. The brush they chewed on had a dried powder chemical substance on it and I imagine they inhaled some of the substance and that chemical caused the trachea have a reaction and collapse. Luckily the pups recovered, I really don't know if any permanent damage was done. The first vet did run a test that show the trachea was narrowed.

I also want to add that according to the website listed below exposure to cigarette smoke, chemical irritants or dust can contribute to collapsed trachea.

Collapsed Trachea in Dogs

For those that smoke, please do not smoke around your little dogs. Also, things such as plug-in air fresheners can cause breathing problems for some. Simple things that we take for granted, like perfume, burning candles or cleaning products can cause these little ones serious problems.

I am so sorry that you and your baby are going through this. Believe me, I understand. We have been dealing with CT for the past year, and it is soooo difficult. You may want to do a search for collapsing trachea here on yt; there are several threads with a lot of useful information.
Prince has had many rough days and nights, but I'm happy to report that he has had two consecutive good days this past weekend. We treasure every day, good or bad.

I have been researching like crazy about this condition, My molly has it and its very bad, Im trying anything and everything to get a better hold on this,
Ive had my current vet for almost 10 yrs, hub wants me to get a 2nd opinion,
he feels she is on way to much medication, when she is medicated to the point of just being ( out of it ) I understand what he means but what else can we do ? Its horrible when there in that attack , Im so affraid she will just stop breathing :cry: The only time she is ok is when im right with her, but still her breathing is not normal. My prayers go out to you all who are feeling this pain :(

SO sorry to hear about your baby, I am going thru the same thing! :( My 3 1/2 little girl was diagnosed with a collapsed trachea a month ago and she just isnt the same anymore :( Miley is on hydrocodone cough suppressant and prednisone. I have another little one and she attacks him frequently bc I believe the steroid are making her aggressive:'( She is so young & literally my other half, I don't know what I would do without her. I will keep your little one in my prayers, if anyone else has recommendations for treatment please drop me a message!

xx

I don't know if this helps, but I have Haggis who is 12 years old and suffers from this ailment ( among a number of others!) anyway he has had this problem for a long time however recently it got more frequent and he developed a cough firstly when he was excited then almost constantly which was debilitating and causing him distress. There were times when we believed he was breathing his last breath although it could disappear as quickly as it appeared.
Having tried to cure this through a number of drugs for various possible causes of this deterioration, the steroids which he was given had a improving effect however they were not a long term solution for one so small. The vets practice which we attend has a cardiac specialist who reviewed the case and suggested an Aerodawg Inhaler which from the first time of use has been 100% successful. This administers the contents of asthma medicine for humans and is fantastic! there is a youtube clip showing this being administered (on a trainee guide dog so not as easy at home!) however Haggis now gets his "puffer" 2x per day without any real drama and it is great.
As I said, don't know if this is appropriate but it helped the "wee man".
Hope you find a cure.

What kind of asthma medicine do they prescribe for your pup? Albuterol? I'm curious, as I have a 13 year old yorkie mix and we have managed her CT really well for about 5 years now with lomotil, temaril p, Benadryl and tussigon, but she recently had a bronchial infection and now her CT is really acting up. I've often wondered if a asthma inhaler wouldn't help her or even having portable oxygen on hand in the event of a bad attack (which thank God we have not experienced). Thanks!

I will check the brand of inhaler tonight at home and get back to you.

I have checked and the brand in the UK is Flixotide 125mcg and is called an evohaler. Haggis gets 1 puff into the chamber (Aerodawg!) and has to take a min 4 breaths 2 times per day.
The manufacturer is GlaxoSmithKline S.p.A.
The details are each actuation releases 125 micrograms of fluticasone propionate which is steroids.( a long term viable option as tablets would have side effects)
To date it has worked wonders, hope it helps.