Zada's visit with the specialist about her wheezing! Not good.......
 

She saw Dr. Ortega Theresa M. Ortega | Veterinary Medical And Surgical Group (VMSG) yesterday. Here is what was found:

Diagnostic Imaging Findings:
Thoracic with neck radiographs (two view) - Suggestion of mild enlargement of the cardiac silhouette with prominent right ventricular margin. Pulmonary parenchyma within normal limits. Narrowing/collapse of the caudal cervical tracheal lumen. Mediastinal structures unremarkable. Live appears moderately enlarged. CNC: Extrathoracic tracheal collapse. Possible right sided cardiomegaly. Hepatomegaly. BMK: 10-31-11 at 2:00p:

Assessment:
Chronic honking, coughing and now with episodic difficulty breathing - based on history, physical exam and thoracic with neck radiographs, severe collapsing trachea appears to be the main cause. No strong evidence for chronic lower airway disease on physical exam nor thoracic radiographs, but concurrent lower airway disease is possible.

Prognosis: Fair to good for adequate response, control of clinical signs with SAC Isuprel collapsing trachea elixer. If there is poor respinse to this therapy, then tracheal stent therapy can be considered.

Recommendations:
1. Please start Zada on the oral SAC Isuprel Collapsing Trachea Elixir - give 1.0 ml orally THREE times daily. We will be calling in a few days to hear about her response. If there is only a partial response, but no apparent side effects, the dose can be increased to as much as 1.7 mls orally THREE times daily. If there is a great response, but you feel that she is too sedate, then we may lower the therapy to TWICE daily. The recommended dosing range for a dog her size is 0.85 cc to 1.7 cc orally TWICE daily to THREE times daily.

Potential side effects from this therapy include: increased heart rate and sedation. Please call if you think that Zada is having any apparent adverse reaction to this therapy.

2. Zada should avoid highly stressful or highly excitable situations if possible. However, if this therapy works for her, she will be more tolerant of these situations and less likely to get into a crisis than she would b without the medication.

3. If you take Zada for a walk, she should use the Gentle Leader Harness that puts less pressure on her tracheal than a neck collar or a traditional harness.

4. Finally, Zada should ideally lose a little weight. The lighter she is, the less likely she will cough from her collapsing trachea, because she does not have to breathe as hard when she does get excited. Since she cannot be heavily exercised because of her condition, she should be fed less calories (feed less at meals, change to a lower calorie diet, cut out treats, etc.) Zada weighs 8.5 pounds today. It would be ideal if she could lose about one pound of body weight.

Please call if you have any further questions or concerns. We wish you and Zada the best.


Well, this is where we are at with her condition. I ask Dr. Ortega what's involved with stent surgery. First they do all the measuring, then order the stent. The stent is long and round like the trachea, (tiny of course) and they make it more narrow to slide down into the collapsed area then when they let go, it expands open. As long as their calculations are correct it won't harm her, but if they are off even a little, then it could basically kill her. It's a very dangerous surgery and one they do not often do because of this.
I will not do that to Zada. If this liquid medication doesn't help her then I will be talking to the surgeon to find out if there are any other avenues we can talk that won't cause her pain and suffering. I somehow got the feeling that there were no other avenues. I cried the entire 95 miles home. I did the trip on the car and found it to be further than I first thought. I'm going to lose my Zada sooner than what should have been and I'm crushed to say the least. We have had her since she was 14 weeks old, and she will be 7 Dec. 5th. That's to young to have so many issues. God bless my little girl!

I'm so so sorry to hear this. :cry:

We were concerned about Mia these last few months. She kinda lost her voice and had a weird cough. We brought her in and had x-rays - Thank God it was not her trachea but we did discuss with our vet the "what if's". She said she would only suggest the medication. She said from her experience - she wouldn't recommend the surgery - so this kinda confirms what your vet said.

Mia and the boys have had a real bad year with allergies so they've been on meds for that.

I'll keep you & Zada in my prayers.

Donna, I am so very sorry to hear of Zada's health problems. I will definately keep Zada, you, your precious family, and the medical team that is treating Zada in my thoughts and prayers. Zada is so lucky to have such a loving and caring mommy.

I am sorry you didn't get good news:( I will keep sweet Zada and your entire family in my prayers.

I am so sorry. I hope that Zada does well with the medication and that you are able to have many more years with her.

Thank you guys so much. I'm a bit worried about how she will do when we go to our friends for Thanksgiving. She gets so excited to see the other Yorkies and have sleep overs with them. That's where she had her bad attack. I pray this medication will keep her from getting that excited.

Cindy, there you are girl........goodness, I sure missed you and so did a lot of others here. So happy to see you back and I hope your surgery and recovery has gone well.

I am so sorry that your little Zada has CT. As awful as it sounds, I think if you can get some weight off of her and keep her relaxed and in a cool environment you might be able to slow the progression down. Don't keep thinking that you are going to lose her....try to remain positive. She might surprise you. :)

I have had CT pups and have tried different treatments. I have found that they can respond differently. The specialist I went to with my last one had me alternating meds which seemed to work best for him. There are many different treatments. If that elixer does not work, that does not mean that other meds will not!! Please keep that in mind. I will be happy to share the different treatments we have used on my pups .. just PM me if you ever want to know. I am quite certain that the specialist you went to is aware of other treatments and will try them if this elixer does not work. That med has ephedrine in it...so I would definitely keep an eye on her heart rate as they said.

Keep us posted on her progress! I will keep her and you in my thoughts and prayers.

You might want to ask if you can take a tranquilizer with you in case she does get into trouble with her breathing. That elixer has phenobarb in it so that might keep her calm, but I would ask anyway....rather than wait for Thanksgiving and be unprepared.

With my last pup, I had preloaded syringes of meds for him if he got in trouble during the night.

what type of tranquilizer? I'm afraid to mix meds on her.

If this medicine doesn't keep her from gasping for air, I'm to let the Dr. know, so I'm sure she will probably try something else. Thank you so much for your help. This is such a dangerous disease.

That would be up to your vet. They often use Ace Pro for CT pups. The only time it is used is when they are really having problems...it saved me from having to traumatize him by going to the EC in the middle of the night. It is not for just a bit of anxiety...only when things are bad.

Yes, it is an awful condition. I am sure she will try something else...I was only telling you that there are other options and not to lose faith. :)

Perhaps you can request a special sedative "cocktail" for Zada's Thanksgiving visit.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm still recovering -- the process has been longer and harder than expected.

I am so sorry that little Zada has this problem i will keep you both in my prayers

you and zada will be in my thoughts and prayers, hoping that the meds will make her feel better!

Zada is a lucky little girl to have a wonderful mommy like you to care for her wellness and comfort. I know it must be so very hard, but try to keep positive thoughts and keep loving your girl, she knows you are right there beside her.:thumbup: Just could be that the meds will work wonders. Sending prayers for sweet Jada and positive thoughts.

Sorry to hear about Zada's diagnosis.....it must be very difficult for you, but hopefully she will respond positively to the meds. Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away so it is possible you will have a better handle on the CT situation by then.....if not, you might want to think about a small, quiet Thanksgiving at home.....not ideal, but it may be less stressful on you and Zada.

I will be keeping Zada (and you) in my thoughts and prayers.

So sorry to read about Zada's ordeal.
. I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm sorry. Poor little Zada. I hope the medicine helps her and she'll be much better soon.

I really appreciate everyone's concerns and prayers. She isn't wheezing as loud when she's laying down, but the real test will come when I take her somewhere, which I plan on doing tomorrow. I want to see how she does in a situation where she would normally choke up and not breathe so well, so am taking her to one of my friends home for a short visit. I want to do this before Friday when the Dr. Ortega calls to check on her. I will also mention the Ace Pro to see if that isn't something I should have on hand, especially over Thanksgiving holiday in the bay area at friends home, and the same place she had a very bad episode a few weeks back. I'll keep you all updated on her condition as I'm sure some of you have little honkers right now and don't know what's going to happen to them. Zada started out as a little honker, and it just progressed to what she's going thru now.

That is great that she is doing better on the medicine! I hope all goes well tomorrow and she tolerates a little excitement better! That is a great idea to test it out before Thanksgiving.

That is good news. I hope she does well on her outing, too.:)

I am very sorry Zada is facing this, but I am happy to hear the med is already showing promise in helping her. Sending prayers for your baby.

I am so sorry to hear about little Zada. CT is such a horrible disease. She, and you, will be in my prayers.

Just wanted to wish Zada continued success on her meds. Please continue to keep a positive outlook as I think that matters!

Just stopping by to let Donna and Zada know that I am thinking of your family. You are all in my thoughs and prayers.

Oh, I am so very sorry. :( She is really close in age to my Sophia.

Bless her little heart...and yours too. I'll say a prayer for both of you.
(((hugs)))

I am sorry to hear about Zada's diagnosis and I hope she responds well to her medication. Buster is on a diet and the vet recommended that I reduce his food and supplement it with a piece of Kale about the size of a playing card and grind it with a almond and add it to his meals. I use " Dinosaur kale is the common name for the kale variety known as Lacinato or Tuscan kale. It features dark blue-green leaves that have an embossed texture. It has a slightly sweeter and more delicate taste than curly kale." WHFoods: Kale Buster has lost 14 oz in two months and does not act like he is missing the extra calories. He actually has been more active. I know the extra weight is hard on his knees. Best wishes.

I am now adding more veggies to the meat mixture, and kale is one, along with jicama, carrots, baby bok-choy and chayote squash, then I'll put these in the food processer to chop and add to cooked red meat, liver, pearled barley and rice. After I cook the liver, I save the broth to cook the rice and barley in. She's doing great, and of course the others are benefiting with all the extra veggies.