Weak/Collapsing Trachea Worsening with Excitement

[Samiebaby]

Has anyone had experience with either of these two harness that seem to come down low enough to not place ANY pressure on the trachea?

choke free, non choking collar, leather step in harness, choke free collar, choke free harness, non choking harness

or

Green Apple Buddy Belt Dog Harness


Trying to decide what to order.

[bijoux1]

I recently ordered the buddy belt for both of mine, and I love them!! I got them from Kristen (user name Maximo on YT) These harnesses are great bc they are secure, the quality is wonderful, and it is far away from being anywhere near interfering with their trachea. Also Kristen's customer service is AMAZING!! But after ordering these, I am now in love with them!! I hope your baby improves on his meds!! But even if he does, I personally would still want the harness. But again, best wishes!!

[YazminD]

Hi Samiebaby,
After seeing this thread I understand now how you came across a thread I had posted concerning Yazmin.
I tried several different harnesses and Yazmin constantly choked even with the slightest pull, it drove me crazy!
After waiting for her to turn a year old and reach her max weight, I purchased her 1st. Buddy Belt from Kristen (Maximo) here on YT.
I LOVE the BB's because Yazmin has never choked again for the fact that the BB rests across her chest and NOT against her throat
Since there's so many great colors, Yazmin now owns 5 BB's!
Maximo has a store with a nice selection of Buddy Belts and she's great with helping her customers.
Buddy Belt Dog Harnesses | W. Field's Dog Boutique

I hope this helps you make a decision on what would be best for Max and I'll keep him in my prayers.

Originally Posted by Samiebaby

Has anyone had experience with either of these two harness that seem to come down low enough to not place ANY pressure on the trachea?

choke free, non choking collar, leather step in harness, choke free collar, choke free harness, non choking harness

or

Green Apple Buddy Belt Dog Harness


Trying to decide what to order.

[Samiebaby]

Update:

Max seems to be just as bad at night, but a little better during the day. I called my regular vet and he took the time out of his day to chat with me.

We will be taking Max in at 3:30pm for further testing. The vet is concerned that it may be an enlarged heart...

Please pray.

[momintx]

I registered to share this it could be svt, the chambers of the heart not firing up correctly. Happens to humans too )- you get very short of breath during arrhythmia episodes and feel nausea. You get the feeling like something is stuck in your throat. I had trouble getting dx for this myself till I wore a heart monitor for several weeks. It is not anxiety causing it , but the electricity of the heart. Anxiety will stir it up though,Vet can give your fur baby a beta blocker. If your dogs have thyroid issues or female older this is more common. It takes a really experienced vet to check for it. If your dog is choking/ vomiting and seems like he will pass out & you dont live near a vet, you can dip him in very cold water or give him icechips to eat to shock his system and his heart back into rhythm. Google to see other svt things, gagging is another one that resets the heart electricity impulses. If the vet is not experienced and pushes on the trach to cause gagging they can harm it instead if it has a heart issue. I would not let my vet do that again. Sorry for a first post with no intro but this is something I have been through and was heartbreaking for me. I am here trying to look for a healthy yorkie for my teenaged daughter as I think her dog may not make it much further. They have increased risk of stroke with this disorder.

[Samiebaby]

X-Rays show that his heart is a-ok and his trachea looked strong as well. As we all know, x-rays don't always show trachea issues, but things seemed ok while we were there.

I also showed the vet a video of Max's coughing/gagging/honking and he showed his colleagues. For now, we're trying the Lomotil on top of the Doxy (antibiotic) and Temeril-P (steriod). He wants me to check in early next week to see how things are going.

He's chalking it up to irritation right now and says his horrible teeth could be part of the problem. We're hoping and praying the meds make Max feel better.

So far, not too much of a change. He has been up all night, every night coughing/gagging/honking and we haven't really slept for about a week. Of course, we're more concerned for him, but we're worn out.

Keep praying for us.

[momintx]

Xrays won't show svt - and episodes of arythymia are normally at night- I would really try to get the vet to allow a monitor for your baby for a few days to record an attack if you can afford it. We are praying for Max.

[Samiebaby]

I will ask him about it when I speak with him next week. We've been to two different vets and explained, in detail, all that has been going on. After three thorough exams neither have brought that up.

I will ask though. Thanks.

[YorkOfTheShire]

I pray Max is feeling better soon! I know you've had x-rays done and such, but did either of the two veterinarians that you took Max to, look down his throat? Sprout had a really nasty 'incident' of this gagging a while back and it turned out that he had one of *my* hairs (I have long hair) stuck in his throat somehow. Once it was removed - no more gagging. It was tickling him and the only thing he knew to do was 'gag' to scratch it, like we would reach up and scratch an itch.

I'm not saying that's the problem but it might be an idea =] Praying for Max!

[Samiebaby]

You know, I've thought about that multiple times. Neither looked down his throat and each time I've left I've realized I should have asked them to. That's first on my agenda next week!!

[Samiebaby]

For those of you that can bear to watch: Max Coughing/Gagging - YouTube

That video is unlisted because I don't want to post sick doggie things on YouTube. Just added it so I can share it with the YorkieTalkers...

[YorkOfTheShire]

Sounds exactly like Sprout sounded when he had that hair stuck in his throat. My vote is irritation from something small (but not obstructive) stuck down in there, or allergies of some sort. Both Bella and Sprout did the 'goose honk' (that's what I call it) and Bella's was inverted sneezing due to the allergens in the air - she's fine now. Sprout's was a piece of my hair literally wrapped around his throat inside.

I'd definitely have them check for hair in the throat deep down, or a blade of grass...a small carpet fiber...anything, really.

I really do pray he is well soon!

[Samiebaby]

Originally Posted by YorkOfTheShire

Sounds exactly like Sprout sounded when he had that hair stuck in his throat. My vote is irritation from something small (but not obstructive) stuck down in there, or allergies of some sort. Both Bella and Sprout did the 'goose honk' (that's what I call it) and Bella's was inverted sneezing due to the allergens in the air - she's fine now. Sprout's was a piece of my hair literally wrapped around his throat inside.

I'd definitely have them check for hair in the throat deep down, or a blade of grass...a small carpet fiber...anything, really.

I really do pray he is well soon!

I'm hoping you're right! I have a call into the vet now to discuss next steps. We have about 1 day left of the steroid and we're done with the antibiotic. Have been on the Lomotil since Friday night and not seeing much of a difference.

[Samiebaby]

Vet just called back. We're doing one mL of Robitussin D twice to three times a day now. Let's hope this gives Max some relief...

[Samiebaby]

Ok, 'tussin didn't work.

A friend of the family is a vet (I live in a different city now) and after my mom talked to her yesterday she is insistent I take him to OSU vet center for further testing rather than our regular vet who would probably just recommend the same anyway. I have scheduled an appointment with internal medicine for tomorrow at 9:30am.

This is going to be pricey, but we're at our wits end here.