I think he has a collapsing trachea
 

I'm really upset. Every once in a while Ferdinand will make this weezing noise - he'll do it 3 or 4 times then be fine. I did a bunch of research trying to figure it out when he first started doing it. I read that a sound like a "goose honk" is a clue that it's a collapsing trachea - but he'd never done that at all.The vet said it could be allergies and tried to get him to do it so she could hear it, but wasn't successful. Well, today he started doing it again and it sounded just like a goose honk.

It makes me want to :cry8:. I feel so bad for him... I just hope it doesn't get worse.

Does anyone have experience with a little furbaby that has a collapsing trachea?

It might be reverse sneezing which sounds horrible, when Bailey did this it reminded me of when my daughter had Croup.
I hope he is feeling better soon.

I agree, don't worry yourself too much until your baby can be properly diagnosed. Having said that, there are lots of members on here whose dogs are living with collapsing tracheas - hopefully someone will post some helpful information here for you. Have you tried doing a search on here?

Like "I love Bailey" said, it could very well be the reverse sneezing. Oscar did it quite a bit when he was a puppy, but seems to have outgrown it and seldom does it at all now. Ruthie is the same - seemed to do it quite a bit when she was a young puppy, but at 8mths now, the 'episodes' seem to be fewer and farther between. I would do a search on here for 'reverse sneeze' as well as 'collapsing trachea' and do a comparison of the symptoms you're seeing. Reverse sneezing always sounded to me like saliva going down the wrong tube - the dog will usually stand with legs kindof apart in a stiff posture - head will bob in and out as they do it.... very strange to watch.

Good luck with your baby!

Sorry, no experience, but just want to make sure you're using a harness that doesn't touch his neck just in case. I love the step in harnesses (no throat contact at all), although stylish ones aren't as easy to come by as some other types.

Yes, I'm definitely using a harness. I use a step-in harness also and it doesn't touch his throat.


When I spoke to the vet she said collapsing trachea is extremely hard to diagnose and that the only 100% way to do it is to get an x-ray of their trachea while they're having an "episode." He doesn't really do it THAT often, but it's enough to worry me.

You are correct in what you described as reverse sneezing. My Chin's sire, New Zealand & US Champion, died of intrathoracic trachael collapse at 2 yrs. old. When his breeder informed me, I was so concerned about mine that we had him tested. We put the poor thing through alot for reverse sneezing.

What kinds of testing did they do?

I live in Arizona.. and Ralphie has the same problem as you describe-- sometimes it seems due to hot dry air.. I give him water on my finger and he stops after a bit. Sometimes he does it alot in one day, sometimes not at all

There are several reasons to cause a cough like that. One being the trachea is too soft, the other is kennel cough and the last but most terrible is liver shunt. When I have fosters I had on little guy with a soft trachea and there is nothing that can be done. I also had them with kennel cough and one with liver shunt. If it should happen that it is liver shunt, then they soon start throwing up after a coughing spell, and have to eat just tiny bit of soft food at a time. If let untreated the dog dies. If your baby doesn't stop coughing soon I would have him bile acid tested.

Collapsed Trachea is different than reverse sneezing. Reverse sneezing is when the back of the throat spasms. The dog stands still, stretches out their neck, and often becomes bowlegged while they are trying to get air. It honks, wheezes, and often snorts during reverse sneezing episodes. Often the spasms will cease if they swallow a couple of times or if you close off their nostrils so it has to breathe through its mouth for a few seconds.

Other unique signs will differentiate tracheal collapse. If your dog breathes with a raspy sound or coughs reflexively when you rub their neck, they could have collapsed trachea. If the cough is one or two expulsive bursts, typically with a gag or retch at the end, they could have collapsed trachea. The most common sign is a chronic cough. It is often dry and harsh, and the phrase ?goose honk? has been used to describe the condition. Coughing is often worse in the daytime. You should contact your vet ASAP if you experience any of these serious signs.

My Male does this too, only when he drinks water to fast or gets excited.

Maybe it is just reverse sneezing. We've been working with our vet for a few months and she can't figure it out. She said tracheal collapse is extremely hard to diagnose and the diagnosis usuallly comes by ruling out all other possibilities. He definitely has the symptons of reverse sneezing, but the goose honk is what scares me. It's usually 3 or 4 "bursts" then ends with a cough.

I highly doubt it's liver shunt... he's been doing this for a long time and has never thrown up afterward and eats like a pig.

Hi Sweetie--how is little Ferdinand doing? How old is he now? Diamond made these noises when she was younger, when she was about 3 months up until 9 months I think. I never knew for sure what it was but it sounded painful and awkward. I used the collar on her for the first month or so just because I didn't do my research and then after that, I started with the harness and I REFUSE to put a collar back on her :thumbdown

Is he still doing it? I took Diamond to the vet when she was making these noises, of course she never did them at the vet's but the vet did feel her throat just by using her hands and she said it didn't feel like a collapsing trachea but who knows. I know she doesn't do it now.

My puppy coughs once or twice a day
 

He makes a sound like something is caught in his throat, but then he acts fine. Should I be worried? I took him to the Vet, he doesn't have a fever, so it's not Kennel cough.

My pup who is going to be 14 years old soon, had collapsing trachea. It started as weezing sound as she was breathing, and it got to the point where when she was asleep, she could not breathe well and would wake up coughing for so long. One night I took her to the emergency vet near by, and she was diagnosed with collapsing trachea. They performed ecocardiogram. I was told there is nothing really I could do about it. Back then, she weighted close to 12 lbs, and with loose kneecaps, she no longer wanted to go for a walk, and she was laying and sleeping most of the time, and coughed and coughed. They also found enlarged liver from other tests they have performed previously when she had infection in her pancreas.
HOWEVER, I changed her whole diet to try something. I started to give her organic Gerber's baby food jar (makde sure ingredients did not contain onions), they had different types such as chicken and peas, beef and carrot etc. I would mix with water and rice because she stopped drinking water back then. And I boiled chicken, and that was her meal. I would go very light on chicken and rice on some days to make her lose weight. She would get baby carrot (her favorite) as her snack twice a day or three times a day. After two months or so, she completely stopped coughing, she now maintains her weight around 9~10 lbs, and she is hopping like a pup. People are often surprised when they find out her age. This diet completely beat the coughing, weezing from collapsing trachea, and I think her knees are feeling better from lighter body weight.
Now, she never really coughs anymore. As she was acquired about two years ago, she came with a bunch of health problems, but after many emergency vet visits and completely changed diet, she is a new pup with no coughing. And I am so grateful that she is healthy now. So maybe change in diet could help your pup as well? Even if a pup is not overweight, if the body fat is rather high, couldn't it be pressuring inside? Anyhow, it worked for my old smelly pup :) I hope your pup feels better soon..