bad bad cough
 

My Yorkie puppie has had a bad cough since I received him (via airplane on Jan. 6th). He is now just over 4 months old. When I initially took him to the vet, he was given pills to take (Temaril; I'm not sure exactly what they are for, other than generic coughing). I gave Biggie the pills and it simply did not help the cough. I took him back to the vet 2 more times for this; the vet told me he had a "collaped trachea", and that it was common in small Yorkies. He told me he could do a trachea xray, but that it wouldn't provide us info. other than Biggie's trachea was somewhat collapsed!! I looked on the web and found info. that corroborated the vet's diagnosis. This was all close to 1 month ago.

Biggie still has the cough, and it is worse than ever. It is mostly in the night, and does not seem to relate to a high level of activity. He sometimes wakes up at night and coughs for an hour w/out being able to stop for any substantial period of time.

I just looked up a brief "kennel cough" description, and it seemed relatively the same as the "tracheal collapse" descriptions on the web.... Biggie has had one vaccination for kennel cough about 2 weeks ago; he is due for the booster in about 1 week.

Any input, suggestions, or remedies would be dearly appreciated....I can't stand the thought of him simply living with this cough forever!!!

I am very sorry to hear about Biggie's condition. Here's what I was able to find (I know surgeries can definitely end up being expensive for our lil pups):

Tracheal collapse should always be considered when a dog, especially a toy breed, starts to show signs of a chronic cough. The current method of diagnosis is usually a tracheal xray or an endoscopy or radiographic fluroscopy of the tracheal area while the dog is anesthetized. The dog should also be tested for Valley Fever and Heartworm, both of which are conditions that can cause a chronic cough. Also, congestive heart failure can sometimes be the cause of a cough.

The most common treatment for tracheal collapse is to medically manage the symptoms through weight reduction and maintenance, stress and exercise restriction, and drug therapy. A harness should also be used instead of a collar in order to avoid further pressure on the trachea area. Although none of these are a cure, most dogs can be managed quite effectively.

Common drug therapy used in treating tracheal collapse consists of antitussives, anti-inflammatories, bronchodialators, sedatives, and antibiotics. The most popular antitussives for this condition are hydrocodone or butorphanol tartrate (torbutrol). Anti-inflammatories can be helpful in minimizing airway inflammation caused by the trauma of the chronic coughing. Bronchodialators, usually theophylline based, are used to dilate the pulmonary airways which helps to decrease intrathoracic pressure during exhalation thereby hopefully decreasing the degree of tracheal collapse. Sedatives can be used in extreme cases where antitussives do not control coughing spasms and antibiotics can be used when the possibility of tracheal infection, known as bacterial tracheitis exists. Owners of dogs who suspect or know that their pet has a collapsed trachea should be working closely with a veterinarian that is familiar with the condition in order to diagnose it and determine the best course of action.

If it becomes impossible to maintain the condition medically, there are several surgeries that are available. The only one that has resulted in long-term, repeatable success is the application of an extraluminal prosthesis. The two most commonly used prostheses are the spiral prosthesis and the total ring prosthesis. Both prostheses are fabricated from a 3-ml syringe case or barrel. Which is used, the case or the barrel, depends on the size of the dog. During the surgery, the prosthesis is applied to the outside of the trachea in order to help it hold its normal cylindrical shape. The spiral prosthesis is probably the more useful of the two as it can span a much greater length of the trachea. The ring prosthesis is more like a cuff, spanning about a one centimeter area. The initial spiral prosthesis surgical procedure has been modified to maintain blood supply to the trachea during surgery in order to reduce the likelihood of the tracheal tissue dying due to interruption of blood flow. This surgery has a moderately high success rate, although it would likely be higher if the surgery option was not so often delayed until the patient was a high surgical risk.

Here's some links:

http://azlink.com/~mkk/trachea.html

http://www.inno-vet.com/journals/walfocus/11/0201.html

http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/tracheal_collapse.htm

http://www.barkbytes.com/bremed/yorkie.htm

FastEddie: That was a ton of information; thank you so much for taking the time to give it to me. What do you think of my kennel cough concerns? Do you think that is a possibility as well? I will print out your previous response and take it to the vet when I go for the kennel cough boost in one week. Also, if you have any further insight, perhaps on kennel cough(?), I will take that as well. Again, thank you. Your input is very much appreciated

Well, I'm by no means a medical expert, but perhaps if Biggie's cough doesn't go away after another 2-3 weeks, it would seem like he has a tracheal collapse. If however, the vet prescribes some antibiotics and his cough does go away, then I would think that he doesn't have any problem with his trachea. Hopefully that is the case, as a tracheal collapse is definitely a bigger problem. No problem, I'm glad to help, I just did a quick search and was able to find some good info on both problems.
---
Kennel Cough Info:

If your dog is diagnosed with kennel cough, your veterinarian will likely prescribe an antibiotic to help prevent any secondary bacterial infection and a cough suppressant. We have found in those persistent cases of kennel cough, the use of a relatively new antibiotic, azithromycin, to be effective. This medication is very effective in the treatment of the mycoplasmal forms of tracheobronchitis. Again, before any treatment regimen administered, is it is imperative that a proper veterinary examination and appropriate diagnostics be performed.

Links:

http://www.cah.com/library/kennekcough.html

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_kennel_cough.html

IM furious
 

Most breeders KNOW when there is a genetic defect in their line of dogs...I was sold my first yorkie in 1995 and he had a genetic liver disease, i watched him suffer for years and grew to love him so that i had to see a counselor when he died...I would call the breeder and ask for vet records and demand a partial or full refund and basically raise hell with them...I know it wont help the condition but it wil let breeders know that they are selling relationships too...and that we get very attached to our little friends...It enrages me that this happens ...this trachea thing is hereditary and they should offer compensation..let them pay for the little dogs surgery...My alex suffered 5 years before he finally died...i know you hate to see biggie suffer...In the mean time try this...make the room that he sleeps in ultra clean and dust free, also use a humidifier and an air cleaner (available at walmart) keep him clean and free of dander and dont let him get too excited...surgery is probably required...good luck...Rob

wow, rob, that must have been tough to see for 5 years. Did Alex ever get surgery?

Unfortunatly i didnt know the extent of the disease, nor the diagnosis (until he died) He would get "sick" about every 3 months and i would have to take him and he would get fluids and antibiotics...He would have diahreha and vomit for days...Id never heard of liver shunts...Well i kept him going for 5 years and he kept me going...Thats where my passion for yorkies began...He was a gift to a girlfriend, we broke up and she threw him away so i took him and fell in love...He to this day is the most intelligent yorkie i have ever seen and he loved to go offshore fishing and was an unbelievable swimmer...In the ocean...he loved to ride the waves in...he was a trooper...He was my life..id had moved here alone and was bymyself..when he passed i went into deep depression, i had bought a female to breed with him as i knew he wouldnt be around much longer...she was a pup and he hated her bothering him so nothing ever happened...When he died..she used to walk around the house looking for him and barking when i closed a door in the house...(thinking i was keeping her from him) now she is my life with her pup JJ, bred from a sire across the street who is very cute. I still have his tomb stone in the back yard...It goes where ever i do...Heres a pic of Alex..."Allie"

Ps
 

Lex still wears his collar and tags...and gets very distressed if you take them off of her...

Rob, Thanks for the input. The breeder sent me a puppy that not only has tracheal collapse, but got hypoglycemia and almost died twice in the first handful of days I had him!! I of course had no idea what this was, but learned very quickly. Now, Biggie is worth a lot ( :) ), but after paying for a sick dog, and the shipping, it hurt to pay huge vet bills immediately.

I took Biggie to the vet today; he again gave me Temaril, which apparently is just a cough suppresant. I just need a paycheck or two, then I am going to get xrays for Biggie. The vet said they could then give us "narcotic-type" medicine....I sure hate the thought of him having to take meds forever....for both our sakes!!!

As for getting on the breeder...maybe I didn't look hard enough. I looked for about 4 months via the internet for a puppy before actually purchasing. I was looking for a small, older puppy, specifically so I would have a better chance of getting a healthy pup I thought!! I just feel like it is really useless to even ask the breeder for $$ back. I sure as heck will not be sending my puppy back :)

p.s. does anyone have an educated guess on what age it is that Yorkie's stop growing?

Sorry to hear blondy, hope Biggie can heal up! I hear that Yorkies usually are fully grown by the time they are 18 months. My Yoda (currently 22 months) has been the same size for about the past 6-7 months. He's just under 7 lbs. :)

What do you think about the theory of them doubling their 12wk. old weight?

Yes, I have heard that theory blondy. I believe Yoda was only about 2 or 2.5 lbs at 3 months tho, and he's like 7 now. But at one point we totally spoiled him with a bit of human food now and then and he ate a ton. So that might have made him a bit heavier. We were told by the breeder that he would be 4.5 to 5 lbs. We love our lil' Tubby just the same tho. :)

There is no doubt I love Biggie...Period. However, it would make me feel even more thoroughly ripped off by the breeder. Right now, the only thing that seems to be as the breeder told me is his small size. I love him being tiny and fitting right in the nook of my arm :) I do leave his food out constantly and he can eat whenever he wants.....I wouldn't know how much to feed him on a schedule, and I would be so scared of "starving" him to death :) :)

Still
 

Blondie..you still need to address the problem with the breeder...money back or not let them know that they sold you a sick pup...thats what over breeding does...thats natures way of saying ENOUGH!!! good luck with biggie or should i say "The Notorious B.I.G"? Hey the REAL BIGGIE woulda handled his bizzness wit da breeder...lol (shells flying everywhere) lol

Im not so sure about the weight thing..it depends on diet , exercise, and climate i suppose...I think mostly its hereditary ..i look at my pups dad...he is smaller and more compact...his mom is a whopper!...6.5 pounds...look at both parents and you will have a pretty good idea...(even though "tea cups" pop up now and then from normal parents) Jack SR is right under 5 pounds...JJ (jack Jr is 3.5 pounds now) Lex (the mom ) is 6.5 (needs to lose the baby pounds..lol)

How is Blondy doing? I hope he's okay, and am saddened to hear about your situation. Best wishes to you both!

I believe I read somewhere that the tiny Yorkies pretty much grow all they are going to by 10 months? Anyone?? Toto hasn't seemed to grow any in a month or so [she is 3 lbs.] and she will be 9 months in April. We really don't mind if she grows as big as a St. Bernard at this point ... we are so attached to her!! :p
Also, I am so sorry for the problems you are having with Biggie [he sounds like such a sweet baby]. We too searched for several months for our Yorkie and almost did what you did. My husband found a breeder in Dallas [has a really slick looking internet site!!] we had chosen the puppy that was exactly what we were looking for and he told us that she would be flown INSIDE THE CABIN to the airport closest to us since we didn't have time to go down to Dallas and pick her up. He told us that he had a deal with American Airlines to do this and even gave us a flight number! The same day we were going to wire him the money for the puppy we were so excited my husband called down to Lambert [St. Louis] to find out exactly where to meet the flight and American Airlines didn't have a clue what he was talking about!!! They told him that animals that were traveling alone would be placed in the baggage compartment!! We were mortified! He was furious and called the breeder and told him that if he lied about delivering the puppy he could also be lying about everything! We were heartbroken! He kept searching until he came up with our "angel" vet who just happens to be only 45 minutes from our home in Alabama and she referred us to our breeder in Marietta, GA! Toto is absolutely perfect so far and it makes me furious to hear what happened to you! There should be laws to protect innocent people from breeders like the one you dealt with! Please keep us informed on his progress and we will keep him and you in our prayers!

bettyanne: I've heard they are full grown at 18 months. But I think the growth slows down at about a year or so. So your Toto still has a bit to go. :)

You may be right ... I have read this also. If she ever hits 4 lbs. I know our breeder will be "singing the blues" because she was evaluated as "perfect show quality" except for her tiny statue! It has been an absolute joy to watch her mature from 1 lb. 5 oz. to the 3 lbs. where she is now! And these past five months have just flown by! Thank God for cameras!! ;)

First of all sorry to hear about your baby. I know how hard it is to see them ill. I love my guy so much that I still wake up in the middle of the night to check if he is breathing. He is two years old now. About the growth question, they reach full size at 6 or 7 months. The standard weight is between 3 to 7 pounds. If they exceed that weight they are considered "Silkies" . These guys are 8-12 pounds. If there are any other questions let me know, I'll give you whatever insight I have. We all know that a good, happy, and healthy Yorkies makes a happy owner! Keep us to date with Biggie's health.

Well Mr. Biggie will be 6 months old in 2 days; his health seems much better. After several bouts' with hypoglycemia at first, he seemed to almost 'outgrow' his weakness. His cough is still present, but seems a bit less frequent now. We are still working on potty training as I am probably not as diligent as I should be....I feel like I'm gone so much it's hard to be consistent. I am going to a potty training class in a couple of weeks at Petsmart; hopefully they will offer some good, new suggestions!! Biggie weighs a whopping 2lbs. 1ounce now; and crazily he seems so big when I look at tiny puppy pictures!!! I must need another one :) :)

Well good to hear blondy! If you are away a lot, I'm sure Mr. Biggie would enjoy some company! Good luck on potty training. It sometimes gets frustrating, but once they get it down, you'are all good to go! :)

So glad to hear Biggie is doing better!! Has your vet suggested giving him Nutri-Cal for the hypoglycemia? Our vet explained about the amount of calories these little ones need because they are so energetic and exhaust themselves. Also, Toto is such a picky eater [our fault] that she sometimes needs something to encourage her to eat. The Nutri-Cal [for veterinary use] is high in calories and full of vitamins and Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. They love the taste ... we give Toto about 2cc almost every day. Have you tried leaving him in an X-Pen with a wee-wee pad, bed and lots of toys and things that he loves when you have to leave him? We also leave Animal Planet on near Toto's pen and it kinda keeps her company but also cuts down on the noises heard from the outside that sometimes makes her jumpy.
Again, we are so happy to hear your baby is better!! :)

Silky Terriers are not big Yorkshire Terriers
 

A Yorkshire Terrier and a Silky Terrier are two different breeds of dog, with similarities AND differences, including weight. They look similar because the Silky Terrier was orinally bred from the Yorkshire Terrier!

Yorkies were originally bred in England from various types of terrier, including the Skye Terrier, Leeds Terrier and Maltese. At first, the Yorkie was a much bigger dog than today, but selective breeding of the smallest ones has shrunk them over the years.

The Silky Terrier was originally developed in 19th century Australia primarily from the Yorkshire Terrier and the Australian Terrier plus other terrier breeds such as the Skye and Cairn.

A Silky has a wedge shaped head (longer muzzle and flatter skull) while a Yorkie has a more dome shaped head and a shorter muzzle. A Silky is a little longer in the body than tall at the shoulders but a Yorkie is about the same length in the body as it is at the shoulder, giving it a more square shape.

One thing they both have in common though, is that they are loving and devoted companions!

Again
 

According to the SPCA, dogs (including yorkies) grow until they are a year old. As in humans there are exceptions, but the dog does not stop growing until a year, it may be a very small amount, but he does grow until then. They say that most humans quit growing at age 16, I grew the most between 16 and 21 (4 inches, which since I come from a family of munchkins was appreciated). No set rule, but on the whole, it takes a full year to achieve full growth.

hi i have had my wee jaz for 5 yrs he was 10 weeks old when we got him he has had a persistant cough for his hole life and seems to be getting worse over the passed few months after a visit to the vet and a steroid injection then antibiotics he seems a wee bit better but still does the coughy chokie gagging thing when he is excited i just joined the forum about half an hour ago and have had heaps of usefull info but i think his problem is a collapsing trachea as he did have kennel cough a few years ago and it cleared up with antibiotics and i used a baby cough bottle that my vet advised "tixilix" or just a simple linctus as it eases and lubricates the throat have you tried this? :animal36

An Xray is absolutely required, as are many other procedures. CT can vary greatly in it's degree and it requires an xray to find out how bad it is. Your pup might do fine with some lifestyle changes, medicine, or may require surgery. However this can't be known until some tests are performed to determine the degree of the problem.

I suggest seeing a vet who specialises in small dogs, or at least getting any vet's second opinion. There's lots of treatment options and the diagnosis of CT shoudl come with at the least, a degree. For example a 1st degree collapsed trachea can be treated with lifestyle changes. A third degree requires medicine ususally. A 5th degree is ultra serious and surgery might be called for.

Is it thoratic? I mean, how much of this dog's trachea, and which parts, have been collapsed? There's a lot of info you should be getting here.

Here's some things you can do to help:

Make sure he is WARM, especially in sleep. Try a heated crate and keep it on as much as possible.

Do you smoke? Cigarette smoke is TERRIBLE for CT pups. It inflames their throat and cuases more collapse episodes ( when he's honking like that ). I have a dog with CT and I had to start smoking exclusively out doors and as far from him as possible.

Has he been tested for other respitory problems? It's odd that your young dog is this problematic, and frankly it's a really bad sign. However sometimes young dogs with the soft trachea defect will have CT episodes when a second problem is there. Kennel Cough, Flu, Cold, and other such infections could be bringing this on. Unless he's had lots of bloodwork done to check for signs of an infection, and also some other tests for various other tracheal issues, then your diganosis is not complete and you need a better vet.

If all your vet did, was massage his trachea, hear him honk, and then say "Yeah, that's CT", then you need to go elsewhere. That's only enough to create a clinical impression and not enough for a usefull diagnosis.

If he's honking for an hour, the case sounds very severe and I shudder think what the poor pup is suffering.

Another thing I wanted to address was this:

There is no test for CT. There is no way to determine if a dog caries the defect until symptoms emerge. In most cases, symptoms will not emerge until the dog is already past breeding age. I have a thread in the breeder's forum on this site about this very problem. They are clueless as to how they can prevent the spread of this particular problem.

I have also spoken with the president of the YTCA, and the nice lady in charge of Yorkie Rescue and the Collapsing Trachea website. They all agree that untill more research is done, there is very little breeders can do to eliminate this defect. Most specialists see this as a polygenic disorder, which means that many different genes combined in a complex pattern of heredity create the weakened cartilege that leads to CT.

In this pups case, the Collapse might have been triggered simply by the stress and horror of being air shipped. The pressure differentials could be sufficient trauma on a small dog to lead to a collapse event. If this occurs in a place where the animal is upset, the CT cycle begins as the dog pants hard in stress, leading to more collapses, leading to more stress.

I would not be so fast to villify the breeder. Other than giving prospective breeding pairs a trachea massage to determing if a mild collapse symptom is allready present, there is nothing they can do. Retrospective reporting of symtomatic dogs is being considered, but there is no official guideline or understanding of how to breed this out.

Research is being done to identify ways to test for the defect before a collapse occurs, but this is not yet available.

Estimates of the propagation of this defect in the yorkie breed range from 20 to 100 percent. This is the reason that we often use harnesses instead of collars. It's not, as I have often read "because their small tracheas are so delicate", but because we don't know if a given pup may cary the defect or not until it's already developed a collapse. We use harnesses and halti's as a "just in case this dog has the defect" measure, hoping to reduce the stress and trauma on the trachea, to prevent a CT episode.

I hope this helps.

Here's the thread where I discussed this with the breeders, and my sources for this info:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18164

Blondy 50, I just want to tell you about my experience with bad cough, because I know how you feel right now. My Yorkie -baby girl had a terrible cough all the time for 4-5 month, since the time I bough her. Very often cough was at night (non stop). I spend so much money for vet. Visits, medication, chest X-ray , CT scan, antibiotics and treatments. My poor little girl was taken a LOT of all different kind of antibiotics and cough medicine but nothing was helpful. I was sure that it was Collapsed Trachea before we did CT scan (found no Collapsed Trachea) but my baby was dying of that cough. Cough was getting worst she was in the hospital for 3 days, getting medications, IV therapy, some kind of treatment, she was not eating, not drinking just coughing and coughing …
I want to tell you that saved her life, because I’m sure this is a good advice for you maybe for somebody else too. One of the vet. Doctor told me this cure that’s really helped. Nebulizer with Gentamicin (liquid antibiotic for inhale) and Albuterol- bronchodilators. What I did is I found a empty plastic box (any grocery or other store or even at the garbage ) then I wrapped it with a clear wrapping paper (I could see my baby inside) and put it up side down to stay my baby inside (to make a small closed area) Then made a hole in plastic just to put in the end of nebulizador (for steam medication to go in) and I was giving this nebulizer treatment for 15-20 min twice a day for 10 days. On 3rd or 4th day my baby stopped coughing at all, but I continued giving her this treatment for 10 days (all together) . Believe me it works because I went through everything and this is really helped. I even bought nebulizer machine because it was cheaper then go to the vet twice a day for 10 days. You can ask your friends and borrow nebulizer machine for 10 days, I’m sure somebody should have it. Then you need to buy only Gentamicin antibiotic liquid it comes in syringe 2,5ml, but not for injections, for nebulizer-inhaler, so your baby will inhale it and it will come directly into his lungs. And Albuterol for nebulizer also. I remember I paid 20$ for 20 dozes of Gentamicin in vet clinic.
Blondy if you live in New York, I can give you my nebulizer machine to borrow and I even have few vials of Albuterol left I can give you. I also made a picture of box how it looked and my yorkie girl was inside getting treatment just for you to have an idea . I’m sure it will help. One of my friend had same problem with his dogs and he did exactly like I told him and it’s also helped him too. And also I remember that vet Doctor said that immunization for Kennel Cough not supposed to be given if the dog already have a cough at that time, even a little, because it will make the cough worst. I don’t know how about you, but this is exactly what was happened with us, I thought immunization will prevent, but my god was getting worst and worst after immunization because she already had a cough at that time.
O.K. Good luck to you and I wish your poor baby will get well soon!
http://foto.radikal.ru/0509/6a22eba02ca2.jpg
http://foto.radikal.ru/0509/cef9d29d981c.jpg

:aimeeyork
Hey
Just be careful your little doll doesn't have that canine flu that is going around. It supposedly mimics kennel cough. Look into this please!

Yikes...I wouldn't go with such a detailed treatment without a vet's O.K. The most important thing, I think, would be to get a Vet's official diagnoses and professional treatment. I wouldn't take prescription medicine from one kid and give it to the parents of another because the symptoms seemed similar, I wouldn't do that with a dog either.