Good to know, but it is just odd that the pneumonia was diagnosed right after the trachial wash in 2 cases. I don't think the vets were trying to rip anyone off though.

Just like in humans vets have to try and figure out what is going on with the dog and as you can see this is why they would do a wash.

Indications:

Diagnostic chronic respiratory tract disorders: of undefined etiology
that fail to respond to symptomatic therapy
those with primary parenchymal disease
Can obtain material from the tracheal and bronchial lumens for cytologic and microbiologic evaluations
Avoids contamination of samples with oral flora and tissue

The vets don't always tell people everything they are thinking/hearing but it would appear in this case the vet realized the dog was not responding to normal therapy and fluid was already forming in the lungs (small amount) which is pneumonia.

Don't mis-understand, I guess my comment was to the other poster who just said she would take her dog home and I was saying this is one method vets use to try and figure out what is going on with the dog. I think we all need to question and do our own research but none of us went to vet school for 8 years (I think it is 8 years?) and do not fully understand the medical field. We are not trained but we certainly can do research on the internet - which I think is fabulous.

OK, Maybe you're right! About this procedure, but I think that it is quite a coincidence that two yorkies have had complications after this and I don't think they had enough evidence that there was a failure to respond to symptomatic therapy . I also know it is a business like everything else and we all know how the medical field has gotten so out of hand, atleast in humans. Maybe it's not the same in Veterinary field yet but it could very easily go in the same direction if we don't keep them in check and allow it to happen. I talk to several people that complain that the larger Veterinarian's that are a chain of sort always try to push extra's on people. I have my doubts along with others, that it isn't turning into just another "Big Business" I also know two woman that work for Vets and they said they are told to push "Extras" to bring in more revenue.
I just hope all turns out Well for these little Furbabies
Key2Yorkies ~ Jan

OK, I haven't been to the site for a little bit, but i have to admit my heart sunk when I saw someone had responded to this thread =( What is very strange about this whole occurence is that we just came up on the one year anniversary of this whole ideal. I really hope that Chewi can pull through this, you need to keep positive and I the one thing I would recommend is spending as much time as possible with him at the vet.I am convinced that one of the reasons our Chewy passed away was because the vet would only let us see him for short periods of time. Whenever we were around him he always improved a little bit, and he had become so attached to us part of me feels that he would think we had left him and that would effect his fight against the disease.

With regards to the tracheal wash. I am not sure I disagree with the fact that it can be a useful tool to locate the cause of the disease. However, my biggest concern in our case was the fact that our Chewy had only been on medicine for one week and other than a cough he was acting perfectly normal. Then we take him into the vet in the morning and they do the procedure and he wakes up and he is literally on his death bed.

I know I havent been in veterinarian school for 8 years, but common sense leads me to think that it would be odd to perform a procedure where you send a tube through the are you KNOW is infected (the dogs throat) into the lungs (which is a place you don't know if infected). Then you shoot water in there which is a great breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. On top of that you need to sedate the dog, which only leads to additional weaking of the immune system.

Please keep us updated on your Chewi, and think positive that is the only way things can get better!

Ladies - I agree tracheal wash in my opinion should be a last resort and I also agree large vet clinic's (which I won't use) could be pushing un-needed procedures. When I first responded it was with the thinking of my vet (who I highly respect) and if she felt it was needed. I just think it is important to look at all avenues and do are own research even if you have a highly respected vet.

Had never heard of a tracheal wash so I searched and came up with this:

Indications:

Diagnostic chronic respiratory tract disorders:
of undefined etiology
that fail to respond to symptomatic therapy
those with primary parenchymal disease
Can obtain material from the tracheal and bronchial lumens for cytologic and microbiologic evaluations
Avoids contamination of samples with oral flora and tissue

Complications:

Aggravation of respiratory compromise - Patient selection is important. Since this technique may produce some morbidity, it should only be used for patients with the indications listed above.
Small dogs and cats should be considered to be high risk group. Their size makes adequate restraint a problem.
Subcutaneous emphysema
Mediastinal emphysema
Hematoma at needle puncture site
Rare complications:
Atrial fibrillation
Acute bradycardia
Cardiopulmonary arrest
Aspiration pneumonia
Transient hemoptysis
Infection along the needle tract

Sounds like the treatment was unnecessary. Kennel coughs comes in various forms, viral and bacterial. Even though they believe it to be a viral form they use antibiotics to prevent secondary pneumonia. Everything I have read says the dogs immune system must overcome it on its own so I am for boosting the immune system with Vitamin C and Echinacea.

Yeah, what sucks about the whole things is that veterinarians will all claim that this procedure is "completely safe". We paid $2500 on lawyer bills and our only recourse would have been a full fledged trial which would cost another $5000 - $6000 it was very difficult to handle =(

I am so sorry to hear your little one isn\'t well. Could you maybe bring him to another vet...Here in Mass we have an emergency Center where people usually bring their pets when the vets have tried everything and nothing is working...It isn\'t cheap but they have saved alot of animals.

I just wanted to let you know I will keep all of you in my prayers.