Collapsing Trachea in Dogs

[smilez_n_hugs]

I am having a heck of a time finding any decent information on this issue and haven't found a dog forum I feel I can trust. Since I know many of you are dog lovers as well I figured I might as well ask.

My pomeranian chihuahua, Harley (4 years old) started coughing and hacking to the point of almost puking this past spring (when I was in the NWT). I was able to speak with my vet about the issue and she said it sounded like a collapsing trachea which is common in both his breeds. He was given an antibiotic and a cough suppressant to get it back under control because irritation makes it worse and he has been fine until a couple weeks ago. I'm starting to think now that he was fine all summer because it was a more humid environment. We are in Northern Manitoba so the cold air and dry heat in the house is not helping him at all. In addition to the coughing he has breathing fits that sound like he is hyperventilating. He has never passed out from these fits. From what I've read I know collapsing trachea gets much worse but I am trying to stay ahead of it and prevent surgery if at all possible.

I have gotten a humidifier and ordered some cartilage builder from the local vet. The major question I have is is this actually a collapsing trachea? He displays most of the signs but without invasive testing (which I don't feel he is severe enough to put him through) I am wondering if there is any way to know. I have also read about something called reverse sneezing so now I really don't know.

My thoughts are any homeopathic/supplement remedies are not going to hurt regardless of what he has so I'm looking for solutions along those lines.

My other problem is my vet who knows the situation is on maternity leave so I am unable to correspond with her right now and get her to look into it any further. But if I had an exact medication the clinic would order it for me. We will be going to our regular vet clinic when we are in Ontario for Christmas but I am trying to go in prepared and know what I want (if possible).

So if anyone has dealt with this or knows someone who has dealt with it I would appreciate any suggestions.

I am working on compiling some videos and can post them if anyone is interested.

 

[jorats]

Well that sounds incredibly scary. Did they do an X-ray to check the trachea?
I'd like to see that video.

 

[murphyrat]

I suggest that you take my comments with a grain of salt, as I am not a qualified veterinarian at all. I have been shadowing with a veterinarian whom is absolutely wonderful for the past year. During this time I have heard her give the same speech to owners with dogs that have collapsing trachea numerous times. When you say your dog is hacking almost to the point of vomiting, is he hacking up a kind of white foamy substance? One way that you can help to tell if it is indeed collapsing trachea is if you can manipulate the area around the front of the throat and cause the coughing/hacking to occur. For owners of dogs with these issues she does generally prescribe muscle relaxers to help alleviate the problem, and also suggest that owners elevate their dog's bowls in order to alleviate stress on the muscles around the area, as well as using dog harnesses instead of collars. For this issue she never recommends surgery, because the issue is not one that is life threatening, and the surgery is very invasive and difficult on the dog. The issue is due to spasms of the muscles surrounding the vocal cords, hence why the muscle relaxers are helpful. This is an aggravating issue to dogs, kind of like a tickle in your throat, but not at all life threatening. The fact that you said it was better in the summer doesn't point to allergies, but she also always points out that irritation from environmental allergies can aggravate the issue immensely.

 

[jorats]

murphyrat's reply reminded me of the time I brought my bichon to the vet about a funny weird cough, snorting he was doing. The vet did manipulate the trachea and couldn't get a cough so it was decided it was not a collapsing trachea for Jasper. But what it ended up being was reverse sneezing. He gets this on occasion, during extreme excitement and anytime there's pressure on his chest, like him pulling while on his harness/leash.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Well that sounds incredibly scary. Did they do an X-ray to check the trachea?
I'd like to see that video.

Thanks for the replies!

No xray yet because it wasn't a big issue over the summer and according to the vet and the internet it is hard to see on an xray because it isn't always collapsed (if that makes sense).

This is the first time I have heard about manipulating the trachea but trying to walk him with a collar and leash cause him to cough so I am guessing it would be the same. I am going to test in tonight though.

When he coughs there is occasionally white foam but not always. What does the foam mean?

I was also under the impression that in some cases the cartilage in the trachea can become so flexible that it will completely collapse thus needing surgery to put rings in to hold the trachea open. I hadn't really considered that it had to do with muscle spasms. This is the way it was explained to me https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/tracheal-collapse

I will post the video when I get home.

 

[marissaceleste]

Definitely get a harness instead of a collar. It puts a lot of stress on their throats if they pull, which can make the problem much worse. I walk my dogs on harnesses always, regardless of if they have a breathing issue or not.. They do wear collars with their IDs on them, but I always attach the leash to their harness.

Collapsing trachea is definitely a possibility.. I thought my pomeranian had it, as he would occasionally get that honking cough, but it seems to have gone away for the most part.. it still happens to him, but rarely. If he ever does have one of these episodes, I just get him to stop whatever he's doing and stroke him gently to help soothe him.. after maybe 10-15 seconds he usually settles down and it stops and he doesn't really seem to be bothered by it.. I've spoken with my vet about it but he's never received any sort of treatment for it as I don't think he needs it.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Marissa that sounds a lot like Harley. He really doesn't seem to care and picking him up and talking calmly to him stop it.

And so I tried manipulating his trachea and there was no coughing (he just looked at me like I was a weirdo) so I am even more confused.

Here is the video....note he burped at the end which is why the heavy breathing stopped. This was a more mild 'fit', usually there is a bit of snorting involved so there will be more videos to follow as I am trying to gather a bunch to show the vet.



I am leaning towards that being reverse sneezing. I will try to get a video of the coughing.

And just because here's Har!