Have searched the forum, looking 4 f/u on tracheal collapse (shih tzu, vet)

[SunsetBeachFL]

One of our female mixed rescues had the x-rays today after "honking" for a day, severely collapsed trachea, 16 approx. years old so too old for the surgery plus some lung issues.

She is on the appropriate meds as a band-aid as of today, no cure, of course.

After searching through posts, threads and other forums, I cannot determine what I need to do.

If you've been through this, when did you know? Vet says to keep checking her gums and tongue for purple/blue-ish; but if she is calm, she is okay; but if she gets excited, then excessive panting and honking.

When do you know? I won't permit her to die in this state, but has anyone been through this?

Her eyes are telling me something that I refuse to accept, yet her tail is wagging and she is eating and drinking (hand-fed and water vessel delivered to her and is carried out for business). She is enjoying her belly rubs and is smiling.

Thanks a bunch for reading my post about Lucky.... my first and most beloved out of all the pack.

[ZSP]

While I don't have any personal experience with this condition, I have three brachycephalic dogs who are prone to this condition and it's a hard one to deal with. In case you want to do more reading, here's an excellent link from a trusted website.

Tracheal Collapse

I'm so sorry you have a pup dealing with this condition. I'll be keeping her in my prayers and that you'll know when the time is right for the inevitable decision to be made.

[SunsetBeachFL]

Thanks very much. That was one of the first sites that came up in my search for the right thing to do. Excellent link and I've probably spent 10 hours today searching around.

This forum has been my "go to" for awhile, so again, much appreciated.

[zugor]

There was a thread about this condition recently:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/dogs/...r-morning.html

[SunsetBeachFL]

Zugor, thanks for the thread.

I guess I should feel fortunate that my girl doesn't have laryngeal paralysis; so at least I know we'll be riding it out with the meds and see what happens. I realize this is manageable for a period of time, just not sure how long that will be at her age.

And after a sleepless night of surfing for more information, I've deduced that nobody has a good idea of what kind of time frame we'll be faced with.

[Va-Cat]

Originally Posted by SunsetBeachFL

Zugor, thanks for the thread.

I guess I should feel fortunate that my girl doesn't have laryngeal paralysis; so at least I know we'll be riding it out with the meds and see what happens. I realize this is manageable for a period of time, just not sure how long that will be at her age.

And after a sleepless night of surfing for more information, I've deduced that nobody has a good idea of what kind of time frame we'll be faced with.

I'm the OP on the thread about Gator. You are correct that laryngeal paralysis and tracheal collapse are completely different conditions but unfortunately during an episode the result is the same - a dog that cannot breath. From what I know about it, the best preventive measure you can do is to keep your girl as calm as possible. Unfortunately at 16 further degeneration could be quite rapid. Have you asked your vet these questions? They would be in a much better position to give you an estimate since they have the test results and your dog for examination.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by SunsetBeachFL

One of our female mixed rescues had the x-rays today after "honking" for a day, severely collapsed trachea, 16 approx. years old so too old for the surgery plus some lung issues.

She is on the appropriate meds as a band-aid as of today, no cure, of course.

After searching through posts, threads and other forums, I cannot determine what I need to do.

If you've been through this, when did you know? Vet says to keep checking her gums and tongue for purple/blue-ish; but if she is calm, she is okay; but if she gets excited, then excessive panting and honking.

When do you know? I won't permit her to die in this state, but has anyone been through this?

Her eyes are telling me something that I refuse to accept, yet her tail is wagging and she is eating and drinking (hand-fed and water vessel delivered to her and is carried out for business). She is enjoying her belly rubs and is smiling.

Thanks a bunch for reading my post about Lucky.... my first and most beloved out of all the pack.

What size is the dog? This is a new development and not something that's been going on for a while?

[mrs1885]

Depending on how severe it is, it may need no treatment. Our daughter's chi has the same thing. His is in an area where the vet said it's very difficult to operate on and the chances of success are very slim. However, he said he's not seeing that it's so severe that he'd have even recommended treatment anyway. There is a medication he said would could put him on, and we did for a month, but there was so little change we decided (with his consent) to just go without medication. He has episodes once or twice a day and then goes on like nothing happened.

[barndog]

sunset -- so sorry, it's a terrible condition. short answer, from my perspective. i have a 14-year old shih tzu who i *believe* has this condition. it only manifests however, if he vomits. in that case, he wheezes and gasps and, if you leave him alone, eventually, his tongue and gums turn blue, and he's never able to catch his breath on his own.

for this reason, he's never left alone. when he vomits, i let him finish and then hold him and administer a modified version of cpr, including breathing in and out of his nose and rubbing his throat.

it actually sounds quite horrible, and it is in the moment. luckily, the moments don't occur that often, otherwise it would become a quality of life issue for him.

he first developed this in spring 2006, so he's been living with it for almost five years.

unfortunately, i don't have any answers for you in your case, especially with the severity that your girl is currently showing. the only thing i can say for sure is that with a less severe case they can live with it for a long time if you have the ability to adjust your lifestyle to monitor them.

don't know if this helps... but i hope she improves, and soon!

[SunsetBeachFL]

Originally Posted by Va-Cat

I'm the OP on the thread about Gator. You are correct that laryngeal paralysis and tracheal collapse are completely different conditions but unfortunately during an episode the result is the same - a dog that cannot breath. From what I know about it, the best preventive measure you can do is to keep your girl as calm as possible. Unfortunately at 16 further degeneration could be quite rapid. Have you asked your vet these questions? They would be in a much better position to give you an estimate since they have the test results and your dog for examination.

Yes, I spoke w/the vet and he said don't bother continuing her vaccinations and just let her eat treats.

I can't let her die like that; so hence my post... how long? I just don't know but I can report the meds are working at a remarkably fast pace. More quickly than I thought. But I think I need to read in between the lines on the vet's advice of by-passing vaccs. and he also said, "no need to put her through a grooming session". So right now, just meds, treats, attention and I carry her out for her business and carry her back in.

With 3 others in the house, it is sometimes difficult to keep her calm as they bark at birds, bees, anything that moves. Sometimes she helps to investigate, but with impaired hearing and cataracts, she is not very interested anymore.

Oh these tricky creatures that bring so much happiness, vibrance and love and as the "parent", I can never adequately reciprocate the amount of love and compassion that she has given me. But will continue to try as I monitor her condition.... darn, I wish they could actually speak instead of talking with their eyes.

thanks all, helicopter Mom