Had to take my pup into the vet yesterday because she was coughing her brains out all night long. The vet says it looks like she has an infection in her trachea (she has a fever, throat is red and irritated) and gives her some antibiotics and codeine to help the cough. He said her chest sounds fine - he doesn't think there's anything deeper like pneumonia. I come home to reasearch tracheal problems and really the only that thing that comes up is tracheal collapse so now of course I am worrying she's got that. It gets worse when she gets excited, she is obese and though I'm not sure she is a toy breed I think she is at least part cocker spaniel (pound puppy so who knows really). Also when the vet was checking her he made her start coughing my pressing on her throat. From what I can tell it sounds like they classify this as a disease so I'm wondering if anyone has dealth with this - is it something a dog will be on medication for forever? She is already on a diet but I'm wondering if maybe she needs to be on a more severe diet for the moment to drop weight more quickly. She can't exercise or it will just make the cough act up. I am probably worrying for no reason but just wanted to hear if anyone has dealth with this at all?
Canine Tracheal Collapse
- Thread starter buzzytoes
- Start date
Sounds like it is only a throat infection like when people get Strep Throat. My Greyhound Kelsey had a coughing problem a couple of years ago. She would have this dry cough off and on. The vet also made her cough by pressing on her throat. He gave her some meds and it cleared up in a few day. I would call your vet tomorrow and ask him about what you found. I do the same thing you do, I do research right away when something is wrong with my fur kids. I always call my vet and ask her about what I found. Sometimes it helps or at least doesn't hurt. Call for your piece of mind but try not to worry. If her lungs and chest sound clear it is probably just a simple infection. I hope she is feeling better soon.
Thanks! Our other dog had the same cough about nine months ago but not nearly as long or severe. I never even took her to the vet because it went away in about two days. It's only been a day and she is not better so I am worrying. Silly but I am always a worrier when it comes to my pets!
You are her mommy, it's your job to worry. I have the exact same reaction. I was just reading about Tracheal Collapse and it would seem the vet should be able to diagnose that just by listening to the dog breathe. Do you trust your vet? If so I would worry even less. Also it takes at least 48 hours and most of the time more than that for antibiotics to kick in. Keep an eye on her but try not to panic. She will probably be good as new in a couple of days.
I do to an extent but not as much when it comes to anything outside the basic diagnosis. We live in a very small town so the pickings are slim here. If she is not better this week I will probably take her down to an Animal Hospital about 2.5 hours away from us. I absolutely
them and wish they were close enough to be our regular vet.
OP-
Tracheal collapse is notoriously difficult to diagnose...even with radiographs (x-rays) the condition can be missed. People have attempted surguries, but no great "fix" has ever been accomplished. While TC is often a toy problem, we do see it in smaller breeds as well-especially ones carrying extra weight! Once the wight is controlled, some animals do well without meds, some with episodic meds, and others on continuous medication. Please find a vet who you trust, and who can explain all this in person!
Tracheal collapse is notoriously difficult to diagnose...even with radiographs (x-rays) the condition can be missed. People have attempted surguries, but no great "fix" has ever been accomplished. While TC is often a toy problem, we do see it in smaller breeds as well-especially ones carrying extra weight! Once the wight is controlled, some animals do well without meds, some with episodic meds, and others on continuous medication. Please find a vet who you trust, and who can explain all this in person!
I had a dog with a collapsing trachea! She was my ex-dog, meaning I lost her in the divorce
Loved that dog Anyway, I'm not a vet by any means, but I can tell you what we experienced. We got the dog from a breeder that we later learned was not a good one, and she was a schnorkie (schnauzer/yorkie combo). She would have this hacking cough at random times, she could be running around and exerting herself, or she could be just sitting there. The vet told us it was an involuntary reaction, so it didn't really correlate with any particular activity.
Like lizavet8 said, it is a very difficult condition to diagnose, because you can only capture it on an x-ray the moment the cough is happening. He said we could have a study done where they put a tiny camera down her throat and wait for it to happen, but that was very expensive, so we didn't do it. His diagnosis was based on the sound of the cough, and the fact that she didn't have any other symptoms.
Our vet told us there was no medication that would effectively control it. We tried a couple different things, but they didn't work. He said the condition was uncomfortable, but not life-threatening at all. We could have had a stent put in her throat to keep it from collapsing, but I don't know if my ex ended up doing that or not. We felt bad for her when she coughed, and we would massage her throat and comfort her. She always popped right back up like it was nothing though.
I'm not sure if this is the problem your dog has or not, but I would keep track of when the cough is happening and what brings it on- i.e. random or associated with other illness symptoms.
Loved that dog Anyway, I'm not a vet by any means, but I can tell you what we experienced. We got the dog from a breeder that we later learned was not a good one, and she was a schnorkie (schnauzer/yorkie combo). She would have this hacking cough at random times, she could be running around and exerting herself, or she could be just sitting there. The vet told us it was an involuntary reaction, so it didn't really correlate with any particular activity.Like lizavet8 said, it is a very difficult condition to diagnose, because you can only capture it on an x-ray the moment the cough is happening. He said we could have a study done where they put a tiny camera down her throat and wait for it to happen, but that was very expensive, so we didn't do it. His diagnosis was based on the sound of the cough, and the fact that she didn't have any other symptoms.
Our vet told us there was no medication that would effectively control it. We tried a couple different things, but they didn't work. He said the condition was uncomfortable, but not life-threatening at all. We could have had a stent put in her throat to keep it from collapsing, but I don't know if my ex ended up doing that or not. We felt bad for her when she coughed, and we would massage her throat and comfort her. She always popped right back up like it was nothing though.
I'm not sure if this is the problem your dog has or not, but I would keep track of when the cough is happening and what brings it on- i.e. random or associated with other illness symptoms.
I had a dog with a collapsing trachea! She was my ex-dog, meaning I lost her in the divorce
Like lizavet8 said, it is a very difficult condition to diagnose, because you can only capture it on an x-ray the moment the cough is happening. He said we could have a study done where they put a tiny camera down her throat and wait for it to happen, but that was very expensive, so we didn't do it. His diagnosis was based on the sound of the cough, and the fact that she didn't have any other symptoms.
Our vet told us there was no medication that would effectively control it. We tried a couple different things, but they didn't work. He said the condition was uncomfortable, but not life-threatening at all. We could have had a stent put in her throat to keep it from collapsing, but I don't know if my ex ended up doing that or not. We felt bad for her when she coughed, and we would massage her throat and comfort her. She always popped right back up like it was nothing though.
I'm not sure if this is the problem your dog has or not, but I would keep track of when the cough is happening and what brings it on- i.e. random or associated with other illness symptoms.
Well that makes me feel a lot better!!! She coughed a lot again last night and this morning so if she doesn't get better today I will probably take her in again tomorrow. It definitely comes up the minute she gets excited but it's also been happening at random times as well. If I take her back in I will ask my regular vet about the possibility of tracheal collapse and go from there. She is currently eating Rachel Ray's dog food at the reccommended amount for the weight she should be. I used to just scoop out a bowl and feed them but obviously I was overfeeding since she is a chunk. They're used to eating much better quality food as well but they're are going to have to settle for grocery store dog food due to budget reasons.