# Anyone have a Standard w/ a collapsed Trachea?



## 2boodles (Aug 1, 2020)

From reading I'm pretty sure this is what he's got. He's 9 1/2. Are there others whose standards have this? I see that it's most common in minis. What made me pretty sure was last night when he strained on his leash/collar he started that honking cough. We will go to the vet but would like to treat it naturally and see what happens. Other than him coughing a several times through the day he's got good energy and appetite. If it's unheard of in standards we'll go back to the drawing board. Thanks so much!


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## FloofyPoodle (May 12, 2020)

I haven’t heard of a standard with a collapsing trachea, but it certainly happens in all kinds of dogs. I believe I’ve seen a vet on YouTube use a Labrador as a demonstration dog before. I’ll see if I can find the video.
In the meantime, here’s a video by a vet on the disease.

Edit: added another video from a vet on how to care for it.

Also, here is the video I was thinking of. Not a Labrador as I thought, but still a large dog.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I would have it x-rayed and go from there. That's how our mini's was diagnosed.

Hope you'll keep us posted!


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

This might be something you should run past your vet. My boy Snarky had a heart murmur. My vet told me to monitor for coughing and came in immediately if I noticed any. An enlarged heart pushing against the trachea or a fluid buildup could both trigger coughing.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

It is not common in standards and is most common in toys. But it can happen to any dog. Another breathing issue more commonly seen in large dogs is laryngeal paralysis. Not sure if that could be an option.


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## 2boodles (Aug 1, 2020)

FloofyPoodle said:


> I haven’t heard of a standard with a collapsing trachea, but it certainly happens in all kinds of dogs. I believe I’ve seen a vet on YouTube use a Labrador as a demonstration dog before. I’ll see if I can find the video.
> In the meantime, here’s a video by a vet on the disease.
> 
> Edit: added another video from a vet on how to care for it.
> ...


Thanks for this video. It made clear that while it could be something all on its own it also could be a symptom of a heart problem so I guess there's no way around doing an x-ray which means anesthesia bc no way is he going to lie on his back just for fun. sigh. Thanks!


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## 2boodles (Aug 1, 2020)

PeggyTheParti said:


> I would have it x-rayed and go from there. That's how our mini's was diagnosed.
> 
> Hope you'll keep us posted!


Yes that's what I'm going to do. Thanks!


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## 2boodles (Aug 1, 2020)

Thanks all for your replies. I'd hoped we might deal w/ it naturally but I see there's no way to know if it's its own issue or a symptom of something else. We'll be taking him in for an x-ray possibly Tuesday.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Good luck.


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## HannahMarieJ (Jun 23, 2020)

Our toy had a collapsing trachea and it really didn't impact him during his life except for the occasional coughing. The vet always told us that he would likely pass away from any number of things before the collapsing trachea would be a real issue (which is what happened). Good luck!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

2boodles said:


> Thanks all for your replies. I'd hoped we might deal w/ it naturally but I see there's no way to know if it's its own issue or a symptom of something else. We'll be taking him in for an x-ray possibly Tuesday.


I know it stinks.  I hated putting my last girl through any sort of test. But once those diagnostics are done, you're better equipped to explore your options. 

Good luck and let us know what you find out!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

HannahMarieJ said:


> Our toy had a collapsing trachea and it really didn't impact him during his life except for the occasional coughing. The vet always told us that he would likely pass away from any number of things before the collapsing trachea would be a real issue (which is what happened). Good luck!


This is similar to what happened with our last girl (half minipoo) but the symptoms of her damaged trachea ended up overlapping with those of an undiagnosed heart condition, as mentioned above. 

For a long time we assumed it was "just" her trachea, and because she showed none of the emergency signs of a tracheal collapse that our vet told us to watch out for, we didn't pursue further treatment or diagnosis until she was in heart failure. Still stings. It can be extremely tricky, managing the health of our senior companions.


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