# Collapsing Trachea



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

My little dog was just diagnosed with collapsing trachea after a x-ray. I had thought he had a GI issue but it looks like phlegm coming up. The doctor said that most dogs don't require surgery and Happy is a 6 years old right around the cut off age for successful Trachea surgeries. Our vet gave us anti-biotics because of upper respiratory issues and some cough suppressants. I read online they are common in toy poodles. Does anyone have experience with this?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

No experience, but I am sorry to see your little one has this problem. I can only say I guess no collar with leash, but instead a harness that doesn't sit high onto his neck.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Thank you Catherine. I've been using a harness since I adopted him because I heard that about small dogs before. One of the best ways to manage collapsed trachea is weight loss according to the vet. Other than that it is mainly caused by bad genes. He is 7.6 lbs today and overweight because you can't feel his rib cage anymore. He is a very small for Pomeranians. I don't think I am feeding him very much but he isn't losing any weight. Currently, he is on Acana Wild Atlantic. I feed him more at night. I wonder if night feedings cause greater weight gain.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I would think that more calories at night might be stored on board rather than burned as fuel. Try giving a little less food by reducing the size of the evening meal maybe.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

(((HUGS))) - poor Happy and poor you for having to deal with this and manage his lifestyle. 

Have you considered looking for a lower fat diet so his tummy will be as full, but less calories? So many of the dog foods sold today are high fat.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

Sorry to hear that, my Bella has the same problem, she coughs a lot especially if she tries to play or gets excited.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

snow0160 said:


> Thank you Catherine. I've been using a harness since I adopted him because I heard that about small dogs before. One of the best ways to manage collapsed trachea is weight loss according to the vet. Other than that it is mainly caused by bad genes. He is 7.6 lbs today and overweight because you can't feel his rib cage anymore. He is a very small for Pomeranians. I don't think I am feeding him very much but he isn't losing any weight. Currently, he is on Acana Wild Atlantic. I feed him more at night. I wonder if night feedings cause greater weight gain.


The Pomeranian standard calls for a dog 3 to 7 pounds. Your Pom is at the very high end on size.

I recommend the American Pomeranian Club website; it's very good.

Ought this be in Other Animals perhaps?

Not the case for all, but both lines in the Champion range are much too rich for my dog. Seems like it's a better food for larger dogs maybe? Might consider trying something more moderate maybe?


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Streetcar said:


> The Pomeranian standard calls for a dog 3 to 7 pounds. Your Pom is at the very high end on size.
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I was hoping someone with toy poodles have experience with collapsed trachea. Can you migrate a thread? Has anyone gotten surgery? 
Why is collapsing trachea common in toy poodles but not standard poodles. It seems only to affect small breeds. Are toy and standard anatomically different? 


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

I get it now and understand why you put it here.

Here is some good info: https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/tracheal-collapse

Tracheal Collapse / Collapsing Trachea in Dogs


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Tracheal collapse is common in Toy Poodles, Yorkies and Pomeranians. My mom's dog a cocker spaniel poodle cross Smokey was diagnosed with Tracheal collapse around 5~6 yrs of age, mind you this was about 20+ years ago, other than switching him to a harness and him being a honky sounding dog when he got excited he lived to the ripe old age of 15. 
Both my pups Bea and Pia are prone to Tracheal irritation, so they both wear harnesses.

I know nothing of the surgery, other than what I read, basically the links that Streetcar provided.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Atticus has had a collapsed trachea for the past few years. He's only 4.5 pounds and I have always used a harness for him and he has always been a healthy weight so I am not sure how it happened. 

He acts completely normal but he coughs when he gets excited or plays rough. It doesn't seem to have negative effects on him and he lives completely normal despite it. I just use a harness that doesn't sit too high up on his chest/throat and he is good to go. 

I have seen quite a few poms and yorkies with collapsed tracheas (I'm a dog groomer) and they sounded much worse than Atticus...more like they were honking and had a hard time breathing (Ive seen some tongues turn a little purple) vs a quiet cough here and there that he has.

Unless it gets really bad, and he is honking and wheezing non stop, I would avoid surgery. They can live totally normal lives with a collapsed trachea . He will probably sound better once his upper respiratory infection clears up.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Hm.. now that I am reading all of this I feel much better knowing collapsed trachea is something they can live with. Happy's condition got pretty severe bc he is foaming at the mouth following nonstop honking. He has an upper respiratory infection according to the vet and is aggravated by collapsed trachea. Orlando finally got cold this week (32 degrees this morning) and I wonder if it was caused by that. I put a snowsuit on him today lol










I don't know if my pug also has it because she also does the honking when she gets excited. Both little dogs are rescues so I have no idea what their pedigree is like. I gotta be honest, the best bred pet I have is the daughter of two grand champion Persian show cats and she has zero health problems, doesn't shed, and is hyper intelligent. It seems like selective and responsible breeding really does minimize a lot of health issues. 


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