When should my dog get surgery for collapsed trachea & what are risks?

Question

When should surgery be considered for a dog with collapsed trachea and what are the surgical methods and treatments used? Risks for methods used?

Eryn Taormina, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there. I'm so sorry to hear about your dog's troubles. Collapsing trachea can be a very frustrating condition. The therapies used can also be hit or miss as far as their efficacy. They may help very much, just a little bit, and sometimes not at all. The surgical procedure can be considered at any time honestly. I would however, make sure any and all other conditions causing chronic cough have been ruled out. This can be anything from infection to allergy to a heart condition and then some. When you're ready to consider the procedure, it will likely have to be done at a specialty hospital. Normally you'd first go for a consult to discuss the option. They will discuss the procedure in detail, recovery period and what to expect, and also the pros and cons of the surgery. Some downsides to the surgery can be how invasive and time consuming it is. This can create a prolonged period of anesthesia for the pet, which always comes with risks. There is also the potential for nerve and blood vessel damage to the area, as well as increased likelihood of chronic inflammation due to the sutures placement. The specialty center may want to confirm your pet has this condition doing additional tests prior to the procedure due to how invasive it is. I personally don't really recommend the surgery, but choose to manage the symptoms to help the pet be more comfortable. This can sometimes result in a few medications having to be given daily. I also will refer to the holistic veterinarian in town as there are options as far as herbal medicine and acupuncture that can be attempted. I am a huge believer in mixing holistic and traditional medicine. I have had much success with doing so in a lot of dogs with varying conditions. I also have had some positive improvements as far as symptoms with therapeutic laser treatments. All in all, I always tell my clients that the surgical procedure should be considered only when we are at risk for pulmonary hypertension, or absolutely nothing is working to manage the symptoms. Once we get to this point, I always have a long conversation about quality of life, age and how stressful the procedure can be on a patient, potential complications, and cost before referral to a specialty hospital. If we still want to proceed at that point, I will refer for an initial consult with a surgeon. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do everything and anything, and there is also nothing wrong with focusing on quality of life for as long as possible. I hope this answer was helpful to you. Best of luck!

When should my dog get surgery for collapsed trachea & what are risks?

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