Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

My old dog's collapsing trachea is worsening. Should I put her down?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Hi! My dog was diagnosed with tracheal collapse two years ago. Now it’s gone from coughing episodes to nonstop honking for hours and defacating/peeing herself? She’s older (about 14). Could it be time to put her down?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Ann Dion, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 10th, 2018

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear that your little girl isn't doing well. If she is urinating and defecating because she is losing consciousness because her airway is obstructing from the collapsing trachea, then yes, you might need to consider either a procedure where a stent is placed to keep the airway open (last resort procedure that has complications and is very expensive), or euthanasia. I would discuss with your vet about why she is urinating/defecating and if she is losing consciousness or not. Also, in the meantime, discuss with your vet about medications to try to decrease the coughing (codiene phosphate liquid, linctol, steroids possibly),but keep in mind this is not a cure, but might help slightly, but has side effects and might not help at all. Unfortunately, with severe collapsing trachea, sometimes euthanasia is the most humane thing to do. I am sorry she is so sick.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on September 1st, 2017

    I'm so sorry to hear that you think Jessie has tracheal collapse. Here is an article for more information. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1527 The best things you can do at home are to make sure that Jessie is not overweight and that she does not breathe in any irritants (such as cigarette smoke, scented candles, perfume, air fresheners, etc). Such things may make her disease worse. When you are able to have her evaluated, talk to your vet about some medications that may help her. Unfortunately, there aren't any over the counter medications for you to give at home that will be helpful. If Jessie is having any trouble breathing be sure to have her evaluated immediately. I hope that helps! Thanks for using PetCoach.

    Vote icon

    4Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has collapsed trachea which the vet told us ! She’s on anti inflammatory abut she’s still coughing all through the night and she seems uncomfortable is there nothing to help her or will she have to suffer with this ?? Do dogs get put down due
I'm sorry to hear that. You can ask your vet about any additional medications to help control the cough-- sometimes butorphanol or hydrocodone products can help. In severe cases where medical management is not enough to control the symptoms, surgical treatment in the form of a tracheal stent can be considered, but it may be something not readily available in your area. This is something that would have to be done by a board certified veterinary specialist surgeon. You can find one here: https://online.acvs.org/acvsssa/rflssareferral.query_page?P_VENDOR_TY=VETS Here is more info on tracheal stents: https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/tracheal-collapse If stenting is not an option financially or Paris is found to not be a candidate for the procedure, and you cannot control symptoms with medication, then its not wrong to consider euthanasia. To specifically answer your question-- yes, tracheal collapse is situation that is sometimes severe enough that people sometimes need to put th
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Had my Pomeranian for 10 years now , she has Tracheal Collapse we been giving her the Meds prescribed but doesn’t seem to be working, she doesn’t eat much , and she doesn’t move much, she also had be honking and coughing a lot . Anything I can do? Or
Poor Luna sounds like she isn't doing well at the moment. I would take her into the vet first thing in the morning. Her quality of life does sound poor at the moment, and maybe putting her to sleep is the best option. But discuss it with your vet first, they may have additional ideas as to how to make her quality of life better. I would be prepared, however, that it may be time to let her go. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
When should surgery be considered for a dog with collapsed trachea and what are the surgical methods and treatments used? Risks for methods used?
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 v
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 13 year old morkie is he too old for stent surgery? if so what can we do for him he cough alot
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor BooBoo! I would set up a consult with a specialist who performs the tracheal stenting for collapsing trachea. There are certain requirements that have to be met in order to be a good candidate for a stent. Even after a stent is placed most dogs are still maintained on medications. A lot of dogs with tracheal collapse also have lower airway disease. I personally do not think age is a disease. That if BooBoo is otherwise healthy and her quality of life is affected by her severe tracheal collapse it is worth the consult at a minimum. Chronic medical treatment consists of cough suppressants, anti-anxiety medications, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics if warranted. I hope this helps and I wish you and BooBoo the best!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
If theophylline and/or hydrocodone does not stop the coughing for a dog with collapsed trachea, what is the next step to give relief? My dog is on both meds, but she may still cough occasionally after administration.. My concern is the way her cou
Hello and thank you for your question. I hate it that the medications are not providing cough relief for your dog. In my experience, if these two medications are not stopping the cost of a tracheal collapse patient, then surgery should be considered. there are so many great surgical methods and treatments now for collapsing trachea. One of them being a mesh wire coil that can be placed in the trachea to keep it dilated without the possibility of collapse. These are usually performed by surgical specialists and your general veterinarian may have to refer you to one of them. I urge you to make an appointment with your local veterinarian to discuss possible surgical options for your dogs condition. I hope I have helped.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is collapsed trachea dangerous in old dogs ? Can it be managed ? Are there any real dangers or things to keep my dog away from doing
Collapsing trachea has no cure. There is a surgery that can be done depending on where the collapse is occurring, but it is not commonly recommended or performed due to risks and complications. It is not usually dangerous, but if the coughing can't get under control, then they may have a hard time breathing, which could be bad. Management of collapsing trachea include weight loss for overweight or obese dogs (the excess fat puts extra pressure on the trachea and makes breathing harder in general), decreasing stressful situation, avoiding the heat, and staying on top of coughing spells and allergies. Cough suppressants and/or steroids can help with episodes of coughing. Here is some more info: https://www.petcoach.co/article/collapsed-trachea-in-dogs/
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog s showing signs of collapsed trachea, she is 15 years old, Lhaso apso mix female, she has not been spayed and has had 1 litter of puppies. I know they can treat it with prednisone, is this available through an online veterinarian? Is it also e
I hate to hear that Bonnie is having a problem with coughing. There are several reasons Bonnie may be coughing. Certainly a collapsing trachea is common in small breed dogs but other issues such as heart disease, allergic bronchitis, enlarged heart, tumors in the lungs, parasites or kennel cough can also cause coughing. Collapsing trachea is treated prednisone if the inflammation is severe but it is generally not the mainstay of treatment as it has systemic side effects on the body. Antibiotics are sometimes used if an infection is suspected but again, it is not the mainstay. Cough suppressants are the main choice to treat a collapsing trachea. Fatty acids and anti-oxidants can also be beneficial. An online veterinarian cannot prescribe any medications due to state and pharmacy laws. Your primary care veterinarian will be the person who can prescribe any needed medications (some of which can be purchased online but must be approved by your vet). I would recommend to make an appointme
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I am in a lot of pain today. My 10yo spayed female dog has had difficulty breathing for about a month or so (getting worse every day) and has lost a lot of weight, although she eats and drinks normally. Vet found severe pleural effusion and drained i
Poor Xica! I'm so sorry that she's sick, and that you're in the position of having to consider what is best for her right now. This is always a difficult situation. Her x-rays do appear to show very severe pleural effusion. As I'm sure your veterinarian has probably discussed with you, pleural effusion of the type that you have described (bloody fluid) is almost always caused by one of two things: congestive heart failure, or cancer. The amount of fluid in her chest makes it hard to get a good look at the size and shape of her heart, or to determine if there are any obvious tumors in her chest, so it's hard to say which of these possibilities is more likely without additional testing. But unfortunately, even with aggressive treatment, neither of them have a good long-term prognosis. Knowing this, if I were in your position, I believe I would probably decide to let her go rather than pursuing hospitalization, chest tube placement, etc. - these are invasive, uncomfortable procedur
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a min pin X about 9 years old. Diagnosed with collapsing trachea 6 years ago. Been doing meds. Recently, his coughing is worse, Coughs with no activity also. Sounds like a person with pneumonia often. Any ideas/suggestions?
Have Choco rechecked by your veterinarian. An exam and chest xrays should be done to rule out respiratory infection or an enlarged heart. Either can account for the progressive cough. An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) can be done to assess cardiac architecture and function.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
my dog has labored breathing and I am worried about her quality of life, she is 15, her breathing is better when she sleeps but when she is up she's struggling and sounds like a broken motorcycle. is she at the point where we need to consider putting
This is always a tough question to answer. I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question all the time with clients. I recommend making a list of five things Coco used to love to do, and if she is no longer doing at least two of them, her quality of life has declined to where euthanasia should be considered. Quality of life is very important in these cases. I would speak with her vet to see what they think about her quality of life. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored