Has anyone here dealt with this.. not the mild kind, but the kind where they cough constantly unless so sedated they can barely stand up? She is 10 years old, and I have an appointment Wed to take her to a surgeon...
Ellen I am so sorry you and one of your babies are going through this.. Please let us know what the surgeon advises and if she is a candidate for an operation to help her.. Thank the Lord none of my guys have suffered so severely... I do have one, Buster, who we give a mild sedative on rare occasions if his coughing is bad enough to frighten him.. Deb
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Until we extend the circle of our compassion to all living things, we will not, ourselves, find Peace... -Dr. Albert Schweitzer
My girls just get a the cough very rarely.. actually Coco is the main chi that if she gets too excited she starts the cough/wheeze/honk episode... but not near as bad to give them sedatives. I hope all goes well at the vet tomorrow. Your in my thoughts.
I am so sorry, Ellen! I have yet to deal with such a case. Radar gets some of the "honking" sneezing cases, but nothing real bad. But, his is mainly from excitement. I hope all goes well with the appointment. Please keep us updated!
I have never dealt with this but I bet it is hard to see this problem in a chi. SO sad. I'm very sorry you have one that is dealing with this and I hope things go well.
Oh gosh! Ellen I am so so sorry to hear this news! It must be very hard on you and your pup! Unfortunately I cant offer any advice, sorry! But please let us know how it goes on wednesday, k? We'll ll be thinking of you both
Maybish was seen by a vet surgeon today, Xrays did show a collapse in the area where the trach goes down then back up into the chest.. I had been increasing her cough suppresent past the dosage the local vet had prescribed with decent results.. This vet doubled the dose of the first order... She is calm right now no coughing and seems to be very relaxed Duh me, it is the drugs, but at least she is not coughing constantly..
Here are my options... treat her with meds as long as they work.
have the surgery done here in my state, where they sew rings into the outside of the trachea and hope for the best, he did say that the results are the full spectrum, where they were almost cured of breathing problems to not making it off the table... third option is, go either to Penn State or University of Tennesse where they insert a stent on the inside of the trachea pretty much like cardio angioplasty in humans..
Your thoughts, opinions and prayers would be appreciated...
Oh Ellen, you most certainly have my thoughts and prayers already..and you have been since I read your first post about the situation.. As far as an opinion on what to do.. I feel completely inadequate to offer you advice on such a monumental decision. I guess the things I would consider in making the decision for myself would be... If the medication route is chosen, what quality of life will she have? Will she be basically drugged and unable to be herself from now on? If the local treatment is chosen, is her age of 10 years likely to reduce her chances of waking up from the procedure? What are the percentages that she could make a full recovery with this treatment? If considering having the surgery done at the university, which medically sounds like the most appealing fix, are her chances of not waking up there the same as locally? Is cost of the procedure a factor in your budget, as I am certain this route will be more expensive. (I had experience with taking a pet to the University of Georgia Veterinary School once.) These are the questions I would be answering for myself if I were to be faced with your situation...Only you know Maybish and her particular history and I know whatever decision you make will be one of love for her.. You are in my prayers... Deb
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Until we extend the circle of our compassion to all living things, we will not, ourselves, find Peace... -Dr. Albert Schweitzer
Actually, on the higher dose tonight, Maybish did her happy dance at the suggestion of going outside, so she seems to be adjusting to the medication okay, and she is quiet, I just think the dose was too small, that and her getting used to it....I am waiting on the labs, but am thinking of doing the medication at least for now... the Universities are in different states that I reside in, so I have to look at car travel for her too, before and after surgery...
Oh Ellen, I know the coughing episodes are so scarey. Abby has these but not to that extent and has had since she was just a few weeks old. Now that she is almost 2 1/2 they have not gotten any worse but we have made sure that she had not gotten over weight and try to keep her from getting over excited when company comes in and keep her food and water in a raised tray. But still she had an episode that lasted a long while one evening last week and almost passed out from lack of oxygen. It was the worse she has ever had. She may have several a day or go several days with out one but most are mild to moderate. I wish you all the luck and lots of prayers with Maybish.
Becky, I do not think that May has ever come clost to passing out, When she is coughing, it is constant... I did buy a hepa air filtration thingymabob last night, and that seems to help too. and the house spells better, since I am no longer using air freshner in here.. Thanks for all they prayers, concern and suggestions, We are hanging in here. Ellen and the girls
Ellen, I am so glad to hear that May is doing a little better today.. I will continue to pray for both of you... It would be wonderful it the meds would control the episodes, but not put little May, "out of it..." Deb
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Until we extend the circle of our compassion to all living things, we will not, ourselves, find Peace... -Dr. Albert Schweitzer
Ellen, I'm so sorry to hear what your little one is going through. I will keep you and her in my prayers. I remember Annes little poodle, Tara had a problem with that when she got excited and it would scare us so bad.I hope the meds work as the surgery would be so traumatic for her and you. Keep us up on how she is doing.
Ellen, Could you give us an update on how May is doing with the meds to control her attacks? I have had her on my mind and wanted to check on her.. Please let us know. Deb
-- Edited by chideb at 11:55, 2007-06-25
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Until we extend the circle of our compassion to all living things, we will not, ourselves, find Peace... -Dr. Albert Schweitzer
I am so sorry that I have not posted back.. With the no smoking in the house policy and the air filtration device, getting rid of all my candles and not using the air fresheners she is doing much better.. At first it seemed as though I was giving her the meds pretty constantly along with benedryl to just make it so she could rest.. I gave her a dose this morning just because different people came by today, It had been several days since she had needed any.. These meds cost like 2.50 a pill, so they are very expensive which is fine as long as they work, and she no longer fights me about taking them.. I disolve them in water and give them by mouth with a syring. At first I had bruising on my chest and arms where she fought me so bad.. Now she stands on the island and opens her mouth for me, but you can tell she is not pleased with it.. I guess our biggest complaint now, is that her nose is so dry.. I have been putting vasoline on it.. <again she is not impressed with this> any suggestions? She does go outside for short periods, and still eats and drinks well and does not seem to get choked on it.. Her lab tests were all unremarkable.. She is here on the bed with me, hogging the covers.. Now Hunny, she is a mess...lol.. reminds me of a little teddy bear and she is now 6 months old, so she will be going to the vet for her proceedure soon... Her legs are so short, that if she was bred, her belly would be raw from dragging the ground... She likes floating in the little boat in the pool on hot days and she is a very good swimmer.. and she can run even with those short little legs.. She has about outgrown her sabling and is a carmel color and has the deepest almond shaped brown eyes, but she has still got them ears.. and she has such a sweet personality... Sorry this was so long..
Ellen, that is great news about May....I am soooo glad she is doing so much better! Thanks for letting us know.. I haven't seen pics of Hunny since she was a puppy... Could you post some of her and May as well? I would love to see them... Thanks, Deb
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Until we extend the circle of our compassion to all living things, we will not, ourselves, find Peace... -Dr. Albert Schweitzer