Health
HANNAH'S's Story
Mid Cervical Tracheal Collapse
Have any Afghan people heard of this problem in Afghans before? I am told it is
quite prevalent in smaller breeds like the Yorkshire Terrier also my vet has
seen it in Collies.
I was worried before Christmas that my Swedish import bitch seemed to have a
persistent dry cough and kept trying to clear her throat, my opinion is that any persistent cough should be investigated so I took her to the vets. It was not my
usual vet but she diagnosed a possible upper respiratory infection, she tested
Hannah's heart and lungs which were fine, her chest appeared clear so she treated
her
with a short course of antibiotics and steroids. The vet suggested if no marked
improvement was made we should investigate further after Christmas.
The cough improved slightly but I was aware of a slight breathlessness when
Hannah had been outside for just a limited amount of free exercise, she was
eating grass and trying to clear her throat more than usual. Hannah was eating
well and not drinking excessively but I felt all was not how it should be.
Hannah is coming up to 10 and has always been very healthy.
I spoke to my usual vet and yesterday it was decided to investigate further with
a chest x-ray and by putting a camera down her throat under a mild anaesthetic, his
findings were as follows: Her chest was clear, her lungs fine, her heart fine, he found a
very tiny nodule on the right side of her vocal chord which he said could have
been there for years it did not look ominous but he would like to look at it in
6 weeks again to ensure it was not growing, if it was ok then he would leave it
alone.
On further investigation he found slight right sided laryngeal paralysis
which he felt was ok at this time and not a problem.
He next found mid cervical tracheal collapse which means the C shaped disks in
the trachea have flattened and collapsed in places, restricting the oxygen
intake causing the cough and slight breathlessness, this condition has been
helped with a medication called Lomobil, under extreme cases plastic disks
can be inserted surgically to help breathing. Fortunately Hannah is not that bad
and it was decided to allow her to just continue enjoying her life untreated at
the moment, I am using an air purifying machine and do not use any aerosols etc
near her and we will see how she goes on. I will say that both Hannah's parents
and grandparents had long lives and her siblings seem to be okay so we do not
feel it is genetic, could it be that today's pollution problems may be a contributing
factor? who knows. Anyone else who has had this problem in the breed it would
possibly be helpful to know.
Question to Ann: firstly I would like to say I am pleased to read Hannah is doing very well despite this problem. I would like to know if the cough came on suddenly or was it a gradual thing to start with? if so how long do you think it was before you realised it was more than just a cough? is it something that might often go hand in hand with LP but may go undiagnosed sometimes?
Anne's reply:
Hannah's cough became noticeable late November, I watched her for a couple of
days before deciding to do something about it thinking maybe she had some sort
of virus in the upper respiratory tract, it did not sound to me like LP, I have
a dog aged nearly thirteen who started with LP at nine and a half years old so
am quite aware of the symptoms for LP, it was quite mild at first but seemed
worse as stated after exercise or if she got excited, another unusual thing was
she seemed to prefer to lay low down rather than sit on the furniture, maybe
because the air circulates more low to the floor.
I posted this because I feel this sort of information maybe helpful to any
others who may have an Afghan with similar symptoms. I have heard people mention
dogs with a dry cough, my vet says there is no such thing and like myself he
suggests any cough should be investigated. yes you may post this wherever you
feel it may be helpful. I am just pleased our lovely girl can live with this and
enjoy a good quality of life even though it may be a bit restricted.
Anne Wilson
22nd January 2008
More information on this condition HERE
To be updated as and when there is more news.
© Anne Wilson - 2008 - all rights reserved