Health
Lainey's Story
I first noticed signs of LP in Lainey about 2 years ago when
she was almost eight years old. We
had gone to the first afghan race meeting of the season. Lainey ran round in her
usual way but when she came off the track she sat down in a very careful
deliberate way and she was foaming at the mouth. I took her to my vet who sent
me to a specialist practice in Hertfordshire. There we had a 40 minute
consultation and they xrayed Lainey. The conclusion of Dr Burton was that she did
have it but was not ready for the operation. This is better done when the
condition has worsened.
Over the next two years her breathing became more noisy and it took her a long
time to stop panting heavily after a walk. The crisis came when she went for a
walk with a friend and i hadn't realised it was still very warm
even though it was early evening. I saw her collapse quite suddenly when she was
a very short distance from home. It was the most distressing and terrifying
sight. Her eyes were glazed, her tongue rapidly went blue and the breath was
screaming in her throat. We rushed her to the vet and her temperature was over
108. They told me there was only a 50/50 chance of saving her. They gave her a
cold water enema. soaked her in cold water and ran water over her tongue.
Miraculously they got her temperature back down in 20 minutes. She took about 4
hours to come round and she stayed at my vets all over the weekend until they
were sure her temperature had stabilised.
They advised me to have the tie-back op done as soon as possible. I took her
back to Dr Burton and they did the operation to tie back one side of her larynx.
She came round very quickly and ate some food as soon as it was offered. I was
able to take her home the next day. The operation gives instant relief to the
breathing and she was quite comfortable. I cannot recommend strongly enough that
it is definitely worth doing. It MUST be done by a specialist, not only for the
surgeons skill but the correct aftercare from the nurses.
I was very timid about feeding at first and i had a list of instructions from
the specialist. I must always avoid crumbs and things that could get sucked down
into her lungs. I now feed her soaked complete food, large cubes of chicken,
sausage, pasta and tinned firm textured tripe in largeish scoops. (Not all at
once but I ring the changes) She is now, a month after the operation, a happy
little girl and I don't have the same panic when the weather gets hot. It is
lovely to see her trotting about with no struggling to breathe.
I hope this will help anyone who feels that their dog might be showing signs of
the same problem. If they are, get an expert opinion and insist on a specialist
doing the operation if it is needed.
Lainey is now aged 10 years and hopefully the surgery will enable her to live
happily to a ripe and active old age,
Liz Nazer
July 2005
© Elizabeth Nazer -2005 - all rights reserved