Yorkie Terrier Dog Coughing - A Battle of Collapsing Trachea

Is your Yorkshire Terrier coughing? Dogs don't coughthere didn't seem to be anything to be concerned over.
the way people do, so when you hear your dogAt no time was I ever told of warning signs of
making a coughing sound, that needs to alert you thatcollapsing trachea that might take his life. His coughing
there might be a problem on the horizon. If it's awent from that dry, hacking sound to a sound much
hacking sound, maybe there's something stuck in yourlike a person makes when trying to clear one's throat.
dog's throat. If it's a non-productive, honking type ofMany days he wouldn't cough at all, but many nights he
cough and your dog is a Yorkshire Terrier, then it couldwould start to cough and couldn't seem to stop. I tried
be the early beginnings of collapsing trachea. Collapsinggiving him honey to coat his throat, because I'm sure
trachea can effect other breeds also, but it seems tohis throat must have been very raw from all that
be a health issue for Yorkies. Sometimes it is geneticcoughing. There are herbal cough medicines on the
and breeders should try very hard to breed this out ofmarket that contain honey. Sometimes they helped, but
Yorkies. It can be caused by wearing collars or leadsnot always. Some days he would pace around all over
that are tight and then when the dog pulls on his leash,the house, coughing--trying to breathe. As the trachea
he chokes. The constant pulling and choking willnarrows it becomes like trying to breathe through a
eventually damage the windpipe. This applies to allstraw.
breeds, also.I searched the Internet for answers, looking for natural
My Yorkie began a slight cough during the summer ofcures for him, but really there is not much that can be
2007. At the time, we were having renovations donedone. Sometimes surgery is suggested, but it is not
on our home and I thought his throat was dry from thealways successful and can be very expensive. Not to
plaster dust and sawdust in the air. The coughing didn'tmention the discomfort that your dog will go through.
occur daily so I didn't worry about progression. I madeCollapsing trachea claimed another victim, as my
every effort to keep the dust down by vacuuming andYorkie passed away from suffocation, in his sleep on
dusting daily.October 1, 2008. So, if your dog is making sounds like
In the Fall, he had a vet check and I mentioned thecoughing, please discuss this with your vet so you will
cough. Our vet said it was probably collapsing trachea.know what to expect. Gather as much information as
She prescribed Torbutrol as a cough suppressant andyou can and do everything possible to make your dog
after his first dose he was so drugged that he couldn'tas comfortable as you can. You might try using a cool
stand, eat or get to his water bowl. She had said thatmist humidifier at night in the area where your dog
he'd probably have to be on this the rest of his life,sleeps. Keep his weight down, also. But, most of all,
taking 2 pills a day. After this reaction, I called the vetlove him and pay as much attention to him as you can.
and it was decided that he couldn't tolerate this drug.I was very fortunate to have had my Yorkie for 14
He only weighed 4 pounds 6 ounces. After that I triedyears. We were together constantly and he is terribly
herbal cough medicines. I also gave him vitamin E andmissed. I sincerely hope that if you are dealing with this
vitamin C.health problem with your Yorkie, that you will find
During the Winter of 2008, he had several vet visitssomething that will help him. Now, please, go hug your
and it was always the same--his heart checked outdog!
good and his lungs were good. His appetite was good,