The news is way worse than expected. She not only has tracheal collapse the entire length of her trachea but also mainstem bronchi collapse and mitral valve disease. So we monitor her for heart failure and hope for the best more or less.
Oh, Laurie - I’m so sorry to hear that the news isn’t good. I was thinking of you and Macy today and wondering how the appointment had gone.
I wish it had been better news, but I’ll continue to jingle for her to be happy and comfortable as much and as long as possible.
It was a bit of a shock, that is for sure. I knew about the trachea all along but obviously had no idea that her heart was a problem as well. Guess that is why the vet noticed the murmur last time she was there.
I guess surgery to stent the trachea is an option at some point but the problem is that the increased amount of air in the now repaired trachea can cause the bronchi to collapse even more.
There is still a chance this could be a multiple year progression so it’s not like we need to go dig a hole but it definitely wasn’t what I expected.
Aw, dang, I’m sorry! I was really hoping for good news-let’s hope that she just carries on for a long long time!
Sending many jingles to you and Macy!
Sorry to hear its not a simple fix. 
Did the specialist give you any new ideas on medical management? Bronchi collapse is often correlated with tracheal collapse, and poms are also known for heart disease. Mitral valve disease can often be very well managed, so hopefully all the new bad news doesn’t change the prognosis for your pup too much! However, please accept my continued jingles for your pup 
They put her on an antibiotic in case her recent worsening is due to an infection. They also added a cough suppressant. They were going to have a radiologist and a cardiologist look at her films and possibly get back to me if they see something that was missed today but assuming that doesn’t happen I am supposed to update them in two weeks and let them know how it is going. We didn’t really discuss what we could possibly try next if this doesn’t work. They did have a cardiologist look at her film in passing in case they wanted her to have an echo while we were there but he said not now. If nothing else changes they want to rexray in 3 months to see if her heart has gotten any larger. I am disappointed of course but don’t feel like it is a death sentence yet.
Also inquire about diphenoxylate (Lonix) which helps decrease the coughing episodes. It has literally worked miracles for a few of my collapsing trachea patients.
Did they teach you how to count her sleeping respiratory rate at home? Assuming she has mitral regurg (which you need an echo to diagnose) you need to be able to tell whether she is developing congestive heart failure or whether her cough is from her tracheal/bronchial collapse. Knowing what the resting RR is doing is important in all dogs that are on the edge of developing CHF, but it’s even more important in your dog because she already has a condition that makes her cough.
No they didn’t. Is that something you could talk me through? I am an EMT so not totally medically incapable. I will ask about the drug you mentioned if the current drugs don’t seem to be making an improvement. It does seem as if she is a little better but that might just be wishful thinking. Thanks for chiming in. Now off to dress her in her reindeer suit for the Pony Club Christmas party…
Pix or it didn’t happen. 
I’d never heard of tracheal collapse before. It sounds scary. Best of luck with her.
StG
It is pretty common in smaller dogs. It isn’t too devastating most of the time. My girl has had it all of her ten years and it hasn’t slowed her down a single step from being a barn dog extraordinaire! She has spent most of her life trying to prove that she wasn’t a frou-frou dog by rolling in deer poop or any other foul thing she can find. Thanks for the well wishes.
Count how many times she breathes in a minute, preferably when she’s sleeping. You can count for 10s and multiple by 6 or 15s x 4. Keep track. If it’s above 40, or you notice a spike for 3 days in a row, have her checked by a veterinarian. I think Vetmedin even makes an iPhone app to track it these days.
http://www.yourdogsheart.com/tools-resources/Resting-Respiratory-Rate-App.html
Thanks. It sounded like it was something tricky when you asked about it so I didn’t know you meant actually counting respirations. Think I can handle that!
Macy has landed! We took her with us over Christmas because I didn’t want my friend to have to put her to sleep if things went wrong. She handled the flight fine and is sound asleep on Grandma’s floor. We may have bad news with my other dog as well. He has been taking a few lame steps here and there for many months but it lasts such a short time we couldn’t even tell for sure which leg was bothering him. I still think it is his left but they found “something” on his right leg. Possibly bone cancer. We will go for a biopsy when we get home. Hope my friend doesn’t have to put him to sleep while we are gone. Chest was clear.
Macy started lasix tonight in case she is in mild heart failure. She is going to try diphenoxylate in a few days when it gets here. She is doing pretty well for the most part. The radiologist thinks the spots on my shelties xrays are artifact and he doesn’t have bone cancer! Started adequan tonight, pentosan didn’t help so we discontinued that.
Fingers crossed all goes well!
Jingles for little Macy.
Thanks everyone! We all know how this is going to turn out but hopefully not anytime soon.
Jingles for not anytime soon!
