My dog has a collapsed trachea and coughs. Are they in pain?

Some dogs with tracheal collapse need to stay on hydrocodone long term and also a bronchodilator. You should call your vet and give him/her an update and maybe your vet can just prescribe additional medications without having to take him back to the vet.

Hello and thank you for your question. I hate it that the medications are not providing cough relief for your dog. In my experience, if these two medications are not stopping the cost of a tracheal collapse patient, then surgery should be considered. there are so many great surgical methods and treatments now for collapsing trachea. One of them being a mesh wire coil that can be placed in the trachea to keep it dilated without the possibility of collapse. These are usually performed by surgical specialists and your general veterinarian may have to refer you to one of them. I urge you to make an appointment with your local veterinarian to discuss possible surgical options for your dogs condition. I hope I have helped.

Unfortunately medication won't improve this sort of cough because it is due to a functional problem not irriation. She is coughing because her trachea is collapsing. I would not recommend over the counter human medicine as sone cough bottles have ingredients toxic to dogs, and it wouldn't help anyway.

Hello, and thank you for your question. If Lacy is only coughing once or twice at night, you can ask your vet about trying a cough suppressant for the night time only. However, if she is coughing frequently at night, I'd also want to rule out heart disease as an underlying cause. Coughing due to heart disease often happens during rest, as fluid accumulates in their lungs when they are lying on their sides. Chest x-rays would be necessary to rule this out. For dogs with collapsing trachea that cough regularly at all hours, you can ask your vet about using a bronchodilator, and/or inhaled steroids, which get the medicine directly into her lungs where she needs it, with minimal absorption into the rest of her body, in turn minimizing side effects of steroids. Check out the Aerodawg, which is an inhaler designed just for dogs. However, as stated earlier, if her coughing is minimal, just a cough suppressant at night may be enough. In addition, switching to a harness instead of a collar can be very helpful, as it minimizes pressure on the trachea when the dog is pulling on the leash. I hope this helps, and that Lacy is doing well!

I would recommend taking Puffy to the veterinarian. They can evaluate her to see if she is having any evidence of pain. I would also recommend a glucosamine supplement whether they feel she is in pain or not. Glucosamine is a great supplement for older dogs since it will help with arthritic joints. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You may be able to use dextromethorphan depending on what she is currently taking, but you will need to contact your veterinarian for a dose. Bronchodilators may also be of benefit in treatment. Legally, we are prohibited from providing such information or telling you to give it in the absence of a physical exam and a VPCR (Veterinarian-Patient-Client Relationship).

If it has been going on for years it is probably a collapsing trachea, in which case there is not much that can be done about it. There are medications that can be used to minimize the cough but it will not "fix" the problem. There is a surgery that can be done to place a stent in the trachea which is curative. A collapsing trachea is not a huge problem other than uncomfortable for them to cough. It should not cause any major issues. You can ask your vet to do a trial of medication to see if it helps and if it does, you can keep her on them long term. ( https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/collapsing-trachea-dogs-everything-you-need-know )