My dog reverse sneezed after I touched his neck. Tracheal collapse?

Hello! I hate to hear that Iggy has this happening to him. Coughing can have many causes. In general, the most common are all allergies, kennel cough, or poor air quality (and often it can be even a combination of these). A collapsing trachea can cause a deep cough. It is often described as a goose, honking cough. Some people will also describe a condition, known as a reverse sneeze as a cough. You likely could go online and find several videos of pets who have these conditions and could see what they sound like. YouTube has many videos of pets exhibiting the types of conditions. If this is infectious, in an otherwise healthy pet, they can often clear the infection without a vet visit. There are some things you can do at home to aid in the recovery: Avoid any strenuous activity and vocalization. Panting, barking, and vocalization will cause further irritation to the trachea, and this will cause more coughing…. Which will cause more irritation. Keep your pup indoors. Only go outside to potty and then back inside. Keep the air filters changed on the recommended routine schedules in your house, and you may consider adding an additional HEPA air filter. Make the drinking water and food room temperature. Retailers do sell herbal remedies that can help to soothe the cough for dogs. Honey can also help. Run a humidifier in the room Iggy hangs out in the most. Do not add any essential oils. Avoid contact with other dogs for one week after the coughing ends in case it’s contagious. Have Iggy examined if you see: A significant decrease in eating or drinking. Significant lethargy. Coughing to the point of vomiting. Coughing so frequently, it is not allowing proper rest or sleep. Discharge from the nose or eyes that is green or yellow and last three days or more. Coughing up blood or any pink tinged fluid. Worsening cough. A cough not improving after one week or lasting longer than two weeks. Any significant deviation from normal in any form. I hope this helps, and that Iggy recovers quickly! Sincerely, Dr. Elizabeth

Yes, it could be tracheal collapse, although this condition is more common in smaller breeds, it could also be a chronic condition such as a heart disease or a lung disease, you should take her to the vet in order to get it checked.

Hello there! Collapsing trachea is a condition where the cartilaginous rings that surround the trachea and keep it an open tube are weakened, and sometimes, when excited or breathing hard, the trachea will flatten or collapse. This causes a harsh, loud "honking" sound when breathing, and sometimes coughing. This condition is more common in small breeds as a genetic abnormality, but it could also be seen in other dog breeds as a result of respiratory infection, obesity, or damage/disease of the trachea. The treatment for collapsing trachea depends on its cause and severity. Most dogs with collapsing trachea are managed by keeping them calm and in good body condition, and sometimes with the use of cough suppressants and steroids for inflammation caused by coughing. Some dogs do require surgery if their coughing and honking doesn't abate with regularity, or if they have trouble breathing. Surgical implantation of plastic rings around the trachea is currently the surgical treatment of choice. It really is quite uncommon in larger, young dogs, so I highly recommend that Bruno has a full work-up by the vet before considering his symptoms to be caused by collapsing trachea. Kennel cough, for example, can produce very similar symptoms. Good luck, and I hope Bruno gets well soon!

Laryngeal paralysis is more common in larger breed dogs. It is not impossible for Little Puppy to have that but it is not likely. It is more likely that he has a collapsing trachea. I would recommend you talk to your vet about this symptoms if they continue. http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/05/21/tracheal-collapse-dog-treatment.aspx I hope this helps. Best wishes!

They can happen suddenly. Pets that have a weakened trachea will instantly start coughing. However most pets with this condition will start with symptoms in their early adult years and not when they are of senior age (<7 years) in most cases. In an older dog with sudden coughing we are suspicious of bronchitis, heart disease, neoplasia or infection. I hope that this helps. Best wishes and take care.

You are correct that intubation can exacerbate (but not cause) tracheal collapse. However, we frequently see tracheal irritation after intubation which commonly causes coughing and slowly improves after 24-48 hours. We do sometimes recommend a cough suppressant for dogs if they are having excessive coughing after intubation. I have included a link below to tracheal collapse. If Dougie is having trouble breathing, please seek medical attention immediately. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1527 Please let me know if that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Has your dog ever had an xray of his throat (windpipe)? If not I highly recommend that you talk to your veterinarian about such an x-ray. Small dogs often suffer from a collapsed trachea (wind pipe) and this can be diagnosed easily with radiographs. Here is some information: https://www.petcoach.co/article/collapsed-trachea-in-dogs/ I hope that helps.