chihuahua with breathing problems?
Hello there! I have 2 year old Chihuahua, she has all of her shots, she goes to the vet regularly. I have notices since she was 1 year old and till now, that she has sometimes ” asthma like” attacks (what I mean she was gasping for air like a snoring sound and her whole body contracts and she wouldn’t open her mouth). I asked her vet she says that she’s fine. But again today it happened and it was worse than before it lasted about for 3-5 min (usually its no longer than 20 sec.) it doesn’t happen to often maybe like once in two months or even less. Please anything helps thanks.
Dear Mom2be: I think that all small dogs are susceptable to this, and it involves the trachea, and it is called Tracheal Collapse. I have a Yorkie and she experiences the same problem at times.
Tracheal Collapse is a narrowing of the trachea (windpipe) due to a loss in rigidity in some small dog breeds, such as Yorkshire Terrier, Pomeranian, Toy Poodle, Maltese, Chihuahuas and other toy and miniature dog breeds. Symptoms include a cough, especially after exercise, noisy breathing and gagging.
The Trachea is a tube or system of tubes that carries air. The trachea serves as passage for air, moistens and warms it while it passes into the lungs, and protects the respiratory surface from an accumulation of foreign particles. Tracheal collapse is caused by many factors including genetic predisposition of the breed, nutritional factors, neurologic abnormalities, and tracheal cartilage degeneration.
Some dogs will have chronic “goose-honk” cough, noisy breathing and gagging, wheezing, hacking, and exercise intolerance. In severe cases there may be a bluish discoloration to the gums and skin because of a lack of oxygen, and the dog may fain (my Yorkie has never done thist. These signs are more severe in obese animals, so it is really important to keep your pooch trim.
Try to keep your dog away from irritants, such as cigarette smoke, exposure to extreme cold, heat or humidity, using a harness instead of a collar, reducing food intake (if the dog is overweight), and vaccinations to prevent tracheal inflammations. In severe cases emergency surgery is performed. Surgery relieves many of the signs of tracheal obstruction, but does not cure the disease. Early diagnosis and treatment are expected to give the dog a better quality life. Following surgery, most dogs are more active, breathe easier, cough less, and require less medical treatment for respiratory disease.
I opted not to do the surgery, and have never gotten the vaccines for my dog. If your dog continues to get worse, I would bring her back to your vet. Just keep an eye on her. It is true about obesity…it makes it worse. When my dog was heavier she had much more of a problem. She is very trim now and this only happens once in a while.
Sorry this is so long.
HILARIOUS famous teacup chihuahua snoring!!
