Worried about Kaycee -- for others who have or may have had the same experience

To my fellow community members,

First off - I write this post not because Im looking for sympathy, money, or support of any kind.  I write this primarily to raise awareness and gain knowledge and advice from those who may have encountered something similar and also to provide myself an outlet to share my concern.

This post is about one of my baby Yorkies whom I deeply love and care for .  As many pet owners and dog lovers will agree, a pet is a key member of your family and if you are lucky enough to have one -- is essentially like having a child.  A part of the family who is loyal and will love you back unconditionally at no cost.

When that child is sick or hurt in anyway -- that worry and fear you have is consuming. 

 

She loves her neck pillow

Kaycee - our 5 year old Yorkie and 1 of 4, has for the past couple of years struggled with an on and off again issue common in Yorkie breeds - breathing difficulty.  About a year ago, our vet diagnosed it as a collapsed trachea - a common cause of airway obstruction in dogs and in particular, Yorkies.  Common symptoms are  "a honking cough and also may include exercise intolerance, labored breathing and a bluish tinge to the gums. The cough and other signs may be provoked by excitement, eating, drinking, tracheal irritants (smoke or dust), obesity, exercise and hot and humid weather."

Picture above is an example of a collapsed trachea - this is not our Kaycee - whose trachea was narrow throughout.

Through examination and an x-ray the vet determined that our Kaycee had a collapsed trachea - his recommendation was that she needed to lose weight and if it got worse would need to undergo surgery, which he did not seem so keen on due to complications that could come out of surgery.  Over the course of the year, we changed her diet and tried to keep the environment as stress free as possible for her.  Kaycee has always been one of those who prefers to relax.  Because of her challenged breathing, she never really enjoyed going out for walks.  Anyways, as the year progressed, she slowly got better and the frequency of any breathing issues reduced.

 This takes me to a few days ago when out of nowhere she began having breathing issues again - this was the worst I had ever heard it.  Every breath was a loud honking struggle.  Every breath was accompanied by a loud honking gasp.  I had assumed she may have gotten sick or even bronchitis since the weather over the past few days was extremely Hot and humid - Im currently living in the Philippines on assignment and even with the AC on all the time it still gets Hot.

We again took her to the vet and he gave her an anti-inflammatory shot and some medication to calm her down.  He again ordered and x-ray and this time around determined that her trachea looked normal and didn't seem collapsed.  As he continued to exam her he offered up another explanation stating that she could be suffering from an elongated soft palate - which is more common in flat faced dogs such as a pug and rare in Yorkies.

Our vet ended up giving us a prescription for antibiotics and steroids to be given over the next 5-7 days to see if it would remedy the situation.  If Kaycee did not get any better he recommended bringing her back so he could diagnose her further, which would involve placing her under anesthesia and possibly having her undergo surgery if it was determined that she had an elongated soft palate.  He mentioned that the surgery was simple and routine, but the risk as always came with anesthesia and post operation.

Below is an example of the surgery for an elongated soft palate where a flap of skin that is blocking the airway is removed.

As a concerned "parent" the thought of surgery has been bothering me to no end.  On one hand I welcome it because if it is in fact the cause of her on and off again issues, the surgery will cure her from this forever and allow her to live a much easier and happier life.  On the other hand the risk that comes with it makes me nervous.

Kaycee - is my miracle puppy.   She was 1 of 2 born from an unexpected pregnancy from 2 of my other yorkies.  She was the only one that survived.  When she was born she was not breathing.  Her mother was unable to deliver her and her brother naturally due to their size and had to be delivered via cesarean.  Her brother was not fully developed and did not make it.  Luckily Kaycee was revived and after a day in the hospital under an incubator, we got to take her home.   Since then i have been so protective of her - in some cases over protective like any father would of their baby daughter.

From early birth I built her and her mother a pen - and being the tech/gadget geek i am fully decked it out with a surveillance system so I could watch her at all times.  Below is just a few pictures from my collection of her baby pictures.

Anyways - we are now 4 days into the medication and her breathing issues have only gotten a little better.  She is still struggling to breathe normally.  I constantly have mixed emotions about just giving in and taking her back to the vet to do the diagnosis and waiting it out for the remaining 3 days.  For now we have decided to complete the round of medication, but each day is difficult and constantly left up for re-consideration.

Below are a few Videos I took today of her difficult breathing in case anyone in the future encounters something similar with their dogs

I figured posting about it would allow me to release some of the anxiety i had about the situation as well as raise awareness and get the thoughts and opinions of others who have also had the same experience.  Sometimes also getting a 3rd persons perspective is good - especially when one is so emotionally attached. 

Please feel free to let me know your thoughts and opinions.  I am hoping that the medication eventually works and if not and she does end up having to go through any kind of surgery that she will be cured forever of this so she can continue to live a happy and healthy life.

If you are still with me by now.  Thank you for listening!  Hopefully in a few days, all will be well and I'll have better news.