Guest Greensleeves Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 DH took Nelly (8) to the vet this morning because he saw her swallow a fairly large chunk of rawhide last night (which is a whole 'nother issue to be discussed at another time. Sigh.). This morning, as I was removing her collar to crate her, she let out a huge yelp, which I have NEVER heard her do before. They sedated her to remove it... only to discover that what was actually wrong was laryngeal paralysis on the left side. I wasn't at the appointment (doctor's appt of my own), but I swung past after to see if they were still there, and had a chance to chat with the vet, who told me the diagnosis. The vet didn't seem overly concerned about it; we haven't noticed any of the typical symptoms (her bark is certainly unaffected ), and our vet says she might have had this for years (she was in a couple pretty bad accidents as a puppy before we found her--one that shattered her hip and another that caused a collapsed lung). She's been in startlingly good health (except for some arthritis and some mild seasonal allergies) as long as we've had her. I've been reading some of the other threads on this, and the stories I'm reading and recommendations for surgery don't seem to mesh with Nelly's lack of symptoms and the not-too-worried reaction of our vet (who we have absolutely NO doubts about). She mentioned the surgery but recommended against it. I guess I'm just trying to get a fuller picture of what we're dealing with here--what I need to watch out for, and how concerned I really need to be. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Naty Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) Watch out for her breathing, if this escalates to raspy and labored, even with minimal activity, specially in the warmer months. Depending on her symptoms, you can make some adjustments in her activities, such as walking her in the morning or early evening when it's cooler. Cool her with a cold towel if you notice labored breathing. Please switch over to a harness instead of a martingale so that her windpipe is unobstructed. It seems that she's in the initial stages, so your vet recommended against surgery. Many dogs are able to function with LP without surgery. In our case, the progress in our bridge boy's case was such that the risk of respiratory distress would have been more acute. He did wonderfully and had a renewed zip after surgery. The biggest risk with surgery is aspiration pneumonia. There's a yahoo group for LP that you may want to join. I have since lost that link but I'm sure someone else can come up with it. Good luck. Edited May 8, 2008 by Naty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jurishound Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 (edited) http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/LP/ Edited May 8, 2008 by jurishound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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