Lp: Question

[rascalsmom]

Friends of ours have a 13-year old greyhound who has developed laryngeal paralysis. They are thinking about the surgery, but not sure yet, mostly due to his age. Now they are considering acupuncture....is that helpful for LP? Anyone know?

[ZoomDoggy]

I've never heard of acupuncture as a treatment for LP. My Chancy had unilateral tieback surgery at age 12. My only regret was that I waited so long (out of fear).

[RobinM]

Acupunture can't hurt. I would try it but I too would not opt for any surgery at his age.

[Guest MyCody]

Cody was going for acupuncture regularly for his back and when diagnosed with LP, I asked if acupuncture would help and his acupuncturist said no. We chose to keep him comfortable and in air conditioning and only let him out for short periods of time and no running. He too was 13. We lost him this last April when his body just decided it was enough and he was no longer living a comfortable life.

[Burpdog]

I was told it wouldn't hurt but would not cure LP. When Trevor was scoped, his laranx was too brittle to do the tie back surgery.

 

Can they manage it with drugs? Since summer is upon us, they need to start them now if that is the route they want to take.

[rascalsmom]

Diane, what kind of drugs are available for LP?

 

[Burpdog]

This has been quite a few years ago, but A&M wanted to start Trevor on elavil to keep him on an even keel. It didn't have time to kick in and I lost him when he shut down his airway because he got excited when I returned home (I was gone 15 minutes) and I could not get him out of it. It was a horrible experience. I'd also tell her to have valium on hand to administer rectally if he goes into such an episode. Another mistake I made not having any

[rascalsmom]

Thanks, Diane, I will suggest to my friend that she mention those meds to the vet....

[sweetdogs]

My old boy is on doxepin. It's an anti-depressant/anti-histamine that they have found is useful for dogs with LP. I do believe it has helped him significantly. I get a 90 day supply at Target for $10.

[Guest TBSFlame]

This has been quite a few years ago, but A&M wanted to start Trevor on elavil to keep him on an even keel. It didn't have time to kick in and I lost him when he shut down his airway because he got excited when I returned home (I was gone 15 minutes) and I could not get him out of it. It was a horrible experience. I'd also tell her to have valium on hand to administer rectally if he goes into such an episode. Another mistake I made not having any

 

 

Tessie died of lp. It was indeed horrible. I have lost 2 to osteo but took Tessie death the hardest. I believe because it was so sudden. She was fine...then in a moment she could not breathe. I wish now I had done the tie-back. She was 12 and hated the vet so much. I felt I could not put her through the surgery but the experience of losing her was a horrible experience that I was not prepared for. I understand having oxygen on hand helps.

[Wonder]

Sparks has mild LP and the vet said it's nothing to worry about.

Me, not worry. That's like telling me not to breath!

[Guest KyGrey]

I have been told that Lee Lee will probably end up with it and he is NOT a candidate for the surgery due to his age. He is 13 1/2.

[DofSweetPotatos]

Battle had LP. We knew he did and thought that we could manage it, after all, he was a couple of months shy of 12 and you know, surgery can be risky. So, we ordered a portable oxygen bottle and rigged up a muzzle into a doggie sized non-rebreather mask. We thought this would be a solution while we investigated treatments.

We had 1 really humid day, kept him inside in the AC. Had to go with him to an appointment. Started the car ran the AC and got it cooled down. Took Battle outside to the car (less than a minute) and started driving and noticed he was wheezing. Got to our appointment, from the car into air conditioning. (less than a minute) and his wheezing was worse. Within 5 minutes he was near a total collapse and was in distress. Thankfully the vet was only a few minutes away, by the time we got him there, his gums were dusky, and that was with oxygen on him. The vet was able to stabilize him.

 

Needless to say the decision for a tie back was made for us. Battle underwent a unilateral tie back and came through with flying colors. We went to a surgeon who, is board certified and specializes in reconstructive surgery, he had done many tie backs and had done them on a greyhound or two. He openly shared his triumphs and tragedies of doing a tiebacks. He was honest and open with us regarding outcomes.

 

I will say, seeing Battle in distress from his laryngeal collapse was very scary for both of us. Moreover, I'd rather not see him suffocate to death, which is what would have happened if we didn't do the surgery.

 

Good luck with your friend. I hope their pup is ok.

Edited June 2, 2009 by DofSweetPotatos

[Bevd]

Poppy also has mild LP.

[Anne]

I lost one dog (Frasier) to LP and it is not fun. I have a 14.5 year old who has it, but not to the extent that Frasier did, thankfully. She huffs and puffs a bit but it's nothing like what my Frasier went through.

[Guest KennelMom]

I remember flying down I85 with Ken driving about 100 mph rushing to the closest e-vet with Grandpa barely able to breathe. I remember when he pooped and pee'd because he was in such distress and I was laying there trying to be calm but terrorized that I was going to have my dog suffocate in my arms. He made it through that episode but barely.

 

We kept the liquid valium on hand at Burpdog's suggestion when he was first diagnosed. You have to make sure you replace it every so often and store it properly because it does break down.

 

Grandpa was not a great candidate for tie-back surgery when he was first diagnosed. We managed it well for quite a while but after "the episode" it was significantly harder to manage. Ultimately it compromised his quality of life to the point we had to say goodbye. That wasn't the only reason, but it was a large part. I was not going to have him die terrified because he couldn't breathe.

 

After going through everything with Grandpa, I think I would lean much more towards a tieback surgery unless there were significant and overwhelming reasons the dog could not safely undergo surgery.

 

We managed his LP symptoms with valium and doxepin in the end. We didn't know about doxepin until the very end and I think I did see some benefit, but at that point his symptoms were pretty bad and I'm not sure he was on it long enough.

Edited June 2, 2009 by KennelMom