Breathing Issues

[Guest henryb]

My 10yo boy has been experiencing Wheezing/Breathing attacks for the past month or so. He probably suffers from 3 or 4 a day, they usually last around a minute. He heaves and can just not catch his breath, thankfully he has been able to recover from these episodes. The don't seem to be exercise induced, and he does have them both outside and inside in the AC.

 

I am wondering if this sounds like laryngeal paralysis for those of you who have experienced it? If not is there anything else to consider?

I am surprised by how fast these symptoms have come on.

 

We are headed to the Vet, just wanted to see what advice you could lend.

 

Thanks!

[ZoomDoggy]

Does he have a hoarse-sounding bark, or very little voice at all? Does he sound wheezy during normal panting? Does he pant FAR more often than you would normally expect, or get unduly winded after even very light exercise?

[Guest KennelMom]

My experience with LP is just with one dog. He pretty much had raspy breath most of the time - especially in the heat or after exercise. He had a couple episodes where he couldn't breathe and they were serious medical emergencies....I guess maybe there were a couple smaller horking/wheezing episodes but his symptoms were really the raspy breathing 24/7 exacerbated by exercise and heat.

 

Definitely good to check with your vet though.

[Guest Energy11]

Hard to say .... When this happens, are his gums and tongue pink? Bluish color of the tongue and gums can indicate a lack of oxygen.

 

There is also something that SOUNDS quite scary, called Reverse Sneezing, where it almost looks/sounds like they are wheezing, choking, etc. Oakly gets this quite frequently, and I have to rub his throat qently, and these stop. MIGHT just be these.

 

Of course, a vet visit might be a good idea, just to be safe. Hope all turns out well!

[Guest henryb]

Does he have a hoarse-sounding bark, or very little voice at all? Does he sound wheezy during normal panting? Does he pant FAR more often than you would normally expect, or get unduly winded after even very light exercise?

 

 

I haven't noticed any other symptoms. He will still run around and seem to be able to handle it. He doesn't seem to pant more then usually. It sounds like there would be a noticeable increase. His bark and whine are normal.

[Guest KennelMom]

Oh yeah...and I forgot about his bark. It was really, really hoarse. It actually sounded like the bark of a dog who'd been debarked.

[Ragsysmum]

LP usually affects the ability to swallow food I think. Certainly when my Ragsy had it we used to have to massage her throat to help the food go down and that effect was more obvious than any breathing problems for her at least.

[Guest Energy11]

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/reverse-sneez...dogs/page1.aspx

 

See if what your grey has, looks/sounds like this. There is a video on this Dr. Jon website, about Reverse Sneezing.

[Guest henryb]

I don't think that it is Reverse Sneezing. He seems to be in more distress then the dog in the video. I've also had him for 6 years....I thought I knew what his sneeze sounded like....it was always short and quick and a little gasp. It bothers me that there's been such a change over the last month or so.

 

Yuck. I wish i knew what was going on.

 

 

[Guest jeannejj]

My girl, Mandy, had LP. It got so bad that one day i thought I would lose her. A wonderful surgeon (they are specialists) took her in right away. She had the surgery, and has been wonderful ever since. She can no longer bark ( she does sound like a debarked dog) but she doesn't seem to care. She's not a puppy, but is very happy and comfortable. It cost about $3200.

 

It's so difficult to watch when they cant't breathe.

[Guest Energy11]

I don't think that it is Reverse Sneezing. He seems to be in more distress then the dog in the video. I've also had him for 6 years....I thought I knew what his sneeze sounded like....it was always short and quick and a little gasp. It bothers me that there's been such a change over the last month or so.

 

Yuck. I wish i knew what was going on.

Yeah ... sounds like time to see the vets and figure out what's going on. We sure hope it is something minor!

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

It sounds like reverse sneezing. Do a search on this forum as there's lots of info. on it and there was one post where there was a video of a dog doing this so you can compare. Laryngeal paralysis is more common in snub nosed dogs like Pugs and Boston Terriers.

 

[Guest Greensleeves]

Our coonhound Nelly had LP, and her symptoms were more a sort of gagging (she was diagnosed b/c we thought she had something caught in her throat--they sedated her to see, and found the LP), some of the "reverse sneezing," (which CAN be a symptom of LP; its technical name is laryngospasm) and a LOT of snorting/snoring. I want to say I think she was a *little* more hoarse than normal, but not that we noticed until after the diagnosis. We weren't looking for LP symptoms, so we didn't really see them. In fact, we had another vet who was very skeptical of the diagnosis--but since she was diagnosed under sedation, we were pretty confident they were right the first time.

 

Nelly would often do the reverse sneezing after getting up--she liked to sleep right on an air vent in a corner of our living room, and I think the cold/hot air would get to her, and she'd get up and start the panicked snorting.

[Guest Tuxsmom]

any news from vet trip yet? hope all is well !

[Sambuca]

My standard poodle had LP. It was pretty gradual if I remember correctly, but once it got bad, he sounded like Darth Vadar all the time. We did get him to the e-vet once or twice when it got really bad. He had the surgery and was doing better, but the scar tissue caused the same issue and he had to go back to have another 1 or 2 surgeries. All this happened between 10 and 12 y.o. and he lived to 15.

[dmswartzfager]

Here is a link to a video of Frazzle, who was in the early stages of LP at the time:

. Turn the sound up, and towards the middle of the clip, you can hear his raspy breathing, especially on the inhale. About six months later, his breathing was to the point where we could hear him coming just walking down the hall - no other exertion. We had the LP surgery done, and the difference was amazing - the rasping was gone, and he seemed much more energetic.

[MP_the4pack]

My Onyx is a LP dog with the tieback.

 

Your boy doesn't sound textbook LP. Actually, sounds more like asthma.

 

Good to go see your vet.

 

But, if it is LP.........Onyx had her surgery when she was 11. She's going to be 15 in 2 months.........the only thing we do is not feed her crumbly stuff like milkbone bisquits. It can cause aspirate pneumonia.

 

But otherwise....she perfectly happy with her 'huff huff' instead of arf arf.

 

 

[brandimom]

My first grey had this and unfortunately it was diagnosed too late. Glad you are headed to vet. The ER vet told me there is a procedure so hopefully he can talk to you about it.

 

Oh forgot to add does he have a "roar"? My vet said this was one of the things to look for..........