Laryngeal paralysis and heat, a really bad combination

[kudzu]

Put together a 13 year old Greyhound with laryngeal paralysis and 15 minutes outside with 86 F temps plus 60% humidity and you have a potentially lethal combo. I knew this and yet I got distracted, losing track of time. My dog suffered the consequences.

Sunita's first horrible LP event was back in January, inside our home with then 68 F temp. We were out running errands and came home to a dog in terrible condition. We had no what was really going on with her and never figured out what might have happened to cause it. She had struggled so hard to breath that she'd collapsed her trachea. (At least that is what we suspected had happened.) It was horrible and they almost put her on a ventilator, actually asking me at 3 different points if I would want resuscitation.

This time we caught it early but I still wasn't sure if we were dealing with an LP crisis or that plus overheating. She started panting so hard she was foaming at the mouth. We'd managed to get her into the tub and I filled it with enough water to cover her feet and ankles. She quickly wore herself out struggling to breath that she laid down in the water. While that was happening, BF was calling the closest vet, not our regular vet, to let them know we were bringing her in.

The vet & all the staff were wonderful. (The ownership & management have changed since I was last there a decade ago.) They took Su first, get our story, and then called both the regular vet and the E-vet for past records on our January event. Because we were able to get her to vet much earlier than last time, they were able to get Su stabilized in just a couple hours. The vet's goal was for Su to come home with us that night, avoiding a night at the e-vet. They succeeded, staying well after closing time to do it.

That was all Friday night. Su came home super wobbly from sedatives and has been on a low dose of trazadone since. With our current weather, even 5 minutes outside has her sounding raspy-gaspy. We've lowered our indoor temps back down to 74, from our new usual of 76 F. (Before Su's LP, we would keep it at 78 in Summer.) Any sunbathing is out of the question, much to Su's dissatisfaction.

This has been a lesson hard learned. LP and even just moderate heat are a horrible, horrible combination.

[macoduck]

Absolutely terrifying.  I hope that Sunita continues to improve.  Had she been on a med for the LP?

[cleptogrey]

the late great willie wonka had L.P. during the summer he always had a fan near his crate- no dog bed for him, it was too hot. i stopped taking him anywhere- he always had a chilly spot at the vet's boarding facility always waiting for him, an easy dog to board. he 

scared us a couple of times. one humid night we thought that was it- he pulled thru-  his personal fan was the answer. no meds nor tie back. willie lived to 15!

[Time4ANap]

Glad you caught it in time.  Sounds like a great vet practice  as well. 

[Jerilyn]

How very scary! I'm glad you were able to get her good treatment so quickly. Give the sweet old girl a popsicle from me. 

[Remolacha]

I struggle to breathe with the combo of heat and humidity, I can’t imagine how much worse it must be for a dog with LP! I am glad you caught it early and had good vets who knew what to do. I second the personal fan, Val doesn’t have LP but is very heat sensitive and the personal fan really helps with her panting. 

[EllenEveBaz]

Has she eaten any over the weekend?  

Edited August 22, 2021 by EllenEveBaz

[ramonaghan]

So glad you caught it early and that Su is doing better. Here's hoping for cooler temps and lower humidity soon. It's been miserable here too.

[kudzu]

Thank you all. I thought I was posting to remind people to be extra careful with LP dogs but I think I also really needed to vent. I still feel terrible for my error but thankfully she seems to have recovered. We’re going to try not giving the trazadone today. I will be more careful going forward & will resume carrying a timer. BF, bless him, said he needs to be more watchful also. In truth, he is already more careful than me.

16 hours ago, EllenEveBaz said:

Has she eaten any over the weekend?  

She ate little Saturday, but actually ate well yesterday & is hungry today. Could that be some leftover effect of the steroids Friday? 

[cleptogrey]

oh yes the steroids will increase appetite and thirst. always remember that.

[FiveRoooooers]

Just seeing this. Glad to hear Su is feeling better! 

[MP_the4pack]

Have you looked at the tie back surgery?  I did that for my 11 year old and she lived comfortably until 15.5 yrs old.

My current 12 year old has it and I'll be thinking of surgery in the future. 

[kudzu]

Am glad to hear of LP dogs, with & without tie-back, living to 15 yo. Until Friday, I think I’d convinced myself there may not be something like a repeat of that Jan. episode, thus feeling medical or surgical treatment for this might be avoided. Am not at all confident about that now, but tie-back really scares me. More accurately, possible aspiration pneumonia scares me. Already been there with a dog, though it was because of other neuro issues. Those issues, of which LP was just a small part,  ultimately caused his death. Pneumonia was just the last step of that journey. Still, it definitely left its mark on me.

Of course, a dog  with advanced LP is as bad as pneumonia. Either way, your dog struggles to breath. We’d end up at the vet school or speciality hospital for more advanced work up before that. It is a lot to digest & consider. 

Edited August 24, 2021 by kudzu

[macoduck]

Doxepin greatly helped my LP boy, but if we didn't give it exactly every 12 hours the breathing issue returned. 

Recently I had to start my senior podenco Hada on renal food. She hated the Hills k/d. Now we use the Royal Canin Renal Support in the "T" for tasty flavor. Although Stu doesn't have a kidney issue, mixing in a tablespoon of the canned version may be a good stimulant to keep him eating.

[kudzu]

We are likely headed down the renal insufficiency road soon. Her creatinine has gone up slightly on each of the last few blood panels.   At her recheck we'll be doing a more in depth work up on that. And there will be a discussion of pros/cons of further LP testing & treatment. Not thrilled with any of that, but with a second crisis (and hindsight) it seems we're past due for that.

[EllenEveBaz]