New Puppy May Need Surgery - Vets Can't Give A Good Answer

[titothepug]

Hi everyone!

From the last time I've asked advice on here, we got Tito (our 8yr old) a little brother - Chester.

Chester is about to be 8 months old. Around 5 months (we picked him up from the breeder at 4 months) he seemed to have a bit of a cough. It was your typical honking cough and we assumed it was kennel cough since he was transported with other puppies for pick-up.

We monitored it and it subsided substantially aside from when he over-exerted himself (run around for 20-30minutes playing). In the past month, it began to re-emerge.

We brought him to the vet and they gave us a cough suppressant + antibiotics and treated it as a nagging kennel cough. Upon finishing the 10 day course, he got much much worse. He was having 5-10 minute coughing fits. It also started happening hourly instead of just once or twice a day.

We brought him back and they gave us the cough suppressant + prednisone to reduce inflammation from all the irritation. We are about to complete this course and when he has the cough suppressant, it works. But that is just putting a band-aid on the problem.

We spoke with our vet and he suspects it could be caused by an elongated soft palate (brachycephalic airway syndrome, BOAS) or something in his airway. He wasn't able to give us a definite answer. He referred us to a surgeon for a consultation. They did x-ray and did not see anything abnormal. Ruled out bronchitis and all.

From doing my own research, it can be that syndrome or even a collapsed trachea. Every time he coughs he does seem to try and spit up phlegm. It has no rhyme or reason as it just happens randomly whether he is resting or playing.

Has anyone had this same experience? Should I contact the breeder about his health guarantee or is this just bad luck? Should we get a second opinion? I really hate seeing him in distress. Any insights or opinions are greatly appreciated.

HERE IS A VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-JA...ature=youtu.be

(When Tito had a health scare, PugVillage was essential is getting my puggy the best care and since then, Tito has been the token of health! So I trust everyone's opinions greatly!)

EDIT: Here they are!

[ayleash]

No help/experience, but what cuties.. hang in - I am sure someone will reply.

[shaynapug]

Do you have a vet that knows the brachy breeds???

His heart is good???

They can tell from an xray...inhale and exhale...if the trachea is collapsing. If that is the case...there is a medicine for that! Our Lisa can help you with that!

Could be elongated palate.....

Make sure you see a vet that is very familiar with the breeds and not surgery happy!

[GordonBrunoPugMom]

Definitely connect with the breeder and ask about any genetic issues .
I have seen video of dogs coughing which looked bad . Your guy does not sound like that and from the video he looks otherwise alert and playing like he should be .
The surgeon did an x-ray of what exactly?
How did he rule out bronchitis?

BOS sounds different in my opinion .

Did they investigate the collapse trachea?
Any obstruction in his airways?


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[HeidiHoog]

I have no advice, but wanted to say they are so darn cute! I hope you are able to figure out what is going on with Chester! Poor boy!

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[AmberB]

Your babies are adorable!

I would definitely get a specialists opinion. My Pomeranian had Collapsing Trachea and it was a similar sound - almost phlegm-y with a touch of goose honk that grew worse over time. She was not a candidate for surgery but cough suppressant and steroids helped calm it down enough to reduce the irritation that seems to feed the cycle of cough and inflammation.
Mu current pug has a similar phlegm-y sounding cough with exertion and excitement but no honking sound.
She has been tentatively diagnosed as having partial laryngeal paralysis. It is under control by keeping her calm and cool.
Hopefully the specialist can help figure it out. In the meantime all the old standard advice holds true regardless of diagnosis:
1. No pressure on the neck. (I see you use harnesses so thats great)
2. Keep the little guy from overheating which will cause panting and an increase in coughing
3. Same goes for exertion - don't allow him to over-exert himself. (Slower walks, frequent breaks etc)
4. Keep his weight down...this is a big one for pugs and breathing problems. A little underweight is preferable to a little overweight. This is especially hard when they are on steroids like prednisone because they get STARVING all the time! ugh! There is a body condition chart somewhere on this site that can help you determine where he falls on the body mass scale. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Wishing you all the best.

[AmberB]

Here's a post from Lisa about collapsing trachea and the new treatment.

https://www.pugvillage.com/forum/pug...g-trachea.html

[AmberB]

Here's the weight chart for anyone who wants to see where their Pug fits in. No judgement here....mine are not as thin as they need to be...... its tough to get a pug to stick to a diet! Especially when they can't exercise or exert themselves.

https://www.pugvillage.com/forum/pug...-charts-2.html

[Lu Ci and Ri Ki]

Oh, your Puggies are so precious. I would definitely get a second opinion with a specialist or a Dr. who really knows Pugs before considering any surgery. Will be watching for updates and praying you get a correct diagnosis and a treatment plan that will get the cough under control.

[titothepug]

Your babies are adorable!

I would definitely get a specialists opinion. My Pomeranian had Collapsing Trachea and it was a similar sound - almost phlegm-y with a touch of goose honk that grew worse over time. She was not a candidate for surgery but cough suppressant and steroids helped calm it down enough to reduce the irritation that seems to feed the cycle of cough and inflammation.
Mu current pug has a similar phlegm-y sounding cough with exertion and excitement but no honking sound.
She has been tentatively diagnosed as having partial laryngeal paralysis. It is under control by keeping her calm and cool.
Hopefully the specialist can help figure it out. In the meantime all the old standard advice holds true regardless of diagnosis:
1. No pressure on the neck. (I see you use harnesses so thats great)
2. Keep the little guy from overheating which will cause panting and an increase in coughing
3. Same goes for exertion - don't allow him to over-exert himself. (Slower walks, frequent breaks etc)
4. Keep his weight down...this is a big one for pugs and breathing problems. A little underweight is preferable to a little overweight. This is especially hard when they are on steroids like prednisone because they get STARVING all the time! ugh! There is a body condition chart somewhere on this site that can help you determine where he falls on the body mass scale. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Wishing you all the best.

Thanks so much for the information. I was suspecting the same as well. I will ask our current vet - they actually have a brachy specialist on staff. I will also look for others in the area.