Difficult Breathing in Dogs | Hypoplastic Trachea

Dr. Lera gives an in-depth look into hypoplastic trachea, especially with bulldogs.
Rocco is a three-month-old English Bulldog suffering from a condition that restricts his windpipe.
Hypoplastic trachea is a genetic disease of dogs associated with brachycephalic syndrome and characterized by malformation of the tracheal cartilage rings that leads to narrowing of the airway.
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[@AnthonyLopez-sw2og]

Very well explained, I just got the news that my 10 month pitbull has the same problem, so sad to see her trying to breath She’s still active and eats well and plays but she can’t stay to active for a long time. I give her warm water with little lemon and it makes her feel a little better , sad that she can’t run free and play with other dogs like a dog should

[@Neilmug]

My dog has difficulty in breathing but the issue how do i treat it from home

[@nicholeedwards7268]

really nice video. I would have liked to hear what his cough sounds like. I hope he did well.

[@LIGHTNING351]

Thank you for the video..

[@kelleybernier]

Thank you so much for this video! We have a 12 week old English Bulldog and she has exactly what Rocco has.

[@DrLera]

Glad it was helpful, Kelley! Hope everything works out fine with your puppy 🐾

[@katieelifrits4043]

@@DrLera i have an 11 week old English bulldog with all 4 of these complications as well!! This video really helped our 7 year old understand what is going on!! Please share more based on what our futures look Like

[@zerronnealy7930]

Yes I have a 4 month bully she’s doing the same thing what did you do

[@Smooch-A-BullsEnglishBulldogs1]

So How is Rocco these days? Will his windpipe ever grow in circumference as he gets older? Even just at a little bit older in age??

[@10dev785]

My dog sounds like she’s snoring when she breaths. Is that considered a breathing issue?

[@spencerjoseph7248]

Speed need this

[@hayleythomson3593]

Very informative and clear!

[@DrLera]

Thanks for watching!

[@jakerueb8042]

gotta let these puppies breath

[@hawrajaber1392]

That’s so sad my dog have this problem too💔

[@Jai-zg7hr]

Superb vet! ❤️👍

[@DrLera]

Thank you!

[@cameronashlie5586]

My mom said Sophie will work the noise out and all of the sudden it stopped when I checked on her dead

[@kristenmashburn1946]

Our 6 month English Bulldog was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia with the possibility of hypoplastic trachea. She was put on her first round of antibiotics Clavamox “spelling”. After a follow after a week, more X-rays the infection was starting to clear. Continued another week of the medicine. During that last week of the continued meds, she had a flair up and a could not breath that well. We rushed her to the ER and they immediately put her in an oxygen cage. We discuss treatment options for 48 hour care. They proceeded with IV fluids, intravenous medications. She maintained all levels of normal body functions while in oxygen with normal flow at 40%. She ate like normal. Blood work came back normal. When they tried to wean off the oxygen her blood to oxygen levels would drop and they would put her back in. After 4 days I had to come see her. I wanted her to know that we were still here and didn’t give her up and hope it would give her hope to live as they started to push the issue of possible euthanizing her. Well, Sure enough, the vet tech brought her into the room with us and she was trying to be herself. She stayed with us for 2 hours with NO oxygen and her blood go oxygen level maintained at around 89-93. As the night was getting late, we gave her one last night at the hospital to administer her meds, receive oxygen if needed, etc. when I called the next morning she was removed from the oxygen as she did require it. I find that crazy and relieved. She now, is at home, continuing her meds, “batril” clavamox, and 1 to help with the mucous, and one to help with nausea to prevent regurgitation. We will do more follow up X-rays within the week. My question is, this most likely with occur again and again? Is her life expectancy compromised due to this? Can she live with a functioning tracoplastic trachea? Nobody can help you make a decision on the not knowing, or what to expect. But, it is so scary. Until then, we will care for her and love her until and if this keep recurring, a finial decision would be needed.

[@kristenmashburn1946]

Also, we run the risk of potentially causing more damage during any medical treatment under sedation? Is spaying not an option for her? Throat and nose surgery?

[@zazaiowens1407]

Hi Kristen! My dog had to be in the oxygen cage and hooked up to an IV as well, on the last day of February. She was there for 4 days. I was told the same thing about her not being able to breathe outside of the O2 cage and possible euthanasia. When I visited her each night in the ICU, she tried to stick her head and paws out for me to take her home. She was doing well for three months, until her seizures and syncopy came back and got worse. I am currently trying to find another internal medicine doctor that will help me fight to save my dog’s life. Your dog is not in pain. They only scream out because they’re scared when they can’t breathe. Keep fighting to save your dog. I’m fighting to save my pet child! ❤

[@lizalopez1271]

I just adopted a 12 week english bulldog i was told that she had a "small trachea" making an appointment for the vet asap to get a compelete diagnosis and review of her xrays. Do they need to be on a special diet ... the person i got her from said wet food only? Anything i can do to help her live a long happy life? N e questions i should specifically ask my vet ?

[@jakethecarsandreactorvideo9409]

My dog had trouble breathing in the minutes before his death he passed a year and a half ago

[@johnroberts7747]

In your commercial you have a small bulldog that has breathing problems. Everynow nkw and then he gasp for breath. Can you tell me whats wrong with him. My Yorkie does the same thing.

[@theradfam9214]

Do you have any tips for at home remedies we can do as a preventative measure , I have heard a few things like Tumeric, cartridge builders, manual honey, throat gold, benedryl?

[@DrLera]

There's nothing that I'm aware of that is going to help the trachea become normal size. Typically these dogs like I said the video are going to have to live a different kind of life for the rest of their lives. You will have to keep a very close eye on their breathing and temperature as they will be prone to lung infections. Making sure that you give the high quality diets at immune boosters would be helpful for them

[@tazers3451]

My 11 week old is going through this as we speak. She has a tube down her throat. She has pneumonia and the coughing has cause swelling

[@The_Little_Miss]

Hii doctor.. I have a 7 years old indie and she is a female . recently within few years she gained some weight and after that she got a bad cold recently.. And we have observed a snoring like sound comming she inhales or gets exited. Snoring increases during her sleep.. And sometimes sounds like a stuck cough in her windpipe.. Can you please suggest how should we treat her... Thank you

[@kassi4837]

How and why does this develop?

[@kevinthomas7259]

My moms dog has these periods of it breathing veary short like its having some breathing attack its scary bc each time it happens it sounds like hes dieing....anyone know anything about this plz msg me, my mom dsnt know what to do and its one of those small ankle biter dogs if that makes sense

[@ADDIE.]

Can you give dog Albuterol? Can you use a persons Albuterol prescription??? Please let menos

[@moushumi09]

My Indian breed puppy of 1 year is suddenly having fast breathing for last 4-5 days. A week back we were outdoor home whole day & it was too hot around 40 degrees & was unbearable for him. Could that be the reason I very worried how to help my pup. I am giving him buttermilk, bathed him, fed Cucumber, honey also. Please advice.

[@ogfootwear242]

hi i have the same issue with my english bulldog my problem is he wont eat or drink since coming back from the vets i dont want him to catch pneumonia any tips please thank you for this video you have really helped us!

[@DrLera]

So If he doesn't t want to eat since coming back from the veterinarian. I would call the office let them know what has changed they may be able to give you specific info regarding his appetite

[@lilywelch7113]

im doing an assignment, and I have some questions, what are the causes of hypo plastic trachea, how can u treat hypo plastic trachea successfully ie stints, and possible reasons to why it has accured, I also would like to say thank you for all your videos, they have successfully helped me thru my studies and I am proud to say that I have taken on board most of your videos thru out my vetenairy studies, thank you :)

[@DrLera]

I want to offer my apologies for the delay. 1) What are the causes of Hypoplastic Trachea? The short version is they are born with it. A little bit more information, "The dorsal tracheal membrane is attenuated or absent, and there is little to no ability for the trachealis muscle and ligament to expand." Essentially, because of the lack of the membrane, the muscle and the ligaments are not able to grow at the same rate as the puppy. 2) Treatment options: As of right now there are no surgical treatments for hypoplastic trachea. We normally treat any brachycephalic upper airway issues (stenotic Nares, Elongated soft palate, and/or everted laryngeal saccules). Usually patients will get better with this. They will not live a normal life from the standpoint of being able to be outside in warm temperatures for prolonged periods of time. In south florida, no more then 15 mins. 3) Reasons for the disease/condition exists: Constantly breeding for other abnormal physical attributes which are the trademarks for English bulldogs. Hope these help, if there are any topics that you would like a video about please let us know as well. Have a great day.

[@lilywelch7113]

thank you ever so much, if possible a video on entropion would be fantastic !!!

[@housemouse5606]

My dog died,cuz doctor gave him pills and flushed him. He over drank water.threw up..2 days later dead, I can't get over it

[@staceylee3621]

Hey just came across this video, one of my English bulldog puppies (12weeks) has started to sound congested almost like when you get phlegm stuck and need to cough it up. She’s quite a big girl heavy set. Is this something that sounds similar to Rocco? She goes through moments of sounding terrible but then it eases off, she’s still playing eating drinking as normal

[@efranz850]

@StaceyLee did this ever go? My 14 week old e.Bulldog started having the same thing last week and it’s getting worst. Gets worst at night!

[@staceylee3621]

@@efranz850 hey, yes the older she got the better it got but she did have an infection at the time. She’s now nearly a year and just breathes like a normal bulldog loud.

[@mischalecterTV]

Always takes them to the vet prior to asking the internet. If it ever comes back you'd want to request x-rays to see how the windpipe is working.

[@jahnavimuppalla8182]

My 8 months shih tzu suddenly does snoring like sounds at nights...it's suffering from breathing I can clearly see the difficulty...went to the vet he gave cough syrup and we used it...again after few days he started those sounds at nights...donnoh what to do...Is it something serious...can anyone respond plz....

[@icemancometh8679]

My chihuahua snorts at night - he'll be asleep and he'll kick his feet I think because sometimes he doesn't get enough air. During the day he's all right and at night I try to elevate his head. He's been to the vet and they didn't see anything but I keep watching and wondering.

[@nicholeedwards7268]

look up reverse sneezing and see if that's what you chi is doing. very common in them

[@icemancometh8679]

First in July he had antibiotics, then today he took the last of steroids, but he still sounds like his nose is clogged up - not mucus just swelled sinuses?

[@DJ_Driven]

Heaven almost 11-year-old Pitbull rescue that has stage 4 lymphoma been fighting it for about 3 weeks now. His neck lymph nodes were very swollen almost golf ball size was able to get the swelling reduced. The main issue now is he has the fast breathing not panting just fast breathing It never goes back to normal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as others out there are needing help and I'm trying to do my best to find a protocol to help dogs heal naturally.

[@thelowcarbcouple7324]

Omg my pitbull is going through the exact same thing as your pitbull did. Were you able to help?

[@rolandomaldondo1324]

In your opinion what's the best type of dog food for dog with this type of problem.

[@DrLera]

The food needs to be very soft and/or almost liquid consistency so it is easy for them to get done quickly. The dry food requires a lot of moisture from the animal and sometimes cause problems for the breathing

[@kristinareyes9609]

Hello my English bulldog was just diagnosed with this disorder but was told by the vet if it didn’t improve by 6 months we would have to put her down? But that’s not what I’m hearing from you I would just like to know if that would be the only option for her?

[@DrLera]

I can't give you numbers right now, but I can look into it for you

[@firststreetbreeders]

I have a 7 week old French bulldog that has this right now. Is there anything you can suggest doing for her to make her comfortable?

[@DrLera]

Gonna be important to make sure that she is kept in a cool environment. I would get comfortable measuring her temperature because you want to know if she is starting to develop a fever which could potentially be the start of an episode of pneumonia. You need to be very proactive with that. Feeding her small amounts of food at a time and also making sure that you are going giving her wet food so it is easier for it to wat

[@fineartlifestyling]

It should be illegalized to breed these dogs! It is a death sentence to a healthy, happy good quality life! I have a chihuahua and it’s the same problem! I am now completely against breeding animals for their cute features just so humans can enjoy their physical attributes at the cost of the animals’ health!

[@KingDemo]

SPEED DOG IS FINE!!!

[@dolphin1346]

I took my 55 lb boxer / mutt to the groomers. And two days later, he has a ticking sound when he breathes. He was perfectly healthy before the visit. They used a muzzle on him. COULD that have hurt his windpipe?? He is feeling better and the ticking sound is not there anymore

[@mischalecterTV]

If they used anything to press against trachea to keep his head in place, it could hurt his windpipe, especially if they're a short snout breed or have tracheal concerns prior.

[@dolphin1346]

@@mischalecterTV so exactly two days after his visit this instantly just happened. Every time he took a breath there was a ticking sound. On that second day he was lethargic and that was because his windpipe could have been hurt or damage. Because it was very strange a perfectly healthy dog suddenly has a ticking sound when he's breathing. It's been 7 days. I've been watching him like a Hawk I think in a way he is trying to tell me get out of here go to work. He has been improving he's got his energy back but he still on bed rest. If it is what you think it was that happened to him what can I do? Plenty bedrest, much shorter walks, because he's 10 years old, and thank GOD he has alot of energy to begin with but again after the groomers he was with lethargic exactly two days later. I was thinking when I took him out from the groomers he was walking a little gingerly. Though he was still hyper and having a good time. I know they did not try to hurt him on purpose but the only explanation to why this happen is from the muzzle and it's baffling to me. You mentioned Traces, I apologize I spelled it wrong exactly what is that and what can I do? Thank you so much

[@tinasantos791]

Hi, I have an english bulldog who is about to be 10wks old and was just diagnosed with this after seeing 4 different vets in the last 3wks. She was on doxycycline for 7 days that didn’t work and then Azithromycin for 10 days that helped but she still was not better..after 5 days off of Azithromycin they started her on it again for 10 days and then plan to switch back to doxycycline. My question is do you think that is a good plan for her? Also, a lot of people who own bulldogs tell me she should be on medication in a nebulizer but the vet won’t prescribe any. She is 9lbs. The dosage they have her on Azithromycin is 0.5ml twice/day for 10 days and then she is to start doxy at 0.4ml once a day for 2wks. I would love to get your advice on this please. I also sent you this message through email.

[@DrLera]

Please resend your email as I have not seen it yet. If you would like specific recommendations we would have to go over some details. Otherwise, you will need to be very aggressive with treatments. Nebulization is helpful, if we do not have a culture results from the lungs then it will be difficult to be exact in what to use. Broad spectrum antibacterial coverage is important, soft or liquid food is important, as is keeping them in cool environments with low humidity like no warmer then 70-75 degrees. If they need to go outside it should only be for about 5 min increments, 10 min max.

[@Mogazilla]

I'm not tryna take my dog to the vet but my dog sometime has trouble breathing after baths or after eating he's like snorting and tryna breathe thru his nose and it sounds scary but he pulls thru this is a rare occurrence like maybe once every 2 months he will have these episodes. Is this something I should be worried about? He has had this for years now he's almost 10 but has had this ever since I've had him

[@byeol5494]

Same...my dog also has this same issue like she will close her mouth tightly and start breathing heavily through nose...have you taken him to vet yet??

[@Mogazilla]

@@byeol5494 no I haven't taken him he only does it once in a blue moon so I don't think it's anything that bad you know not worth enough to get him in an office all just to tell me there is nothing they can do lol

[@Mogazilla]

@@byeol5494 I know how to make it stop I just cover his nose and make him open his mouth and make him breath thru there and it stops it. I also rub his neck just for the extra soothing if he needs it

[@byeol5494]

@@Mogazilla my dog also have this trouble breathing once in a month or two but since yesterday she had done it many times and even now she got trouble breathing and I’m crying rn😭...because I’m feeling bad since she can’t say anything she’s going through😭

[@theradfam9214]

Can you be my vet please :( our pup has this and our vet has been difficult

[@aaronverzosa1601]

my puppy too what happend to your puppy?

[@donnamilan4120]

How safe do you think it is to spay a English bulldog with Hypoplastic Trachea ?

[@DrLera]

It's not a that scary. As long you pre oxygenate them. Once you have the endotracheal tube in place it's not that big of s concern. When they are recovering we end up leaving the tube in longer then dogs with normal faces to reduce risks

[@breathingart]

My frenchie is exactly the same... Vet told me her trachea is the size of a tiny pomeranian. N he said "gosh... What to do what to do"..

[@pennymeagher8630]

The Vet should know its propably collapsed trachea. Common in this breed. Its an inherited trait. First, maybe you want a new Vet if he didnt know about this condition. An xray is needed to diagnose. My Westie has it. Adopted her at 6. Diagnosed last year at 8. She was active and fine until she was coughing and Vet diagnised her. The last yr has been hard. Her lungs and heart have been compromised so alot of late nights. Currently on half of 5mg prednisone at night so she can sleep thru the night because of the coughing. Sry..hopefully this isnt her case.