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| mylene01 |
hi, i have a (we think about) 10 yr old min-pin, lately she has begun to cough and her breathing has gotten louder. she has been tested regularly for heart worm and is on heart-guard, so i dont think it is that... does anyone else have an older min-pin that is doing the same... i keep thinking she is just old...? even yrs ago, when i'd play fetch with her, she would only get the toy 2 maybe 3 times and cough, then stop playing... so it seems to be an ongoing cough, but has gotten more frequent...
and lately we've had to put her in the other room, her breathing is soo loud, she isn't over weight, 11 lbs....
thanks for any other stories on older or aging pins.... |
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| Froggy |
Is she asthmatic? just asking as you say its gone on a long time, but it could be an indication of a heart problem, tracheal problem or just something like an intermittent bronchial/respiratory problem.
I would definitely get her into the vet especially as now you say shes having trouble breathing (usually when the breathing is louder its because they are having a hard time getting air in or out....generally due to either inflamation or fluid or infection in the chest..., putting her in another room wont help her, you really need to find out the cause. They can take x-rays and see whats going on. |
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| mylene01 |
| hi, yes we have brought her to the vets not too long age and she is health... just thought maybe she is gettng older. she has always breathed loudly and i was told it had to do with the 'valve door' in her throat - sorry i am drawing a blank on the technical name-. was only told to not let her over heat. it may just be my dog... :) |
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| Froggy |
The "valve thingy":) Is it an elongated soft palate? This is something that is more common (very common) in short nosed breeds like Pugs, Shih Tzus etc but Ive seen it in Yorkies, Poodles and Daschunds. It usually does get worse as they get older, in severe cases (when it does actually stop the dog from breathing internittently) surgery can be done but if you were looking at that as an option I would strongly recommend a specialist that has experience with this type of surgery. The 'usual' routine with this is as you already know, minimal exercise, avoid heat.
The increased coughing could be a result of the fact that is it worsening with age, the body's natural reaction to something blocking the airway is to cough, but you need to be careful with that as the coughing itself can cause inflamation which in turn makes the situation worse. Cough suppressants may help (through your vet though not an over the counter human one)
Another possibility would be a collapsing trachea (although that probably wouldnt be described as a 'valve') The symptoms of that can be treated medically and in some cases surgery can be done but often its not succesful. The trachea is the 'windpipe' and goes from the back of the throat and branches off into each lung, a colapse can happen anywhere along that route, exercise and heat will make this worse and it will also cause coughing and irritation, difficulty breathing and progressively gets worse even with treatment.
Please keep in mind Im not a vet (Im a vet tech) and I think you should definitely keep up with your vet on this. |
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| mylene01 |
froggy, that sounds like it excactly... over the yrs i have had her seen for this and in the past they have told me things, but you have just reminded me of them.. thanks! right now i have a 10 mos old boston having her dislocated knee operated on ~ this thursday!!!! ~ so (it may sound mean) but i can only handle one dog problem at a time.. i do plan on bringing in the min-pin soon, she has a bump on her rear leg that looks like a blood bump..? she has had one before and gotten it removed... not cancer!!! :) - but now she has one on her leg. she has also had one on her nose for a few yrs, but they dont seem too concerned about it...
anyways, thanks so much for the input, i will be making notes and brining her in next month....
mylene |
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| Froggy |
Sounds like you have your hands full, and you dont sound mean.
I was wondering, if the coughing is really bad, as the vet has recently seen your min pin, is it a possibility that you could maybe get just a prescription for the coughing (if the vet thinks it might help). I know there are laws that vary from place to place about writing prescriptions out, where I used to work as long as the vet had seen the pet for that particular problem within 6 months they could write a prescription without necessarily seeing the pet, if it was a problem they had not seen the pet for then they wouldnt. It would be worth asking anyway.
Not sure about the lumps but just keep up with the vet on those as you are doing.
Good luck with the surgery on your Boston. |
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| mylene01 |
hey froggy, just wanted to let you know i found friend who has a min-pin and hers is about 7 and he too breathes heavey and coughs...maybe it has to do with the breed...or just being old...?
anyways, still keeping an eye on her and after mle (emily) goes is better (knee surgery) i will bring in sadie (min-pin) for a ck up for those 'bumps'
mylene ::confused:
ps what did you mean in the last reply about not sounding mean...? |
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| Froggy |
You had said because you were taking one dog in for surgery the other would have to wait and said 'it may sound mean'....I was just saying it didnt sound mean....and that it sounded like you had your hands full.
Hope everything goes okay with both dogs.... |
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| mylene01 |
oh... sorry,,, thanks. yes my hands are full - mle - boston - came out of surgery ok.. and in less time then they said... good sign..? :)
anyways, thanks for your help.. |
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