Dog collapsed trachea: How to manage medication like Temaril P?

Poor guy. If the Temaril alone is not helping him I would highly recommend telling your vet so that they can also prescribe additional medications. Tracheal collapse is often treated with several medications in more severe cases. Cough tabs or Torbutrol tabs are given to help reduce the cough. Also a bronchodilator is helpful in some pets to open up the airway just before the thoracic inlet. For now you can mix a small amount of honey mixed with water and offer that to Ferris until you an get him seen again by your vet. Honey has anti-inflammatory proerties that may be somewhat helpful. Also make sure not to place a collar on him, harness only, and try your best to keep him in a quite room with limited stimulus. I hope that Ferris feels better soon! Best wishes and take care.

Typically, medical management of collapsing trachea includes cough suppressants such as hydrocodone, tapering doses of prednisone or inhaled steroids such as fluticasone. If Chaisey has developed an acute worsening of symptoms, thoracic radiographs and an airway wash should be considered to rule out infection. Albuterol is typically not helpful in my experience.

Some dogs with tracheal collapse need to stay on hydrocodone long term and also a bronchodilator. You should call your vet and give him/her an update and maybe your vet can just prescribe additional medications without having to take him back to the vet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is an anti-inflammatory drug and it is helpful in some cases though it is not to be used longterm as it can result in muscle wasting and even diabetes in rare cases. For this reason, I would suggest another medication to be used on an as needed basis such as butorphanol and most importantly modifications you can easily make such as avoiding excessive exercise and to make sure Paris is at a healthy weight which can help manage collapsing trachea. Have a good night!

On short=term use it is not necessary to taper off the Temaril-P. Check with your veterinarian though. I would still finish the prescribed course, as this medication also takes inflammation and that could still be present after the coughing stops.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Temaril is a combination product of a steroid (suppresses the immune system, is an anti-inflammatory), as well as an anti-histamine (counters the histamine affect that is produced by allergies). Another possibility (less likely given the breed/age of Zeek) is a collapsing trachea (weak airway) where the steroid helped with the inflammation. The fact that Zeek responded to this medication, and it has come back when off it, is suggestive that there is either an allergy that is present that requires longer treatment, or small airway disease where the anti-inflammatory effect helped open up the airways. I recommend discussing with your vet if they feel this is seasonal allergies, and if so discusss a medication you can use longer term through the season (discuss Apoquel), as steroids long term can be hard on the body. Best of luck with Zeek!

Unfortunately medication won't improve this sort of cough because it is due to a functional problem not irriation. She is coughing because her trachea is collapsing. I would not recommend over the counter human medicine as sone cough bottles have ingredients toxic to dogs, and it wouldn't help anyway.