My Yorkie makes a honking sound. Is it collapsing trachea?

Hello there! Collapsing trachea is a condition where the cartilaginous rings that surround the trachea and keep it an open tube are weakened, and sometimes, when excited or breathing hard, the trachea will flatten or collapse. This causes a harsh, loud "honking" sound when breathing, and sometimes coughing. This condition is more common in small breeds as a genetic abnormality, but it could also be seen in other dog breeds as a result of respiratory infection, obesity, or damage/disease of the trachea. The treatment for collapsing trachea depends on its cause and severity. Most dogs with collapsing trachea are managed by keeping them calm and in good body condition, and sometimes with the use of cough suppressants and steroids for inflammation caused by coughing. Some dogs do require surgery if their coughing and honking doesn't abate with regularity, or if they have trouble breathing. Surgical implantation of plastic rings around the trachea is currently the surgical treatment of choice. It really is quite uncommon in larger, young dogs, so I highly recommend that Bruno has a full work-up by the vet before considering his symptoms to be caused by collapsing trachea. Kennel cough, for example, can produce very similar symptoms. Good luck, and I hope Bruno gets well soon!

There are a few different reasons pets can make the sound. It could be related to a collapsing trachea, fluid in the lungs or laryngeal paralysis. Try to record a video of the coughing and then have your pup examined by the veterinarian. The doctor may recommend radiographs after the physical exam and watching the video. I hope this helps.

Hello, sorry to hear about Teddy. Given his breed, it sounds like he may have a common Yorkie disease called tracheomalacia or collapsing trachea. This happens when Yorkies have weak tracheal rings that cannot withstand the pressures of the windpipe on inspiration. This leads to a non-productive honking cough, sometimes referred to as a goose-honking cough. This disease however affects patients of middle to older age. Other causes of this may include kennel cough in young puppies, pneumonia, bronchitis, and even some heart conditions. If this cough persists, you should have Teddy seen by his veterinarian to further assess his cough and determine if additional diagnostics or treatments need to be implemented. In the interim, monitor his respiratory and seek emergency care if he is having a difficult time breathing, his coughing is getting worse, or if he develops any nasal/ocular discharge. Other signs may include a decreased appetite, lethargy, and vomiting. Hope this helps and best of luck.

That could be an early stage sign of tracheal collapse, or there may be a inflammation of the trachea or first airways (throat). Tracheal collapse is quite common in yorkies and is usually diagnosed by performing a radiographic evaluation of neck and chest. I would recommend a check up as if otherwise the signs are due to an inflammatory disease, anti-inflammatory and possibly antibiotics are required. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hi and thanks for your request. Goose honking cough/respiratory sound usually is due to a tracheal cough, often due to a tracheal collapse, even if uncommon in Staffies. These signs must be strictly monitored and if occur again they should be checked by your local veterinarian. Usually episodes of tracheal collapse are not fatal but if the anxiety and continued collapse or flattening of the trachea associated with an acute event of struggling to breath seems to increase the swelling around the trachea, and yes, these dogs can occasionally have their entire airway swell shut and be unable to breath. The important thing to remember if you have a dog with tracheal collapse is that you should take them in for treatment as soon as you notice distress - the longer the distress persists, the more difficult it is to reverse.

A cough can be caused by respiratory issues including lower airway disease or upper airway disease like a collapsing trachea. It can also be a sign of heart disease. Teddie needs to be assessed by a veterinarian to determine the cause of the cough and for recommendations to be made about what could benefit him from a medical perspective. They may want to perform x-rays to assess his heart and lungs.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A honking sounding cough with some gagging is a very typical sign of a condition called collapsing trachea. This is condition of the airway where it collapses down when they try to breath. This would be unrelated to the rake incident, but the rake incident might have stressed Gizmo to the point of an attack or episode where this collapsing trachea has become evident. It usually only flares up when they are stressed or breathing heavy. Another possible cause is kennel cough, once again unrelated to the rake incident but the stress could have caused a flare-up. This causes a hacking cough that is persistent. The other option is that the CPR episode caused trauma or inflammation to the airway or neck. Either way, the best thing to do would be to have a check up with a vet to see if some of these other underlying diseases are present, so you can treat (in terms of kennel cough or irritation of the trachea), or prevent future episodes (in terms of kennel cough). If the coughing has improved, the best thing to do in the mean-time would be to keep Gizmo quiet, comfortable, and rested, and avoid any activities where he would get excited or stressed. If he is still having trouble breathing please go to a vet right away as these episodes can spiral quickly and end up with a blocked airway all together, which can be fatal. Best of luck with Gizmo, I hope his coughing has calmed down and he feels better.