Staffie with Permanent tracheotomy

[Astrid&Etcetera]

Hello,

Her name is Etcetera, she is our lovely staffordshire bull terrier. We are french, when i say we i mean, my other dog Dolly (teckel hard hair) and me.
Our Etcetera is going through a hard moment.

Two weeks ago, i just came back from a 2 weeks professional trip abroad, we live in belgium, and i discovered my dog with a huge problem of breathing, looking terrible and blue tongue. From the dogsitter (who i'm not going to talk about there...)she started breathing like this, sometimes, 4 days ago, but terrible the night before and didn't eat...

.. i took her straight to the vet, one i didn't know as mine was not there, it was a sunday.

The vet put her under oxygen, cortisone, we did x-ray, and so on, i have to try to keep this part short as now we are a lot further.
So the vet kept her for one night, then during the night she called, she was in a clinic, asking for my ok to operate with another vet to help my dog breathing. A bit more than an hour later, she called me back, surgery went well Etcetera is awake...They removed the inverted "seccules".

She remained in the clinic two days, and i got her back home, still breathing problem but only when being excited, it's an energetic breed and she can get super high in excitment in one flash.
We both work on finding a balance, and she was improving day by day. I got her back a tuesday and the friday of the same week i had to go back see the vet to check her.
When we arrived at the clinic this friday (8 days ago), she got scared being back in the clinic and started breathing strongly badly and shaking.
When the vet received us, he said that it was very bad, showed me drawings of laryngia with 3 options of sizes and situation. He explained again what he had removed and told us that he saw that the larynx was too tight, he wanted to operate her straight away to pull the edges of the larynx aside. This would have to happen in two operations, first one side and then the other one, with no idea of the result. Regarding the emergency it seemed, i gave the ok. They put her asleep in arms, i left when she was sleeping, she was going straight to the surgery room.
Two hours later, i called, the surgery went well, she was awake and staying under observation.

I called every morning to follow her state, everything was well as long as kept in a cool place (the weather got terribly hot, of course..) and in a quiet environment, they don't want me to pass.
Until last wednesday, when i gave my morning call, the vet said that she was still in trouble breathing and that we would have to take a decision for a next operation (tracheostomy) before or after this week end. He talked about laryngeal collapse and said the words "vital prognostic", it smashed me.
The next day, He called me earlier than my call, and said that he wanted to perform the surgery now, i stopped him and asked to see him in the evening (i am working).
I spent the day connecting and asking many persons who know and love her, a cousin who is a vet... I have confidence in them. They all love her and us and no one was for the tracheo. Do i want to put Etcetera in this living condition, an animal doesn't ask for all this human things...mother nature also created her like that and has the power above us all.
I was lost rode everything i could on this, thesis of vet and so on. I had my list of questions, precise, in order to take a decision when having the answers. I was ready to bring her home, in her environment, with me, her friend Dolly, to surround her with our love and to help her in anyway possible to recover or to go through...
When I met the vet that evening, entering his office, etcetera was there, a ball of life and energy. I crumbled down to her and hold her, pet her. It is not her moment, she wants to live.
I talked with the vet, got my answers, he clearly said that he was not going to take a decision for me. More talks, he is hopefull. Except swimming she will be able to do anything she wants with a permanent tracheo.
I said i was going to give my answer the next morning, in my mind i knew already but wanted to give me more time. I stayed with Etcetera a little bit more.

Yesterday morning i gave the green light for the tracheo. It will go through monday, because of week end shift in the clinic.
I went back to the clinic later yesterday to bring her toys she loves, a tee shirt with my and Dolly smell, you know why...
She is kept in the vet office room, alone, to keep calm and have less interaction possible, as she straight away wants to lick you, jumps and of course breath bad.
Aknowledging this i still wanted to see her 1 mn 30 to give her her toys and our love.
She was in her cage, i opened it, she jumped out, licking and being very excited, i sat down to try to calm her, showed her the toys, she smelled the tee shirt, i wanted not to stay too long for her so i asked her to keep calm, strong and go back in her cage. Half in the cage, half in my arms she was shaking and breathing calm. I left, awfull..

The vet has a second option, which he doesn't believe in : operating to pull aside the other part of the larynx.
And since yesterday evening, i wonder if i want to put her in this condition of living with the tracheo, if i should not go for the second operation and stop there and bring her home and let her live her life.

In two weeks i have to go abroad for work again, for two weeks, the clinic is ok to keep her during this time.
I am scared of that moment for her, and i wonder, sometime think that, if i hadn't to travel i would not have choose the option of tracheo because i would be able to be with her, in her condition and to take care of her.

I just call the clinic, she is doing calm, not depressed, the vet can not be reach before monday morning, when he will operate, i told them everything i just said, that i was lost and wondering, i want to know the exact cares i will have to do for her after the tracheo. It's the hardest decision i had to make since very long ago.
I don't know what i wait for in posting you our story, it feels a bit of relieve to share it.
Lots of love and peace for all of you

[critters]

There have been several dogs with permanent trachs here on the board, so you might want to do a search to see what they had to say. My recollection is that they did amazingly well (and did not swim, as you mentioned).

[FYI]

http://www.adudler.com/Choomia.htm

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/dogtrach/

[Astrid&Etcetera]

Thank you so much <3

[Lolakins]

I just found this group & read your story. My Lola , now 6 years old pug, had a perm tracheostomy 2 years ago. She endured 3 surgeries, the first to shorten the palette, enlarge nostrils etc etc (quite common), but her breathing was worse, so I decided to proceed with the perm tracheostomy . At the time, there was very little I could find related to successful surgeries. After the first surgery she had 2 subsequent surgeries. The hole was closing so fat needed to be removed from her neck & the scar tissue removed . All surgeries were done within a 3 month period. I was up many nights with her .
Today, she leads a fairly normal life. She still gets somewhat short of breath, especially in summer months when she is outside for her walks. Care is very easy. I clean her blowhole with a wipe in evening, but so constantly wipe flem .clip hairs weekly. But she is her normal spoiled self, harassing her brother constantly. She doesn't bark, but sounds like she sneezes. I hope things are going well with your little one. I'm constantly concerned that hole will close, but so far it's ok

[CarolC]

Lolakins!

[critters]

[quote="Lolakins"].
. I clean her blowhole

hehe! Love it!

So she doesn't have a tube in there to hold it open, like humans usually do? That's a surprise!

:blink: