Collapsed Trachea

I really don't know anything about this condition.  Except one time when i was at my vet's a lady came in with a small dog in a basket.  I dont' remember for sure, but i am thinking it was a Westie.  Anyway, it had this condition and it actually lived in that basket,  only coming out to go potty and when they held it at feeding times.  If i remember correctly she said the dog could only get liquid down and they pureed and watered down it's feed.  Believe it or not, the dog actually appeard to be a happy little dog. 
 
I would think if your dog does not cough any more, I would not go thru the expense of x-rays.  However, if it starts to cough again, Vet, Exrays, etc and find out for sure what the problem is.

Collapsing trachea is really common in small dogs. Just try to manage it by not letting the dog get overly hot, excited, or overworked. Switch from a collar to a harness to prevent putting pressure on the trachea. As long as there aren't any signs of worms, heart problems or lung infection, I would say your vet is probably right... 

There doesn't seem to be any signs of anything else.  She is very active, eats well and overall seems retty healthy.  I think I will wait this one out.  Thank you for your replies. 

Have you ruled out kennel cough or pneumonia?

When winston had kennel cough, we took him to the vet.  It sounded just as you describe, and the vet was able to elicit a cough just by rubbing the dogs throat.  Something to consider.  Pneumonia would have to be confirmed through an x-ray.  Kennel cough can be diagnosed simply by listening to the lungs.

She had a Kennel cough vaccine earlier in the week and they had mentioned that she could have picked it up from the shot.  I could have sworn that the cough was there before the shot, though.  And when the vet checked her and caused her to cough by pushing a certain spot on her throat, I thought for sure that it was the trachea problem.  But now that you mention that a Kennel cough can be elicited by rubbing on the throat also, and she hasn't coughed in about 4 days - maybe it was from the vaccine.  They certainly keep you guessing, don't they!

If I remember correctly, I think that is one of the signs of kennel cough (pushing on the throat eliciting the cough).  I think my dog has kennel cough right now also.  He has been to the vet twice and they have not given a firm diagnosis but I think this is what it is.  I think my puppy got it from doggy daycare.  He has had the bordetella vaccine but it is my understanding that there are several strains that can cause kennel cough and bordetella is just the most common one.  Has your dog been around other dogs lately? 

No, she hasn't been in contact with any outside dogs.  I have 2 other dogs and they haven't displayed any symptoms.  But the vet said that if it was caused by the shot it wouldn't be contagious to the others...

Hi,
 My dog Daisy is a JackRussel/Poddle and she is 3 years old, she has the same problem. Sometimes she hacks so much she will throw up. We too have spent many times to the vet. We have learned that a Freedom harness helps and we no longer give her bones ,because we discoverd that they irritate it. Our Vet recommended that when she gets into her coughing spasms and can't stop to give her robitussin cough medicine. Make sure you ask your vet about this, because I am not sure of the dosage per lb. It has helped Daisy in the past, and the freedom harness made a big differrence.[]
 
 

Collapsed trachea can be tough to diagnose without x-rays.  However -- even if it IS a collapsed trachea, please don't panic about it. 
 
I've heard some vets immediately recommend an animal be put down -- and that's just NOT necessary most of the time.  Unfortunately I had a friend whose vet recommended exactly that and they put down a wonderful dog just because a vet saw 'long term care' and didn't approve. 
 
It's something a LOT of dogs live with and deal with very very well -- it just takes some management and  understanding EVEN IF you actually wind up with that diagnosis. 
 
We rescued a boxer mix who had super severe heartworm infestation.  Quite literally they didn't expect her to live even a month -- it took me a year to get a clear occult on her, but oh my, live she did!!
 
her heart was HUGELY enlarged (from being stretched by the parasites) and it pressed against her trachea and it was literally 'bent' and mostly collapsed.
 
She could chase ONE ball.  And would get a lot of joy out of a short snag at a ball.  Then she had to rest.  She lived a very very FULL life for over six more years (she lived to be almost 17 -- this dog that 'had one more month to live'!!!
 
Your course of 'wait and see' is a wise one.  It could be kennel cough, it could be a LOT of things.  But don't rush ... just keep the dog a bit quiet and see how it develops.

Well, I did cancel the appointment for the x-rays and of course she coughed a little last night.  But I will just keep an eye on her, as I do with all of them, they are our children! I would never easily give up if something was diagnosed.  And luckily we have a vet that knows and respects how much we charish our animals.  Thank you all for sharing your wisdom and experiences.  I will let you know if there are any updates.

TO ADD TO ALL THE OTHER RESPONDENTS,
 
THIS IS ABOUT MY DEAR BELOVED "MICONDA". HE WAS A TEACUP/SMALL TOY CREAM POODLE I WAS FORTUNATE TO BE HIS MOM PLAYMATE FOR 151/2 YEARS. HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH COLLAPSING TRACHEA WHEN HE WAS AROUND 4 Y/O. WOW I WAS SCARED AND THOUGHT THIS WAS FATAL. WE NEVER DID ANY XRAYS ( BUDGETING) IF WE COULD GET AROUND IT. BUT THE VET EXPLAINED WHAT IT WAS DID NOT OVER REACT, IT IS EXTREMELY COMMON WITH LITTLE DOGS I DON'T KNOW WHY? BUT I WAS CAREFUL AROUND HIS NECK IT WOULD CAUSE HIM TO COUGH/HACKING, AND YES A HARNESS OR GENTLE LEADER IS A MUST. MICONDA LIVED A HAPPY FUN LIFE WITH SOME EPISODES THAT HE WORKED THROUGH, AND I WORKED ON NOT PANICKING OR MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT. STAYING CALM AND ASSERTIVE FOR HIM! HIS KNEES (PATELLA'S) GAVE HIM MORE GRIEF THAN THE TRACHEA. THEY WOULD SLIDE TO THE SIDE HE HAD SURGERY ON ONE OF THOSE AND NO COMPLICATIONS WITH THE SURGERY. HE DID HAVE AN ENLARGED HEART DR. THOUGHT SECONDARY TO THE TRACHEA ISSUE, BUT LIKE I SAID WE HAD 151/2 YEARS OF HAPPINESS. YOUR MOM INSTINCTS WILL DO JUST FINE. HAVE A HAPPY LIFE TOGETHER.

I just posted about my little dog doing the same thing but since she is a flat faced dog I assumed she was choking on her soft palate.  I guess it could be any number of things.  Please read my post "Soft Palate Surgery" and tell me what you think?

Ernbee here is some information I found about reverse sneezing
[linkhttp://www.beaglebuddies.com/misc/reverse.html]http://www.beaglebuddies.com/misc/reverse.html[/link]
[linkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Terrier#Health]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Terrier#Health[/link]
Does this sound like your dog?
Sounds just like mine.