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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Tracheal Collapse? Or something else? 11.5 year old Lab

5 replies

Waspie · 29/05/2025 14:45

My labrador has always chewed her food (unusual for labs!) But then a few weeks ago she had what appeared to be a choking episode which upset her a lot. She did go back and eat the rest of her dinner but she was clearly shaken up. After this episode she seemed to have the same issue at each meal time and sometimes would go outside and vomit mid-meal.

After two days of this I got her a slow feeding bowl, which she loathes, and the issue did seem to resolve for a couple of weeks. We kept a very close eye on her when she ate. But in the last couple of days she has starting refusing food. As a non-hungry labrador is an offence against nature I have been hand feeding her her meals but obviously that's not a long term solution.

For background - she is an 11 and a half year old yellow labrador, spayed, 25Kg, of working stock rather than show. We have had her since she was a puppy. She is not overweight. She has been on James Wellbeloved kibble since weaning, moving from puppy to adult to senior. The vet always comments on how clean her teeth are (probably because she chews rather than gulps her food). She takes a daily Onisor tablet for arthritis in her leg (she had a CL op when she was 3) and has always had a YuMove tablet with her food. She is terrified of both the car and the vets, so before I put her through these I thought I would ask for the wisdom of The Doghouse.

Her ears are clear and I don't think it's an ENT type infection. She is happy in herself and walks miles a day with us without distress. She does sound a bit wheezy when breathing - my son has taken to calling her "Darth Doggy".

The obvious thing would be partial tracheal collapse but I'm worried there is something else going on, like a blockage/tumour in her throat.

Any other ideas or advice please?

OP posts:
muddyford · 29/05/2025 18:00

Take her to your vet. There are many things it could be, some relatively minor and some more serious. I've had Labs for more than three decades and not being interested in food, however presented, is so untypical I wouldn't mess around any longer.

tsmainsqueeze · 29/05/2025 18:09

Vet nurse here , take her to the vet soon, you may get a lot of 'opinions' here but no one at all can diagnose the problem.
Ask the vet if they can give you something to take the edge off her stress prior to the journey and consultation .

Waspie · 29/05/2025 19:18

Thank you both. I will make an appointment for her tomorrow.

In more positive news, she ate her dinner without any pause or problem.

OP posts:
BarkItOff · 30/05/2025 22:34

Why hasn’t she been to the vet if this has been going on a while and you’re suspected a collapsed trachea? No one on mumsnet can tell you what the problem is, she needs seeing by a vet.

Waspie · 31/05/2025 08:13

Well I hope that reply made you feel good @BarkItOff. Anything that makes you feel smug and superior over a person worried about the health of her aging dog has got to be a win, right? So, one point to you, well done.

As I said in my OP, my dog is terrified of the vet and also of the car (which has to be used to get her to the vet). As a result the vet is usually unable/barely able to examine her at all because she is a quivering, hyperventilating wreck who is wrapped around my body. If at all possible I like to spare my dog this experience. As I also said in my OP, the situation resolved itself until Thursday with the use of a slow feeding bowl. I was asking if this symptom might be caused by ageing, although it's not one I've seen in my other three labs over the years.

I said in my update that I would make an appointment at the vets which is on Monday morning. As expected the Vet has refused to give her a mild sedative in advance. They will only give these if the dog has previously shown signs of aggression to the vet, which mine never has.

I have put her on a soft food diet until she sees the vet on Monday, which she is eating happily.

OP posts:
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