Tracheal collapse in the dog ‐ is there really a role for surgery? A survey of 100 cases

One hundred dogs with clinical signs associated with tracheal collapse were examined over a four-year period. The symptomatic state of tracheal collapse was found to have a multifactorial aetiology. Factors linked with the onset of clinical signs included cardiomegaly, pulmonary oedema, respiratory infection, endotracheal intubation, the presence of a smoker in the household, allergic respiratory disease and obesity. Medical or conservative management resulted in long term resolution of signs (greater than 12 months) in 71 per cent of cases while a further 4 per cent were successfully managed by upper airway surgery. Tracheal reconstruction was performed for the minority of non-responsive cases (11 per cent) in which no other medical condition could be identified. Only half of these dogs (5 per cent) remained asymptomatic long term. The importance of identifying and eliminating the factors implicated in initiating the symptomatic state of tracheal collapse is emphasised. Suppression of these exciting causes should be considered as the therapeutic priority and surgery should be reserved only for those dogs which do not respond to conservative management.