Yesterday Wynston nearly gave me a heart attack. Last year he was diagnosed with intrathoracic tracheal collapse, from which he had several coughing and honking attacks everyday. After his official diagnosis, I opted for a holistic treatment instead of western medicine, such as inhalers and steroids. The treatment has worked wonders. Within a month of his diagnosis I saw significant improvement. Now almost a year later, he rarely has episodes. But yesterday was strange. He had a very terrifying episode.
I was about to lay down for a nap when Wynston walked to the side of the bed and started coughing and honking. It seemed like he was struggling to breathe. Typically when this happens, it lasts 10 seconds and then he’s fine. Well, not this time.
The first thing I did was check his tongue and gums to make sure they weren’t turning blue, which would indicate lack of oxygen. Everything looked good so I proceeded to lightly massage his neck around his trachea. Matt was with me as we sat on the floor and frantically thought of options as time passed. After about a minute, Matt suggested the hot steam treatment I typically give him. I agreed, but decided we needed to up the ante because he needed immediate results.
I grabbed my eucalyptus oil and the three of us went into our guest bathroom. I turned the shower on, ran it until the water was hot and closed the drain. I left the fan off and put about 20 drops of eucalyptus oil in the hot running water. It took about 10 seconds for us to smell the oil and about a minute for the bathroom to start steaming. The point of this is to make it easier for Wynston to breathe.
As Matt, Wynston and I sat on the floor, Wynston’s honking and heavy breathing began to subside. Within another two or so minutes, he was laying down on the rug and seemed perfectly fine.
Natural treatment wins again!
I turned off the shower and collected Wynston. We went into my office (where his human bed is) and I turned on his warm vaporizer right next to the bed and turned on his humidifier. Wynston loves the warm steam, so he sleeps right next to the vaporizer on a pillow! Of course this makes me happy because I know the eucalyptus and warm vapor are helping him, and he enjoys it.
I’m keeping a close eye on him now. He’s been playing and sleeping since the incident, but I’m overprotective so I will keep a close watch on his breathing and behavior. If he gets an episode again and it’s a lot worse or his gums and tongue begin to turn blue, we’ll definitely be taking him to the emergency vet. I am confident it won’t happen again but I’m glad I was prepared this time and I will be if there is a next time!
Eliza says
Thank goodness you are such a prepared and thoughtful dog mom! It is awful when our sweeties are suffering and so important to be prepared for health issues when they strike. Wynston is lucky to have you on his side!
Amanda says
I can’t imagine doing anything less for my babies! They are my life! I’m just as lucky to have him as he is to have me 🙂
LadyBird says
I’m so glad Wynston is fine! I’m sure you must have been scared!
Amanda says
I was terrified! Luckily he’s all better now!
Lauren Miller (ZoePhee) says
That sounds terrifying! I’m glad he’s okay!
Jen Gabbard says
That would be so terrifying; I’m so glad he’s OK. And he certainly does look like he’s enjoying that nice warm steam 🙂
Beth | Daily Dog Tag says
Glad to hear he is okay! My Maltese sometimes hacks a little, but so far she’s stopped on her own. It isn’t enough to seek veterinary attention at this time, but I’m always interested to learn how to handle things that might crop up!
Amanda says
Originally it wasn’t enough to seek vet attention for Wynston either. But it progressively got worse. I’m just thankful I can treat it on my own!
Tassi says
I’ve followed you for a while and want to thank you for your suggestions. I lost my Maltese, Tuffy, to tracheal collapse in january after it became so bad and resulted in heart failure. He was misdiagnosed. Now, we have another one with a mid grade of TC. We’ve never used collars and I’m told it’s hereditary. We’ve been taking your tips to heart and so far Daisy is doing OK. She coughs usually only when she drinks or gets overly excited. Thank you.
Amanda says
Tassi, I am so very sorry to hear about the passing of your Tuffy. My heart aches for you. You sound like a fantastic pet parent and I’m glad to hear that Daisy is doing okay. Wynston doesn’t have true episodes anymore but he will occasionally cough briefly after drinking or playing sometimes as well. I appreciate you following us and reading my blog. Your support means a lot! xoxo
Tassi says
Thank you for your kind words. I’m so glad Wynston’s episodes have become less severe. This is a scary condition for both them and us. We’ll support each other. I have faith both Wynston and Daisy will power through this.
Amanda says
I do too! I’m definitely here for ya. xoxo
Sally says
I am going to try humidifier with oil my poem is suffering with this. It is horrible when he has these attacks
Amanda says
I would use a vaporizer instead of humidifier 🙂 Good luck!
Carli says
Hi Amanda, I am a dog mum to two Pomeranians and one has a slight collapsing trachea. He doesn’t cough for weeks to months then has a random flare up in the middle of the night that is so severe it gives us a heart attack. We ditched our vet’s advice of giving him a bronchodilator twice a day and just give it to him when he has a flare up but we wanted to try things to stop the flare ups from happening. We bought a humidifier, vaporizer and eucalyptus oil. I was wondering how you use both devices? We weren’t sure when to specifically use either the vaporizer or humidifier or both. Please let me know how you use them both daily to treat your Wynston! Thank you!
Amanda says
Hi Carli! The humidifier is simply to clean the air. So I would just put it in the room where your dog hands out the most, and turn it on when he’s in that room. The way I use the vaporizer is fill it with water then put about 5-10 drops of oil in it. That’s it! Simple, quick and easy. Good luck to you! xoxo
Lisa says
After I bought the Vicks humidifier, I noticed it had a warning for using for kids less than 10 pounds. My dog is 6.5 lbs, how big is Wynston ? I bought the eucalyptus oil, but wondered about the Vicks vaporizer that came with it . Is there any reason that wouldn’t be ok to use ?
Thank you in advance for your advice
Amanda says
Hi Lisa! Obviously I cannot advise to use the vaporizer against the warning label stipulations but I use it for Wynston, who is under 10lbs (he’s about 7lbs).
Lisa says
Amanda,
Thank you, that was what I was wondering . I’m sorry that Wynston has had the go through this , but I am grateful for your sharing your experiences , and what has been helpful for him !
Lisa
Debra says
Hi! My Miniature Pinscher was diagnosed with this after months of the vet not knowing what caused her cough and courses of antibiotics. I tried the vaporizer, but when I wake up in the morning the walls were covered with dripping orange colored water. This is with the door open.
Glucosomine seems to help as well as natural cough syrups. The holistic vet is great!
Amanda says
Hi Debra! The only thing I can think of with the walls dripping is the type of paint that is applied to the walls. Some paints types will sweat when there is moisture. I’m glad something is working for you!
Cara says
Just a thought , but did the tenants before you , perhaps smoke in the house? That might account for the orange colored dripping ? Forgive me if I overstepped, or am way of base.
E says
Just a heads-up – Vicks Vaporub has camphor which is toxic to doggos. May be be prudent to alert potential readers or remove that suggestion from your blog.
Amanda says
I never suggested using Vick’s Vaporub, only the actual vaporizer for water. Thanks anyways.
PAULETTE says
My dog has trek collapse, I took him to the vet nothing has worked,I am giving the honey 3 to 4 times a day it took awhile but I am seeing the difference he seems to be a little better,now I would to get him a vaporizer did you say use eukalipthus, and just a plan plain regular vaporizer
Kat says
Hi I just wanted to give a heads up so No one over does the oils …. I accidentally did that once and made my poor pup way worse with eucalyptus …. Seems like just the shower steam in an enclosed area does the trick or water in humidifier ….:but Depending in severity you may have to keep doing that for several days til it subsides. my dog has been diagnosed with tc for over 5 years and gets flare ups. I’m not saying don’t use oils just saying be careful how much and how often. I guess it varies for each dog. I’m here now because my dog has a flare up going on now and was looking for additional remedies – I do the honey with his prescribed meds and steam from shower and humidifier …. And Benedryl on occasion when it’s real bad. The last year his flare ups can last 4 days to 2 weeks … so I want people to know please do t give up on your babies …. It can last a while when they have a flare up. Please do t make any decisions thinking it’s not going to go away. Also please try and avoid steroids if you can help it. I have horror stories involving steroids (other dogs for other reasons). I try and warn people about steroids for dogs ….firm believer of the steam for collapsing trachea!!! So happy Wynton doing good! And so many others found this site for help!!