Overview. Tracheal collapse, also referred to as collapsing trachea, is a common disorder of the windpipe in dogs. It’s an inherited disorder in which the trachea’s normally firm cartilage rings of support are softer and less supportive than they should be. Anatomy. The windpipe or trachea is a tube that passes air from the back of the throat to the smaller airways in the lungs called bronchi. This tube is composed of multiple cartilage, C-shaped rings. The open part of the C-shaped cartilage is covered with a membrane and thin muscle. Tracheal Collapse. Tracheal collapse is a condition in which the trachea partially collapses as a dog breathes, leading to tracheal irritation, coughing and sometimes secondary changes in the lungs or upper airways. It is most common in toy breed dogs but can occur in larger breeds at times. The trachea, commonly known as the windpipe, is a tube about 4 inches long and less than an inch in diameter in most people. The trachea begins just under the larynx (voice box) and runs down behind the breastbone (sternum). Tracheal collapse is a chronic, progressive, irreversible disease of the trachea, or windpipe, and lower airways (mainstem bronchi collapse). The trachea is a flexible tube and, similar to a vacuum cleaner hose. It has small rings of cartilage that help keep the airway open when the dog is breathing, moving or coughing. It is thought about 1 in 100,000 animals have a reaction to anesthesia. To the owner of that 1 in 100,000 dog or cat, it's a completely unacceptable risk. But it's actually less risk than your pet faces riding in the car to and from the vet's office. Reactions can be as minor as a bit of mild swelling at the injection site, to a life-threatening situation of anaphylactic shock.
http://www.vetstreet.com/care/tracheal-collapse-collapsing-trachea-in-dogs http://vetsurgerycentral.com/resp_tracheal_tear.html http://www.vetinfo.com/dtrachea.html http://www.webmd.com/lung/picture-of-the-trachea https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/tracheal-collapse http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/09/08/when-pet-go-under-anesthesia.aspx
how long can tracheal irritation last after anesthesia in dogs