My sweet boy Charlie who is 10 now has been diagnosed with Laryngeal Paralysis. This is where the muscles that open and close the larynx become paralyzed making breathing difficult. Charlie is in the very beginning stages so he is fine for now just breathes heavier at times. My vet noticed it as soon as she came into the exam room. Niner was there too and she compared Niner's breathing to Charlie's. Charlie's was much more labored. Anyhow there isn't really anything that can be done except tie back surgery. This where they permanently open one side of the larynx by tying it back so the dog can breathe. However, my vet doesn't like the tie back surgery as it can cause aspiration. You also need to find a surgeon who has done over 300 hundred of these so they know what they are doing.
I did a little research and found that a drug called doxepin can work for "some" dogs in slowing the disease. My vet had never heard of it, but when I brought it up she did her own research and was willing to give it a try for Charlie. It only works if it's going to work when started in the early stages which is where Charlie is. Charlie has just started the drug and seems to have no side effects. It can take up to 3 weeks to see if the medication works. They don't know why it works in some cases and there is a clinical trial going on right now.
Anyhow has anybody dealt with this with their labs? Don't google it - it is a terrible disease and the videos you see are awful. Charlie is nowhere near that and can still happily go on walks with me twice a day. He's doing well.
Thanks for any info
Nancy