Laryngeal Paralysis??

[holly10]

Thanks for all your well wishes on my welcome post! We took our 10 y/o Holly for a checkup yesterday about her breathing issues (heavier, nosier panting), her inability to exert herself, among other things. First the good news ... her lab work is fabulous!! She has the blood of a 2 year old! The bad news ... the vet is thinking laryngeal paralysis. Anyone that's dealt with this, please give us some suggestions. Holly has been officially 'retired' from hunting, which is the hardest news for my son and husband and it will break her heart to be left behind. Now for the most concerning issue ... she has a growth on her lower jaw that was not there at her checkup in April. Tomorrow Holly will go in and have that growth removed (biopsied) and we pray the vet can remove it all and it's not attached to the bone. They will also while she's under take a series of chest x-rays and also try and confirm the lar par diagnoses. Needless to say, our hearts are so heavy. I know all lab owners say this, but she is seriously the best dog EVER!! And I just don't want to see her struggle.

[lovemylabby]

Laryngeal Paralysis is very common in senior Labs. The best thing you than do is keep them cool and calm.

You do not want to over exercise them or let them get over heated. This will cause them difficulty with breathing.

There is really no that much you can do....sometimes surgery is recommended for severe cases...but it does come with a high risk of complications.

Vets will also sometimes prescribe anti-anxiety medications or anti-inflammatory meds to help the condition.

It is good that your Lab is having tests to confirm the diagnosis....Please keep us posted.

[mcstak]

Our first lab was diagnosed with it also at 10 years of age. Based on the risk of complications from surgery I asked the vet to tell me what would they do if this was their dog. I wanted the vet to be honest, and she said, "if it was my dog I would let him enjoy whatever time he has left". Having said that, our Bosco lived another four years! The only changes he needed were: no more long walks; no activity that would overheat him; indoors on hot days.

If Bosco would have had the surgery, we were told besides the serious complications that could arise, he would no longer be able to bark; he would no longer be able to have the crunchy treats he so much adored. This may not be a big deal, but Bosco only had a few simple pleasures left by that point.

Of course every case is different, but Bosco did very well until the age of 14 when old age took its course.

[holly10]

Today she goes in for all her tests ... including a biopsy on a growth on her lower gum/jaw. Just seems to be a lot all at once. Appreciate everyone's experiences.

[mcstak]

Hope all goes well. Such a worry, I know.

[3muttsketeers]

Hope it all goes well. I have experience with LP and I'd do the surgery if your dog is a candidate. Otherwise, get your dog on Doxepin because it helps.

[labsnewfy]

My little Tootsie had LP. We kept her lean, elevated her food dish, used a harness for walks. She did wear a collar but only to hold her tags it was loose so it could either slip over her head or clip open. Tootsie had LP since she was a pup (her vocal cords cut as a puppy mill dog) so she knew pretty much when she needed to break from play to catch her breath, sometimes we had to remind her to take a break but for the most part she knew.

We kept Tootsie cool in the summer, comfortable in the winter and as stress free as possible. We also gave her benedryl on hot humid days or when allergy season kicked in to help her breath a little better. I thought about the surgery but there were to many risk factors for me to consider it for Tootsie. My little girl lived to be 13 yrs old when cancer took her from me.

Sending well wishes for Holly on her tests today.

[Trudy]

Just a thought here, but do you walk your lab on a harness? One veterinary surgeon warned us that we had to stop walking our lab on a flat collar because he pulled and
this caused the start of LP.
That's just one vet, tho. We switched him to a harness and some of that heavy breathing lightened up. I had no idea about LP, had never heard of it, it was just a random observation from the vet.

[holly10]

I was thinking about the harness too once we have her medically cleared. She used to pull a lot when she was younger! I still remember her dragging my 8 y/o son down the road! LOL! The vet just called and she is just waking up. We get to go get her in about 3 hours. But no news. I just hate waiting!

[Trudy]

I switched to the "easy walk" for both our labs. I feel so much better not pulling on their necks. I could never go back to flat collar. Our female doesn't pull much but I still like the idea of not having anything that could hurt the throat area. Harnesses take a little adjusting but they work great for us and are pretty hassle free. We bought our harnesses at the Pet Smart, I think it was a generic easy walk type of leash brand.