Laryngeal Paralysis (LP)

[Dee Krevey]

My beloved 11 year old chocolate lab died today as a result of complications due to a laryngeal Tieback-We were not well informed on any complications other that aspiration. He didnt die from aspiration he had a Laryngeal Collapse, so basically the very thing we sought to avoid, occured. He did have a few bad episodes and before the surgery, the alternative was to keep him from over heating and excitement. We couldnt walk or swim him so his quality of life was less than optimum. That said, knowing what I know now, I would not choose the surgery until I had no other choice. Up until the surgery
you wouldnt know there was anything wrong with him, he was healthy and beautiful. After the surgery he was never the same, he wouldnt eat and had to be hand fed baby food. He was lathargic. He had a Vet apt this morning at 8:00 and passed away just a few hours prior. The Vet said he wouldnt have been able to save him-What happened in surgery to compromise the Laryngeal Muscle?-The surgeon -a specialist in our area said the procedure was text book and his case was not as bad as he has seen in others. Please do surgery as a last resort. My Gunner had survived 3 cancer surgeries and one cornea operation and came through fine, I went forward not realizing my sweet Angel would not come through this one alive. Best of Luck

[Susan Mary]

I'm trying to decide what to do with my 10 year old chocolate lab, Max. He is a blind diabetic. His diabetes is under control now with two insulin shots a day. A few months ago he a bad bout of pancreatitis which set off a horrible case of ketoacidosis. He was in intensive care for days. Thousands of dollars latter he is now better.

Though not related to Max's recent medical emergency, his voice started to go. He sounds hoarse and the poor soul can no longer howl at the sound of a siren. The vet suspected nerve damage in his throat from diabetes. Over the summer things progressed from bad to worse. Now he has severe retching when he wakes, day or night. He often spits up during these long gagging/retching episodes. His breathing is always loud but his oral colour stays a nice shade of pink. He has only choked once while eating.

I have not had a diagnosis of LP confirmed buy I very sure this is the problem. I'm not sure what to do. I'm on a pension and cannot afford another large hospital or surgery bill. I'm just getting over the last three thousand dollar (plus) bill from his diabetes episode mentioned above. I don't mean to sound whiny but the hundred dollar a month cost of insulin, syringes plus fairly often fructosamine testing is a little steep. Tie back surgery for LP is not an option for me. My budget can't handle it and I'm not sure if my dog is even a good candidate for surgery. (Diabetics have bad veins.)

I know I'll have to put this dog down but I don't know when.

That's the question. What do I do and when do I do it?

I live by myself. If Max stops breathing there is nothing I will be able to do. I can't lift him. He is a very large dog (106 lbs.). Because I have COPD, I won't be able to give him first aid and/or resuscitation. Heck, I can't breath for myself let alone anybody else. I know how terrifying it is not being able to breathe. I don't want my dog to suffer that.

Thoughts?

[dvzk165]

I think that you will know when your dog’s quality of life is bad enough to warrant your putting him down. It sounds like you love your dog and you know him, so you will know. Trust your instincts and you will know.

If you can’t afford tieback surgery, maybe you can afford an alternate procedure, sometimes debark buys the dog some time and allows freer breathing for at least a while (not sure about the time frame). I know diabetics have special issues so you should probably have a frank discussion with your vet. There is a Yahoo Group called LPAlternatives that you can join and folks there have had this alternative procedure done on their dogs and they can help you. To my understanding it’s less than $200-300 to have that done, versus $2000 for the tieback. Again, I have NO personal experience with this but I know of others who have so it might be worth discussing with them.

When the time comes for your dog to be put down, ask the vet for a sedative for him first. The vet might say he doesn’t need it but it’s a very peaceful way for them to go. The sedative is injected and your dog falls to sleep (real sleep), then when he’s relaxed and sleeping, they give the “overdose” shot that ends their life.

Good luck to you, both with your own health issues and Max’s. Remember that whatever decision you make for your dog will be the right one, when made out of love for him.