Has anybody had experience with laryngeal paralysis? Our oldest lab (12); has been dealing with mild case for a couple years but recently it has progressed to being quite severe. He had a spell on the weekend where it was so bad his throat almost swelled completely shut. Due to his age surgery isn't an option and the fact that our vet figures the stress of travel (1.5 hour car ride then 2 hour ferry ride and another hour or so to get to the specialist) could kI'll him. so I'm wondering what people have done to keep it in check.. obviously we have to limit exercise but how can we keep him mentally and physically happy?
Hello , and welcome from me, even though it is via sad circumstances . I`m sorry that you have this awful situation, it sounds like a very nasty thing to suffer from . I don't know anything about the disease, but wanted to wish you all the very best with your dear old dog .
Oh dear - I'm sorry, I don't know about that condition either, but I just want to say welcome. I hope you manage to keep your old lab comfortable and you have some support too.
Hi there, I am afraid I can't offer you any information but I just want to say welcome and I hope you can find some treatment that will help your old friend.
Hello there, and a warm welcome. Sorry I can't help with any information about the condition. There is a lot on the forum about keeping a dog that can't exercise entertained and mentally stimulated though. It's aimed at dogs recovering from surgery, but there is no reason why some of it couldn't be useful for an older dog who can't get out and about so much. http://thelabradorforum.com/threads/things-to-do-for-dogs-on-restricted-exercise.10654/
Our first Lab, Ginger, had laryngeal paralysis at 13 or 14. She was also a well controlled type I diabetic, but in otherwise good health and pretty active. We had the surgery done, and she recovered quickly. The surgery took her bark, which was a little distressing to her and us. I remember that we wondered how we were going to get her into and out of our Van after the surgery, and she just walked out of the vets and jumped into the van. She lived to 16, and was quite active until 15. She has been gone 12 years, so I don't remember all of the details. If you are concerned about the car and ferry ride, then surgery is probably not an option, but it worked fine for Ginger.
i had a Dog with LP he had it from about 10 due some other medical problems. I didn't have the op as the dangers of the surgery and after care can be a problem. He did not get too bad for a few years and coped well. As he got older it got pretty bad but by this stage he was inoperable any way. He was affected by cold heat too much exercise and stress but his throat did not swell up. It would close and go into spasm and things would get stuck. If its swelling I would speak to a vet or if you can visit one, it does not sound like typical LP,but it could be normal in your dogs case. Hope he's ok don't loose heart my old boy lived a very happy and long life despite this and it was not the thing which ended his life. It can be very dramatic but i just learned to help clear blockages and feed different things. Its a good thing to know about not many lab owners seem to but its really common for labs. I recently met another lab owner who i know slightly whos dog seemed to have it I told her what it was and her vet went doooooooow why didn't i think of that as he'd been trying to treat the lab for heart failure. She knew it wasn't heart failure but when I made the sounds and did a choke she said bingo and took him back got him a harness and changed his diet slightly he's much happier now.
there are lots of games you can play and stuff you can do if you look on the site my old dog love play with a danglly cat toy. It was very robust he would lie on his back with his legs in the air and I would dangle it for him. I was his slave
@Iareangela So sorry to hear about your boy. You must be very worried. I am sorry I cannot offer any advice, but just wanted to wish you and boy well.
